Paris prides itself on its fine art of living. And an essential part of that for Parisians is sharing unique experiences of creativity, design and fashion. Book into one of the best Paris concept hotels and you’ll discover what I mean.
There are plenty of options when it comes to deciding on where to stay in Paris. There’s every kind of hotel, from hostels to the ultimate in luxury hospitality.
But for those of us who love the unique and inspiring local experience, choose a concept hotel for your next Paris trip.
Here are three Paris concept hotel addresses to help you make that happen. They’re tailor made for the discerning traveller who loves to avoid the touristy fare and “seen it all before” of chain hotels.
Hôtel Crayon, Paris
The Crayon Hotel is a 3 star boutique hotel in Paris’ first arrondissement. It’s a chic addition to the Elegancia Groups Paris collection of hotels.
Design
Like the best Paris concept hotels, The Crayon features local décor and design work. The interior is the creation of Julie Gauthron who describes the effect an expression of “Parisian bohemian chic“.
Bold in its unique décor, its at the same time laid back and homely in spirit. It feels more like a guest-house than a classic hotel. In fact, it’s themed to make you feel like you’ve been invited to spend time in the home of a local Parisian artist.
The minute you enter the lobby, you’ll notice the rainbow colour schemes, inventive wallpapers, and a treasure trove of retro curiosities curated from Paris’ flea markets.
The Rooms
The Crayon is a small boutique hotel with 26 individually designed guest rooms. They cater for singles, doubles and families of up to 4 with adjacent rooms.
Each room has its own special character.
The décor plays with associations of genres, materials and colours, like apple greens, citrus lemons and candy pinks. Flowers, peacocks, cartoon characters and retro patterns punctuate throughout.
The owners themselves describe the hotel as a ” poetic, bucolic, artistic hotel which delights in unusual juxtapositions: furniture and objects from second-hand shops are reborn as works of art in everyday life in a blend of styles and genres.”
Services
Breakfast at The Crayon is served between 7 and 11 in the morning. Served around a shared wooden kitchen table with funky bar-stool seating, you’ll enjoy a generous sweet and savoury buffet.
In the evening, this convivial space morphs into an appealing “honesty wine bar” with a small but quality selection of curated French wines from independent wineries.
Take a good look around the Hôtel Crayon in Paris with this video
There’s no restaurant in the hotel itself but a block away in the Jardin du Palais Royal you can dine at Le Grand Véfour. The Michelin-starred cuisine of Guy Martin is fabulous.
And naturally, The Crayon includes the full range of extra services one expects, including concierge service and room service, air-conditioning and in-room safety boxes, free Wifi, fax and photocopying, dry-cleaning, and luggage storage.
Check in is from 3pm. Check-out from 12 midday.
Location
The Crayon Hotel is perfectly located for exploring Paris’ historic center and many of the city’s main attractions.
A stones throw away is the mythic Musée du Louvre, the Tuileries Gardens and Palais Royal. A little further is the stunning epicentre of French fashion and luxury, Place Vendôme, where you can discover the incredible Parisian universe of Coco Chanel.
Nearby is Place de la Concorde and the beginning of the Champs-Élysées. Moving in the opposite direction from The Crayon you’ll find nearby Les Halles, The Pompidou Center and the fabulously chic shopping district of Le Marais.
Address:
25 rue du Bouloi, 75001 Paris
Telephone:
+33 (0) 1 42 36 54 19
Find The Crayon Hotel via Google Maps:
Closest Metro (subway) Station:
Bourse (Line 3) and Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre (Lines 1 and 7)
Hotel 1K Paris
1K Paris is a 4 star offbeat boutique hotel in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris.
What really sets 1K Paris apart from other concept hotels in Paris is the unrivalled chic ethnic experience inspired by the colours and cultures of South America.
Design
The design of 1K Paris is the work of Parisian interior designer, Raymond Morel. His creation is a contemporary celebration of ethnic design. Peruvian influences are omnipresent. The Inca theme prevails the minute you enter the lobby.
Get a taste for the 1K Paris experience with this video
Morel weaves ancient with modern interpretations of Peruvian motifs. The hotel is simultaneously powered by state-of-the-art technology. The whole hotel celebrates the hyper-modernity of connectivity. You’ll enjoy the latest generation TVs linked to exterior media and your own personal devices.
