This is truly a special experience and people who dream of a beige standard room had better stay away, because Hôtel Amour is probably the most advanced hotel that has opened in Paris in recent times.
An amusing blend of a boarding house and an artist’s residence. Here, owner Thierry Costes, who hails from one of Paris’ most profitable restaurant dynasties, has given various artists like the designer Marc Newson and video photographer Sophie Calle a free hand at decorating the twenty rooms.
The result is amusing. None of the rooms are alike. One has candy-pink wall-to-wall carpeting and kitschy furniture, another has tattooed walls and a third is lemony-yellow with black enamel paint and a green marble bathroom. The suite is painted ham-colored and has a private terrace, explicitly sponsored by the vodka brand Belvédère.
If you just want to dip into the atmosphere you can dine in the restaurant, which is just as spectacular as the rest of the hotel. It has a lovely courtyard with art deco tables and benches in red leather.
The hotel also offers a rather racy service: You can rent rooms on a half day basis, an idea stolen from Japanese love hotels.The rooms range from 90 to 150 euros a night.
Hôtel Amour,8, rue de Navarin, 9. arr. Metro: Saint-Georges
By Louise Sandager, extract from the travel guide PARIS mon amour!, published by Gyldendal.
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