There is never a shortage of travelers spellbound by Paris.
The romantic City of Light is one of the world’s most sought-after destinations, and with the Olympic and Paralympic Games—dubbed Paris 2024—unfolding in venues across France’s capital from July 26th through August 11th, the buzz leading up to the spectacle is even more palpable.
According to Paris je t’aime – Tourist Office, 36.9 million visitors descended upon the city in 2023, a 6.8 percent increase from the previous year. The games alone are slated to attract 15.3 million sports fans.
Paris 2024 is an opportunity to experience the city on another level, to “immerse oneself in a festive atmosphere while the entire world comes together in celebration,” says Corinne Menegaux, managing director of Paris je t’aime. “The event serves as an accelerator for an impressive array of improvements aligned with the city’s values, including modernized and sustainable transportation systems, expanded bike lanes, and enhanced green spaces.”
More than 18 miles of new cycling routes will be created in central Paris, and in 2025, three areas of the River Seine will be open to the public for swimming, “a dream that both Parisians and visitors have cherished for quite some time,” she adds.
Constant crowds have long generated an abundance of varied hotel offerings in Paris, and new projects are continuing apace.
According to 2023 Q4 numbers from Lodging Econometrics, there are 26 hotels in the pipeline that will bring 3,925 guestrooms to the city. Among these forthcoming developments are the 82-key Hôtel Grand Coeur Latin opening in April. Housed in a 19th-century Latin Quarter building redone by local architect Vincent Bastie, it features warm mineral-toned guestrooms and a wellbeing area starring a striking mosaic pool.
A rendering of the alfresco bar area at the soon-to-open La Fondation
La Fondation, a 58-room hotel in a Philippe Chiambaretta building with interiors by New York-based Roman and Williams, is slated for Q2. Located in the 17th arrondissement, it will bring together a floating garden, sports club, and workspaces. Over in the 16th, Accor’s Handwritten Collection will debut the 65-room Hotel Maison Hamelin Paris in June, an ode to haute couture from local design practice Maison Malapert.
This summer will also see the relaunch of the historic Hôtel Cayré as Le Grand Hôtel Cayré from lifestyle brand Miiro. Frequented by Parisian artists, writers, and intellectuals, the revitalized 123-room property will take cues from the Old World charm of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and feature a classic French brasserie and an exclusive bar.
Located in the La Marais district is the 23-room Maison Proust, part of the Maisons Particuliers collection, which local designer Jacques Garcia created as an homage to the Belle Époque salons frequented by French novelist Marcel Proust with lush fabrics and a winter garden wrapped in Cordoba leather.
A refined guestroom, shown in a rendering, in the forthcoming Le Grand Hôtel Cayré from lifestyle brand Miiro
Nearby, the 15-key 1 Place Vendôme from Chopard is another winter garden in bloom, this one highlighting an assortment of animals rendered in mosaic. Situated on the floors above the Swiss jeweler’s boutique, it has the air of a private mansion that local- and Chicago-based designer Pierre-Yves Rochon showcased through the likes of cashmere, black Marquina marble, and Chinese tapestry motifs.
The winter garden at 1 Place Vendôme adds a tropical flair
Maximalist 20th-century-inspired romanticism and Japanese minimalism converge at Hotel Hana, the 26-room newcomer to the Adresses Hotels collection. Near to Little Tokyo in the 2nd arrondissement, it’s done up in soft colors, rich fabrics, and artisan-made furniture from local designer Laura Gonzalez.
In the Faubourg-Montmartre district, London- and New York-based Martin Brudnizki Design Studio crafted the 73-room La Fantaisie—home to chef Dominique Crenn’s Golden Poppy—with a vivid spring-like palette of green, yellow, and coral, creating “a calming oasis in the heart of the South Pigalle neighborhood,” says firm founder Martin Brudnizki.
“Paris is a wonderful city to design in as each arrondissement has a unique character,” he continues. “The architecture is rich and historic, though this can come with its own difficulties: small rooms or awkward shapes and angles. But this [adds] character, ensuring the end result is a hotel that feels as though it belongs and is part of the wider make up of Paris.”
Hôtel Le Grand Mazarin
Artwork fills Le Bar de Boubalé at the chic and colorful Hôtel Le Grand Mazarin
In addition to La Fantaisie, Brudnizki and his team also handled the design of Hôtel Le Grand Mazarin, the first Paris hotel from the family-owned Maisons Pariente, where they dreamt up a worldly woman who hosted regular salons throughout the city. The hotel doubles as the muse’s home, says Brudnizki, “sparking creativity and adventure, which embodies the spirit of the Marais.”
Comprising three historic buildings that personify classic Parisian architecture, the property is adorned with pleated textiles and cascading tapestries, showcased in Eastern European restaurant Boubalé and the 61 guestrooms. “They have a rather whimsical look about them,” says Brudnizki. “I like the idea that when you’re lying down you’re looking up to this fantasy world overhead, a bucolic landscape that you can escape to in the middle of the night.”