The interior of 1K Paris is simply stunning. Morel juxtaposed various materials, including bronze, brass, wood, crystal chandeliers, orderly florals, rich fabritcs and lashings of antiques. He’s also included locally made and inspired Peruvian pieces. The colour range, too, is a master palette with soft hues juxtaposed with rich blues, oranges, yellows and ochre hues omnipresent.
Take a closer look inside the hotel with this video
Everywhere you look, you’re confronted with stunning features like the large backlit ceiling in stretched canvas and the huge terrarium housing two giant monitor lizards, the hotel’s mascots.
The Rooms
1K Paris is a small hotel with a big offer. There are 50 spacious rooms and suites to choose from. The hotel uses clothing sizes to designate the different room sizes. The range starts with “L” (large) and run up to XXL (extra large). For Paris, the rooms at 1K Paris are relatively larger than the norm and thus, no “S” for small. They’re all spacious and uncluttered.
Most rooms feature a white-on-white minimalism with a modern Peruvian aesthetic. Morel has used rich embroidered fabrics to offset white linen on the elevated king-sized beds.
You’ll love the stunning slate bathrooms and bathtubs.
Rooms at 1K Paris are reasonably priced, starting with a large deluxe room at 130€.
The Pool Suite on the 5th floor (the top floor) is tailor-made for special stays.
The Pool Suite starts at 550€ and features an upstairs bedroom on a mezzanine floor with private terrace and heated swimming pool. Downstairs is a living space. From the suite you have fabulous views out over Paris and its famous rooftops.
The Bars and Restaurant
1K Paris has two bars and a restaurant.
The Main Bar
The main bar is on the ground floor, under a large glass roof. In the morning, you can eat breakfast under natural light. In the afternoons and evenings, the front bar is open for service.
The bar itself features a large canvas of brass engraved with Inca motifs. Throughout the barroom there’s an interesting mix of handmade furniture recovering natural elements like wood, bronze and glass. These pieces are contrasted with more contemporary and European-style furniture pieces.
The Clandestine Bar
La Mezcaleria is the hotel’s clandestine bar. It’s “clandestine” because it’s hidden behind a door accessed only by going through the restaurant’s kitchen, which itself is a treat.
La Mezcaleria is a Parisian speakeasy. It attracts a warm local crowd in the evenings who come to taste its authentic Peruvian tequilas and enjoy convivial conversation.
The Restaurant
1K Paris also features an award-winning restaurant serving excellent Franco-Peruvian cuisine. It was the first restaurant in Paris to highlight Peruvian gastronomy.
Eager to discover a new way to cook, the chef has designed his menu with the idea of sharing dishes, flavours and culinary experiences.
Lunchtime, the restaurant serves tapas of Peruvian inspiration. You can eat in or take-out. For dinner, the chef offers a seasonal tapas menu.
A buffet-style breakfast is served from 7 to 11am.
Services
Like all quality hotels in Paris, 1K Paris offers full range of extra services one expects, including concierge service and room service, minibars, air-conditioning and in-room safety boxes, free Wifi, fax and photocopying, dry-cleaning, and luggage storage.
1K Paris stands out by also offering state-of-the-art TVs and connectivity with high-speed internet connections. And the technological innovation of 1K Paris extends to the fully-equipped gym.
Keep fit using the hotel’s state-of-the-art techno-gym equipment that allow customisable training.
Location
1K Paris is ideally located in the center of Paris. It’s perfect for spending time exploring the Marais district. It’s a stones throw away from Place de la République and the Carreau du Temple where you’ll find fabulous cafés and restaurants.
Not far is Place de Vosges and the Pompidou Center. A little beyond but still comfortable walking distance you’ll find Notre Dame and the Louvre.
For fashion shopping and chic Parisian boutiques for interior decorating and more, the Haute Marais area is a must. It’s Paris’ latest uber-chic district the locals love to go shopping for independent labels and the latest in Parisian high-fashion.
Address:
13 Boulevard du Temple, 75003 Paris
Telephone:
+33 (0) 1 42 71 20 00
Find Hotel 1K Paris via Google Maps:
Closest Metro Station:
Fille du Calvaire (Line 8), Oberkampf (Line 5 and 9) and République (Lines 3, 5, 8, 9 and 11).
