Issue:
January
2012

Story & photography by Melanie Votaw

L’Hotel
13 rue des Beaux Arts,
Paris 75006, France

Funky is the best word I can use to describe L’Hotel, a small boutique property on the Rue des Beaux Arts in Paris. Unlike many hotels that have been renovated beyond recognition, L’Hotel maintains its “old Paris” décor and feeling. Of course, this means that you will occasionally see a worn spot on a carpet or an old piece of velvet furniture, but it’s worth it if you want an authentic Parisian experience.

L’Hotel is not for everyone. If you prefer a large hotel with every imaginable amenity, you may not like a 20-room hotel with an elevator so tiny that only 2 people and a bit of luggage can fit. But if you’re like me, you will enjoy something a bit different and not so “cookie-cutter” in our world of hotel chains and copycat design.

That said, don’t get me wrong – with L’Hotel, you get most all of the amenities and luxuries of a large 4-star property. You just also get a lot of local flavor and a feeling of history. In fact, Oscar Wilde spent his last days at this hotel (at the time called Hôtel d’Alsace), and you can just imagine him walking through the romantic parlors throughout the lobby with the marble pillars in a terra cotta color, the green and red velvet furniture mixed with stripes, and tables with inlaid shell. The floors are covered today with a leopard print carpet that extends up the spiral staircase, and it is just the right touch with the rest of the velvets, stripes, and quirky lamps.

L’Hotel is built in the round. The lobby is tiny by today’s standards with a small desk covered in green velvet with a fringe at the bottom. With so few rooms, however, everyone who works there will remember you. As you pass the lobby toward the elevator (which must be entered by pulling open a door), you will look up to see a series of circular floors above you. Each floor is then situated in small circles. It’s truly unusual.

Every room has its own design, and mine was a junior suite with a very comfortable bed and thick down comforter, as well as a table, several lamps, and a wide flatscreen television with DVD player (DVDs available from the desk.) A living area with a couch, desk, and second wide flatscreen television with DVD player separated the bedroom from the bath, which contained a tub on legs, two sinks, and a stand-up shower. The sink was old enough that it still had two faucets – one for hot and one for cold – but the shower was totally modern with a large round shower head and plenty of water power.

The windows were covered with striped curtains under dark blue velvet draperies with gold trim. There were two closets in my suite, one of which contained a small safe that could be locked and unlocked with a swipe of my credit card. There was no payment involved; it just locked that way. I’d never seen such a thing and thought it was an ingenious invention.

What I enjoyed most about the room, though, were the many antiques and interesting wall treatments. Around the top of the walls were carved designs followed by wall coverings that matched the trim on the couch. One of the closets was almost completely hidden behind the wall.

L’Hotel includes a swimming pool, a bar frequented by celebrities, and the one-Michelin star Le Restaurant with entrees in the 30-60 Euro range. I didn’t get a chance to sample the restaurant, but some of Chef Philippe Bélissent’s dishes sound truly inspired, such as foie gras poached in “sangria” juice with tangerine and roasted rack of lamb with offals, pumpkin, sweet chestnut, beetroot, and salsify.

Breakfast was a bit disappointing, but the truth is that the French are quite a carbohydrate-eating lot in the morning. So, it was continental all the way with delicious croissants, fresh squeezed orange juice, tea and coffee, and small individual jars of jams like apricot with lavender leaf. But there were no eggs or bacon to be had. What I loved most about the breakfast area was that you sit on velvet chairs or couches at the tables. Most were red velvet seats with the sides and back done in black-striped fabric.

Rue des Beaux Arts is in a lovely area of the Left Bank, and the street is quiet and narrow and lined with art galleries. L’Hotel’s rooms are of different sizes, and the rates vary from about $400-$900 per night. It’s a luxury experience that’s also eccentric, and in my book, that’s the best of all possible worlds.

 

 

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