Another standout is the pool, which sits underneath a vaulted ceiling handpainted by artist Jacques Merle that interprets Greek god Narcissus staring at his reflection, conjuring a sensation that feels poetic.
Villa-des-Prés
A vibrant piece of art commands attention behind the reception desk at Villa-des-Prés
Saint-Germain-des-Prés has been graced with an elegant hideaway of its own. Set in a 1911 building, the 34-room Villa-des-Prés, has a clubby bar, marble-lined pool, and guestrooms decked out with artwork selected by local gallerist Amélie du Chalard.
Although local designer Bruno Borrione deftly infused the hotel with a contemporary aura, he acknowledges it was a challenge.
“Inheriting this building, filled with a Parisian spirit as modeled by Baron Haussmann [a French official who is credited with building much of modern Paris], it was difficult not to be sensitive to the charm that emanated from it,” he explains. “We maintained what was its essence: herringbone wood flooring, plaster moldings, and stained glass windows. The public spaces are bathed in an Art Deco vibe to immerse travelers in what was one of the golden age of this district.”
Hôtel Pilgrim
A 1970s-inspired guestroom at the Hôtel Pilgrim
In the Latin Quarter, the 53-room Hôtel Pilgrim from the Hotels en Ville portfolio draws from the energy of Saint-Germain-des-Prés’ past, specifically the edgy 1970s scene revolving around luminaries like Serge Gainsbourg and Karl Lagerfeld.
“The conceptual idea was not to generate a thematic hotel, but to create a bridge between 1970s style and the 21st century in terms of life, design, and culture,” says Cyril Durand Behar, founder of his eponymous local architecture firm.
This approach translates to such details as retro furniture, a fresco by Redfield & Dattner, and historic photographs sprucing up the earthy guestrooms.
“Our inspiration started from the legendary Yves Saint Laurent Opium perfume bottles,” adds associate architect Martin Lavigne, “where you find everything: color, shape, transparency, and intemporal modernity.”
Hôtel des Grands Voyageurs
The brasserie at Hôtel des Grands Voyageurs takes cues from vintage travel
Glamorous bygone times are also celebrated at Hôtel des Grands Voyageurs in Saint-Placide, for which local designer Fabrizio Casiraghi looked to the golden age of travel as his muse. This heyday was once rooted in the area surrounding the Montparnasse train station, close to the hotel, so the concept came to Casiraghi immediately.
“This neighborhood was once bustling with restaurants and bars and was the epicenter of culture during that era in Paris,” he notes.
To evoke 1930s and ’40s train and boat cabins in the 138 guestrooms, Casiraghi mixed wood, metal, leather, and velvet and sprinkled artwork from legends including Gustav Klimt and Marc Chagall throughout the property for a swank, residential atmosphere.
Hôtel Château d’Eau
A meeting room at the 40-key Hôtel de la Boétie from Touriste Hotels
Another transporting hotel is the soon-to-open Hôtel Château d’Eau, close to Gare du Nord.
The 36-key property is the latest from hospitality group Touriste, following the 2023 debuts of the 38-room Hôtel Beauregard in the 15th arrondissement and the 40-room Hôtel de la Boétie minutes from the Champs-Élysées.
The former, from locally based Studio Chloé Nègre, welcomes guests with a fresco by artist Pauline Leyravaud, while the latter comes courtesy of London designer Beata Heuman, who embraced such elements as silver wallpaper and sculptural, woven headboards.
The handiwork of local studio Necchi Architecture, Château d’Eau, meanwhile, “feels different to our previous projects,” says Touriste’s founder Adrien Gloaguen, singling out the influence of Serge Gainsbourg’s home on the hotel and its 1980s cultural references. “This is a little moodier and the bedrooms are ultra-functional, taking inspiration from furniture designer René Herbst.”
Bloom House Hotel & Spa
Neon invigorates Bloom Bar, the centerpiece of Bloom House’s lobby
Planted between Gare de l’Est and Gare du Nord, the 91-room Bloom House Hotel & Spa, part of the Forstyle Hôtels Collection, reimagines the busy railway bolt hole.
Rennes, France-based architecture practice Wunder wove in terracotta, bricks, cement tiles, and splashes of neon in the guestrooms, a sanctuary-like ambiance reinforced with a zellige-tiled courtyard pool alongside the restaurant and garden.
Bloom House is intended for travelers as much as it is “a place of sharing and wellbeing for the inhabitants of the district,” says Hervé Duperret, CEO of the Forstyle Hôtels Collection. “Once you’re through the doors, you lose your bearings, and you forget that you are in Paris. This is what we wanted, an oasis with Mediterranean touches offering our guests a soothing and rejuvenating experience.”
Photos by Christophe Bielsa, Gregory Copilot, Kathryn Devine, Stephan Julliard, Vincent Leroux, Adrien Ozouf, and Benjamin Rosemberg
This article originally appeared in HD’s February/March 2024 issue.