Hotel Off Paris Seine
Now for something quite different, let’s take a look at one of Paris’ newest concept hotels. It’s Off Paris Seine, the city’s first floating hotel. It’s another luxurious hospitality creation by the Elegancia group in Paris.
The ultra-stylish Off Paris Seine is a relatively new hospitality address in Paris. Opened late 2016, it’s a testament to the revitalisation of Paris’ waterways and the Seine Riverbank.
Take a look around Off Paris Seine with this video
A concerted effort to reclaim the riverbank and waterways of Paris for public use has seen a blooming of cultural and economic activity and greener lifestyles. The riverside of Paris is fast becoming a focal point for some of the city’s best of Paris nightlife, too.
Design
Off Paris Seine gives you a taste of the romantic life living on a Paris houseboat with a major injection of Parisian chic and luxury.
Gérard Ronzatti’s design work for Off Paris Seine features wood, zinc and glass structures. The above deck areas give you wonderful panoramic views of the River Seine and surrounding architecture.
Airy and relaxing, it’s the perfect retreat from the rush and bustle of the city. After a day of sightseeing and experiencing Paris profoundly, it’s a delight for a truly relaxing rest.
At the epicentre of the hotel is the fashionable lounge bar. It’s arranged in a u-shape around the dipping pool. There’s also a 400 square meter terrace.
Like The Crayon and 1K Paris, Off Paris Seine is a hotel designed to create a unique experience. It gives you “an unusual experience” of Paris by the water.
It’s a rare opportunity in Paris to be able to sit back and relax while watching “the play of light and the reflection of water change throughout the day.”
Unlike the previous hotels reviewed here, Off Paris Seine is moored in a district less classically “historical”. It’s an area undergoing rapid transformation and combines modernity and history. It reflects the dynamic of the “new Paris”.
The Rooms
Off Paris Seine offers 4 class of accommodation. There are 58 ultra-modern bedrooms and 4 suites.
The Seine View and Horizon rooms are located on both the upper and lower decks. They have views varying view over the docks and surrounding river life.
The warm décor and colour palettes features gold, taupe and chocolate fabrics. Wooden-slat blinds cover the large windows that create the airy and open atmosphere of each room.
The lighting design throughout the hotel is exceptional. Small details create a thrill, like your showers which change colour at the press of a button.
The Designer Sunset Suite and Designer Silver Suite naturally go a further in creating unique design environments.
The Designer Suites are decorated monochromatically.
From wall to ceiling, to the furniture and bathroom, chosen tones define the suite’s identity.
Four-poster beds, an orange pop bathtub, and quality materials and textures add a unique touch of refinement.
All rooms are decked out with Atelier Cologne (100% local and organic) welcome products. Rooms also have minibars stocked with artisan beers from the nearby craft brewery, La Parisienne).
Services
Breakfast is served in the bar on the upper deck from 7 to noon. That’s perfect for anyone who loves to enjoy the best of Parisian nightlife.
Breakfast consists of a generous buffet of sweet and savoury foods, hot beverages and fruit juices is accompanied by stunning morning views across the River Seine.
During the day, you can relax around the dipping pool while enjoying a drink with tapas. The Bar and Tapas opens from 6 to midnight.
There’s also a brunch service from 11:30am to 2pm.
Location
Off Paris Seine is moored on the Left Bank of Paris at Quai d’Austerlitz in the 21st arrondissement. You’ll find it between Charles de Gaulle Bridge and the Austerlitz Viaduct.
Only a few minutes walk away is the Austerlitz railway station, a major transit center for the city. Across the river, a little further on the Right Bank, is another big railway station, Gare de Lyon.
Notre Dame and the historic center of Paris is only a 15 minute riverside walk away. From there you can explore the Latin Quarter and the mythic streets of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Sharing the Quai d’Austerlitz is the Institut Français de la Mode, a major fashion and cultural center. A little further is National Library of France (Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand) where you can see many seasonal exhibitions.
Address:
86 Quai d’Austerlitz, 75013 Paris
Telephone:
+33 (0) 1 44 06 62 65
Find Off Paris Seine via Google Maps:
Closest Metro Station:
Gare d’Austerlitz (Lines 5 and 10), plus RER C
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