When visiting Paris, it’s become a habit of mine to head straight to the Triangle d’Or district. It’s a favourite area of mine, where glittering shopfronts and ancient architecture neatly juxtapose the quaint brasseries, patisseries and charcuteries of its less-than-linear side streets. It’s also where you’ll find some of the best boutique hotels in the world; including the newly opened Hôtel de Berri, a Luxury Collection Hotel.
A prominent address
Aptly located on the famous Rue de Berri, a district known for housing royalty, aristocracy and cultural luminaries, Hôtel de Berri has no trouble matching its prominent, well-heeled neighbours. Once the mansion, and former residence, of Princesse Mathilde Bonaparte and couturier Elsa Schiaparelli, the property boasts a heritage to match its address and has been artfully reimagined under the visionary guidance of designer and artistic director, Philippe Renaud.
Indeed, the property’s interiors are an innovative blend of the minimal and opulent; with mix-and-match elements of traditional decorative art and boundary-pushing Art Deco styling complementing each other without conflict. Communal spaces are adorned in bold prints and impressive, prominent artworks, while an eclectic mix of antique furniture and hand-picked sculptures verify its bold personality.
Keeping guests suite
In the hotel’s 75 guestrooms, including 35 suites, there has been a keen focus on individual styling – with no two rooms looking exactly alike. Signature elements of the property’s sprawling suites include spacious, marble-clad en-suite bathrooms, with deep freestanding baths and rainforest showers, enormous four-post beds and subtle mirrors that double as large flat screen televisions. There are no light switches, curtain draw rods or remote controls here. Instead, everything is operated from the in-room iPad, allowing you to customise settings in painstaking, microscopic detail.
Hôtel de Berri’s crowning glory, however, is the Suite Parisienne. Designed in neo-antique style, and spanning 115-square-metres – an opulent mansion compared to the often-cramped hotel rooms of the French capital – it’s the property’s version of a Presidential Suite, with room enough to host a champagne and caviar reception complete with jazz quartet, swing singer and world-famous cartoonist, as it did on my visit.
Hôtel de Berri’s crowning glory, however, is the Suite Parisienne. Designed in neo-antique style, and spanning 115-square-metres – an opulent mansion compared to the often-cramped hotel rooms of the French capital – it’s the property’s version of a Presidential Suite, with room enough to host a champagne and caviar reception complete with jazz quartet, swing singer and world-famous cartoonist, as it did on my visit.
Indulge in style
For further indulgence, the ultra-chic Le Bizazz cocktail bar, located on the ground floor, is quickly becoming a go-to hotspot for the city’s perfectly preened movers and shakers, while restaurant Le Schiap is making a name for itself by serving fine-dine Italian fare under executive chef Michele Dalla Valle, of Plaza-Athénée and Le Meurice fame.
If you’re privy to excess, never fear. You can sooth your woes in comfort at the Hôtel de Berri Spa, boasting two Carita treatment rooms, a tropical shower and two Hammams (one exclusively for women). As if that wasn’t enough, the hotel’s dedicated and friendly concierge team is at hand to secure any last-minute theatre tickets, fashion show previews or restaurant reservations that may have slipped your mind. Just be sure to remember your suitcase.
Hôtel de Berri, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Paris
www.marriott.com