The Italians have the Vespa and the French have the Solex. Hotel Fouquet's Barrière, doing its part for the environment (with style!) is providing a new mode of transportation to its guests with the introduction of the E-Solex, which runs on an electrical engine and produces no noise or pollution. Now, guests can have fun exploring the streets of Paris in a chic and environmentally friendly way.

The first Solex mopeds appeared in France in the 1950s and were an immediate success - over 8,000,000 were sold. The 21st-century E-Solex, designed by Pininfarina, reaches a maximum speed of 22 mph and has a removable, rechargeable battery. The new E-Solex still has the original foldable pedals and, for those who have been living like a gourmand in Paris and wish to burn off a few calories, it can turn into a simple bicycle at any time.

Located at the corner of the Champs Elysées and Avenue Georges V, Hotel Fouquet's Barrière opened its doors November 2006 and is the first "palace" style hotel - i.e. five star - to open in Paris in almost 80 years (the George V, unveiled in 1928, was the last). A unique combination of modern-chic and fin-de-siécle grandeur, Fouquet's was designed by architect Edouard François in traditional Paris "Haussmann" style, with Jacques Garcia overseeing the interior design. Decadent materials of velvet, mahogany, marble, silk and embroidered leather fuse beautifully with high tech digital equipment -- such as wall mirrors that amazingly turn into televisions -- and a special emphasis is put on service, with personal butlers being assigned to each guest upon arrival.

More information: Hotel Fouquet's Barrière