A Beautiful New Luxury Hotel Just Opened in Paris—Here's a First Look
Book now: Hotel website | Booking.com | Expedia | Hotels.com
This Friday, December 1st 2023, a much anticipated, new five-star hotel—Villa-des-Prés—will be opening its doors in the 6th arrondisement of Paris. While I was there this past fall, I joined the team to get an exclusive first look at the new property while they were still putting on the finishing touches. Here’s what it was like.
Location
The hotel is located in the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood of Paris, an area known for its cultural and artistic charm. Just beyond the hotel’s walls, guests can set out to explore one of the largest concentrations of art galleries in the city, visit the quiet, secret Delacroix museum, see a show at the Odeon theatre, grab a drink at iconic literary cafes like Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots (frequented by icons like Simone de Beauvoir and Ernest Hemingway), spend the evening in legendary bars and jazz clubs, and peruse small artisanal boutiques—a popular one is bespoke perfume shop L'Artisan Parfumeur St Germain. And if you somehow manage to exhaust that list of things to do, it’s central enough to walk or take a quick taxi to many of the city’s most famous landmarks, including the Louvre and Jardin des Tuileries.
Overall, the location of Villa-des-Pres is central, close to many great shops, bars, and restaurants. It’s an excellent area to choose as your homebase and be immersed in that quotidien Parisian life.
Rooms
The spirit of the neighborhood continues within the hotel’s walls, thanks to a fine collection of art work selected by Parisian curator, Amélie du Chalard, paired perfectly to match the classic-yet-modern interior decor by Bruno Borrione. The artisticness of the hotel was one of my favorite parts, especially since the creative sensibility shows up in little touches as well. The most unique, though, is that all guests are given a small memento book in which they can store photos taken with one of the hotel’s polaroid cameras throughout their stay.
Although it’s easy to focus on the art and design of the hotel, make no mistake: each of the 34 rooms and suites are as functional as they are beautiful. Each one has homey amenities like a private bar stocked with an excellent selection of liquor, Illy espresso machines, cozy robes, and luxurious Diptyque products in the bathroom.
King sized beds are outfitted with cozy comforters, and suites include seating areas perfect for enjoying a morning espresso. Though, my personal favorite? The quintessentially French, but tres-petite balconies that overlooked the streets below.
It’s also a very quiet hotel. Newly upgraded windows make the rooms very soundproof (seriously, I was impressed) despite the activity and vibrancy of the neighborhood below, and the entire building was even lifted to prevent shaking and sound from the metro trains passing just beneath.
Property and on-site amenities
It felt like every hotel I toured or stayed at in Paris had an interesting backstory—and this property was no exception. The building itself was originally constructed in 1911 as an apartment building, and it remained as one until it was bought to be transformed into a hotel. Although the interior underwent massive renovations—the layout of each floor was reconfigured to accommodate hotel rooms rather than apartments—some original parts of the property remain. The most notable is the outside stone facade, which was painstakingly restored, and the internal spiral staircase, now lined with beautiful stained glass windows.
On site, the hotel has a bar and restaurant that is open to both guests and non-guest alike. Whether you book a room or not, you won’t want to miss the chance to saddle up to the zinc-topped bar for a glass of champagne or a classic cocktail. Or, if the weather is nice, head out to the property’s garden patio at the center of the building.
Guests, however, get access to an exclusive wellness area, which includes a glass-walled sauna overlooking a luxurious, marble-lined indoor pool—a truly luxe addition in any urban hotel.
Overall and price
Book now: Hotel website | Booking.com
Room rates vary depending on room type, time of year, and day of the week, but expect to pay about $750-$890 USD per night for a room at this five-star property.
Overall, this hotel is beautiful, charming, and every bit as Parisian as the neighborhood it sits in—while also being comfortable, spacious, and quiet. Although it’s more expensive than what I typically pay for a hotel, I would be delighted to book a night (or two) here for a special occasion or if redeeming travel credits (they are not part of a hotel rewards program, but are OTAs like booking.com and hotels.com, on which travelers can earn and redeem travel credits).
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