Finally, I rang up the Hotel Lutetia, a 250-room Art Deco building that is larger (most hotels in the 6th Arrondissement have 25 to 35 rooms), more expensive and in a slightly different neighborhood than my usual lodgings. A voice on the other end said they were solidly booked but could offer me a Grand Suite (very, very expensive) or one of their smaller rooms (expensive). I took the room. The Lutetia was just beginning to stir when my taxi arrived at its entrance. Instantly a smiling doorman appeared. Bonjour, Madame, he said, in as friendly a tone as I'd ever heard a doorman say those words.

He whisked me into a small, elegant lobby, past two immaculately tapered and festively decorated fir trees and then into a larger reception area. It was quiet in this room of burled wood desks and Art Deco lamps; none of the guests seemed to be stirring. A man appeared behind one of the desks. Within minutes I was checked in, my fastest time ever.

But the real miracle was yet to come. Your room is ready and waiting for you, Madame, said the man behind the desk. Your luggage is already there. Enjoy your stay.

Enjoy my stay! I was already deliriously happy. Whoever heard of arriving at a hotel at 8:30 in the morning, jet-Iagged and sleep-deprived, to find your room ready and waiting. Usually, check-in time is between noon and 3; how you managed to survive the hours between arrival and check-in is entirely your problem.

The room was stylish and comfortable, on the courtyard with a huge bathroom. Quiet, too.