Hôtel Dame des Arts opens in Paris
With the opening of a stylish new hotel in Saint Germain offering industrial chic, Mexican food and 360-degree rooftop view, Paris is once again full of surprises.
Those looking for a new perspective on the City of Light will welcome the opening of a new luxury hotel that puts an innovative twist on Parisian hospitality in the Latin Quarter.
The much-anticipated Hôtel Dame des Arts in Saint Germain offers guests a different kind of Left Bank experience to the traditional classic French hospitality, combining concept design and cuisine in fusion flair – and all just a 15-minute stroll from the Panthéon, Musée du Louvre and the Jardin du Luxembourg.
The hotel building itself was built in the 1950s and sits between Rue Danton and Rue Suger in the 6th Arrondissement. Formerly a dance school and then a Holiday Inn, its latest incarnation to must-stay boutique hotel has been led by AD100 designer and Maison&Objet Designer of the Year for 2023, Raphaël Navot.
Navot, who has previously headed projects at Hôtel National des Arts et Métiers and Le 39V restaurant, has introduced a vision that blends elegant Parisian flair with an industrial feel in the space. The result is a focus on natural materials, such as rich woods, porcelains, bamboo and glass for the interiors, along with an edgy modern aesthetic that redefines Left Bank style.
The hotel’s crowning jewel however, are its views – wonderful from most of the 109 rooms. The higher you get, the bigger they are through picture windows, with the sixth, seventh and eighth floors providing perfect panoramas. Arguably the best, though, are from the spectacular 360-degree rooftop that displays every monument of Paris in a zoetrope of views.
Look around you at the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame to the Sacré-Coeur Montmartre and the golden dome of Les Invalides as the sun sets over the romantic skyline and you’re hard pressed to find a better introduction to the city. And of course, it’s best enjoyed over a cocktail – try the Virgin Mary, thick tomato-juice base fired up by pickled mustard seeds, kaffir-lime leaves and four different Mexican chilis and you get a hint of how the hotel is also pushing the boundaries elsewhere,.
In a city renowned for its gastronomy, the hotel’s contemporary Mexican-fusion restaurant is a unique concept for the Left Bank, created under the guidance of creative director Matthieu Alfandari, formerly Director of Operations at The Experimental Group, which has shaken up the Paris bar and restaurant scene over the past few years.
The hidden courtyard restaurant, a cocoon of cuisine and calm far from the rush of the city streets outside, is headed by Mexican Chef Othoniel Alvarez Castaneda, who perfected his sashimi at the Buddha Bar. Here, a seasonal menu of shareable plates fuse classic French cuisine with the fresh, lively spirit of Mexico. Each dish is inspired by a hero ingredient and designed for sharing… or not, depending on how generous you’re feeling.
But in such a beautiful city like Paris, it’s hard to want to keep anything to yourself.
Hôtel Dame des Arts, 4 rue Danton, 75006 Paris.