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With a great location in the heart of literary St-Germain, this stylish hotel is ideal for those seeking contemporary comfort with a distinctive Left Bank touch. Much loved by the fashion world, the Hotel Bel Ami offers its significant business clientele a choice of two ultra-modern conference rooms and an excellent catering service. The Asian-inspired spa which opened in 2005 is based on ying and yang principles and specialises in Tibetan massages. It also offers soothing post-shopping reflexology treatment for scalp and feet after too much retail activity.
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The Sers is one of the most successful of the new breed of contemporary boutique hotels. Here are all the requisite brushed concrete, sleek bathrooms and coloured light washes, but the suave minimalism is warmed up by lots of crimson and lilac in carpets and taffeta curtains. The hotel retains touches of belle époque Paris in the fine stairway and gallery of oil portraits lining the lobby. The two panoramic suites have large terraces and magnificent views. The restaurant serves modern French food and a well-equipped seminar room can hold up to 30.
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Opened at the start of 2005, the first hotel to be designed by Christian Lacroix is already on its way to cult status. It marries contemporary cosseting and the fashion maestro’s inimitable touch with colours to the age-old charm of two 17th-century buildings (one of them a bakery once frequented by Victor Hugo). Each of the theatrical rooms has own distinct mood, varying from baroque to Zen, and cleverly mixes contemporary furniture and modern lighting with old beams, neo-historic wallpapers and fabrics, taffeta and screen-printed mural panels, some of which use Lacroix’s own fashion drawings. The bar is a take on retro Paris, with vintage zinc counter, murals and pop colours.
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'A’ stands for art at this collaboration between decorator Frédéric Méchiche and artist Fabrice Hyber. Art books adorn the lounge and there are works by Hyber around the atrium and in each of the 26 rooms. The décor rarely drifts from the crisp white and chocolate brown colour scheme—apart from a lift whose light changes colour on every floor— resulting in an pleasantly Zen ambience. Guestrooms come with CD players, flat screen TVs, choice white furnishings and impressively large showers. Simple, but elegant, discreet but upbeat, le A is an excellent choice for those looking for small-scale luxury.
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The newly- opened Sezz goes for contemporary in a radical way. There’s nothing soft or feminine about Christophe Pillet’s design: think walls clad in rough, dark-grey Portuguese cascais stone, dark wood floors and leather and chrome island beds, although the blown Murano glass lights-cum-vases are beautiful and square baths particularly seductive. The location in residential Passy may seem a little out of the action but in fact it’s a few minutes walk from Trocadéro and if you need in-house entertainment, there’s a bar serving Veuve Cliquot by the glass and a small adjoining meeting room. Rather than a reception desk you are allocated a “personal assistant” at the end of your (portable) phone to attend to your needs.
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