Hotel Lille Euralille - Hilton Affiliate Hotel ★★★★

Requirement n°1 – Central urban location.

Conceived as a major European business district in the 1980s, the urban-chic neighbourhood of Euralille is strategically placed at the intersection of the high-speed railway lines that link Paris and Brussels to London. You literally just have to cross the road to get to the hotel from the train station. The futuristic office blocks are in stark contrast to the traditional buildings you can see in the old centre of town. The Tour de Lille, which towers over the train station, looks a lot like a giant ski boot! The coppery façade of our hotel, the Crowne Plaza, glistens and glimmers in the sun, like a beacon calling in travellers as they step off the train from London.

Requirement n°2 – Spacious rooms with modern commodities.

My boss has preconceived notions about hotel rooms in France – she thinks they are all too small! She also gets annoyed if there aren’t enough plugs to plug in her collection of hi-tech gadgets. The rooms at the Crowne do not disappoint, the smallest measuring in at 32m2 and coming fully equipped with iPod base, Wi-Fi, a workspace with ample electrical and digital outlets, cable and satellite TV and individually-controlled air-conditioning (another thing my boss believes the French do not do well). They also all enjoy fabulous views of Lille, a definite plus!

Requirement n°3 – A fully-equipped seminar room.

The Crowne has eight fully equipped seminar rooms at the ready. All of them are modular and can be rearranged according to your event – board meetings, presentations, cocktails, business lunches, cabaret or other. In total, the hotel has over 300m2 of available event space. Any material that is not on hand, such as sophisticated video and sound equipment, can be rented and made available to guests upon request.

Requirement n°4 – High-quality dining options.

Whether you dine à la carte in the restaurant Le Plaza or from one of the (many) set seminar menus, the food is fresh, inventive and refined. All tastes and lifestyles are catered to here. Breakfast deserves a gold star as it is a regal affair of fresh breads and pastries, cold cuts, eggs any way you like them, smoked salmon, vegetables and fruit.

Requirement n°5 – A touch of je-ne-sais-quoi.

She won’t admit it, but I know this is the most important requirement for my boss. A hotel could offer all of the above, but if it isn’t aesthetically-pleasing to the eye, if it doesn’t stand out above the rest, she won’t give it the time of day. The Crowne Hotel has all of the modern, urban-chic attitude my boss loves. It also provides exceptionally good service with a smile and it takes security (you need your keycard to access the lifts) and your well-being (in its fitness centre) very seriously indeed.