design hotel Paris

Hotel Odyssey is a new boutique design hotel in Paris’ first arrondissement, designed by renowned French designer Ora-ïto. You might be most familiar with Ora-ïto’s forward-thinking architecture and product design on projects such as Gucci Villa, Hi Panda shops, Lancaster stores, the Miss Pucci fragrance bottle and make-up packaging for Guerlain.

For my trip to Paris last month, I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of Hotel Odyssey before it opened to the public. In fact, we were the very first guests to stay in the hotel – even before the owners and the designer. Of course, this meant that the hotel was still a ‘work in progress’, with some of the public areas yet to be unveiled, but it was exciting to get an insight into how a hotel develops in its final days of construction.

The Hotel

Hotel Odyssey is a futuristic urban retreat, designed to calm the senses with smooth lines, relaxing curves and tactile textures. It will surely appeal to fans of Pantone, as each of the 29 rooms takes a different shade from the dominant floor colour.

There are three room types – the very cosy cocoon room, the larger Odyssey room and the impressive galileo room with a separate lounge area. We stayed on the fifth floor and our Odyssey room had a deep purple hue, with light wood and white Corian touches.

The rooms have a slick, futuristic vibe and are designed according to the Simplexity philosophy, using wood, glass, felt and corian. Ora-ïto makes clever use of the space and though our room was petite, the brightness prevented it from being stifling.

The Room

The room features are functional and of a high standard, with a flat screen TV with satellite channels, reasonable storage space, powerful air-conditioning and free wifi. It’s also possible for guests to borrow a laptop from reception and in-room massages are available to book. I found it a little difficult not having a desk or bedside table, however, if you’re a more organised traveller, this shouldn’t be a problem.

The queen-size bed is very comfortable, with crisp white linen, purple felt headboards and a little space behind the bed with plenty of electric sockets – perfect if you’re travelling with a phone, laptop, camera, iPad, iPod etc. The rooms are very quiet and there is a choice of pillows (including memory foam), so everything is set up for a good night’s sleep.

The Bathroom

The open-plan bathroom has an excellent rainfall shower, plenty of large fluffy towels and bathroom products by Ora-ïto. The unusual white Corian material used in the bathroom feels silky and smooth and the rectangular-shaped sink with rounded corners reminded me of an iMac. The glass bathroom is partially covered by gradient colour for a certainly amount of privacy and there is a separate toilet.

Breakfast

During our visit, the breakfast room and bar weren’t quite ready yet, so we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Hotel Crayon, also part of Elegancia Hotels, just around the corner on Rue du Bouloi. Guests at Hotel Odyssey can enjoy a buffet breakfast (€16 per person per day) from 7am-11am in the beautifully-designed ground-floor breakfast room or in their room.

The Bar

The hotel bar is tucked away and partitioned off, making it an intimate, cosy place to have a stylish aperitif or a bespoke late-night cocktail. There is no restaurant, as it is a small boutique hotel, but guests can order room service from 5pm to 1.30am.

Hotel Odyssey is an ideal base for exploring Paris, offering interesting design features and a central location at a reasonable price. The staff are so warm, welcoming and passionate about the hotel. They were very enthusiastic about the opening and keen to impress, so they will surely make all stays as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.

Location

The location is not only perfectly central but also inspiring, just a short stroll from the Palais Royal and within walking distance of the Tuileries and the Louvre. In fact, rue Hérold is a secretly hip spot with an outpost of designer concept store L’Eclaireur, Rue Hérold fabric shop, Les Ateliers Ruby motorcycle helmet flagship store and Le Musée en Herbe art museum for children. Walk towards the Place des Victoires and you’ll find Claudie Pierlot, Zadig & Voltaire and one of the city’s best fashion magazine shops – mode…information.

Rooms at Hotel Odyssey Paris start from £125 per night. For more information, visit: www.hotelodysseyparis.com

Chérie City was a guest of Hotel Odyssey

For more Paris hotel ideas, read my review of:

When Seven Hotel opened its doors in 2010 (following the success of its sister The Five Hotel), it was one of the leaders of a new style of design hotel in Paris, bringing a touch of fun, whimsy and imagination to the hotel scene.

Paris may have a reputation for being slightly conservative and erring on the side of ‘good taste’, however, the city has a crazier side. Let’s not forget that Paris was once at the centre of the Surrealist and Dada movement!

The Seven Hotel is an experience like no other, and only dreamers will appreciate its charm. Located on the rue Berthollet, the Seven is on the edge of the Latin Quarter, just a few steps from the lively, foodie hotspot, rue Mouffetard. Who would have known that such a fantasy world would be hidden behind this typical Parisian Haussmann facade on a quiet residential street?

Location

The Seven Hotel may seem a little far from the city’s main attractions, but it’s close to two metro stops and The Pont-Royal RER is a 10-15 minute walk from the hotel, making handy for the Eurostar.

The hotel is best known for its 28 ‘Levitation’ rooms, with floating beds, however there are also seven themed suites, including the James Bond, the decadent Black Diamond, the urban ski lodge Lovez-vous, the all-white Sublime and the zany Alice in Wonderland-inspired Alice suite.

The Suite

I stayed in the Marie Antoinette suite, presumably where one should elegantly graze on Ladurée macarons and yell out to the Parisians below, ‘let them eat cake’! In fact, there were some typically ‘Marie Antoinette’ features, such as the ‘voluptuous lounge’ with an enormous chaise-longue, a rather regal canopy bed and a fabulous claw foot bath tub for unwinding.

The spacious suite was the most girly of boudoirs, with a large round bed, a diamond-studded velvet bed spread, dozens of cushions, attractive hand-painted fantasy world scenes and lashings of pink. Like a true ‘honorary Parisienne’ I found the crazy cushions a little de trop, as they detracted from some of the prettier features (less is more, in this case).

It was certainly a room of discoveries, with plenty of ‘push me’ buttons to activate different features. Billowing drapes covered the extensive shelving and wardrobe and there was a cute vanity dresser tucked neatly behind the bed. Strangely there were two pristine blazers hanging in both of the wardrobes. While they were meant to be decorative, they could come in handy if your date forgets his dinner jacket!

I also loved the twinkly star lights that filled the entire room and bathroom, extending to the hallways and separate toilet, which offered hot pink toilet paper, no less.

Of course, a modern day Marie Antoinette needs to be connected to the outside world (ironically my stay coincided with the French elections), so the room includes a very large flat screen TV, complimentary wifi, an iPod base and electrical sockets on each side of the bed.

Other room comforts include a complimentary Nespresso machine (although no tea), 24-hour room service, in-room massages on request and laptops available for loan.

The Bathroom

The stunning open-plan bathroom features a separate shower and claw foot bath tub and has the most adorable gold star sink. There was a generous supply of L’Occitane bathroom amenities, including shea butter hand cream, and fluffy bathrobe and slippers.

Breakfast

After a heavenly sleep, the next morning I went down to the breakfast room on the lower ground floor. The buffet breakfast was varied and excellent – definitely leaning towards the sweet side, of which Marie Antoinette would surely approve.

There was a savoury selection of really good scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages and charcuterie and then a sweet array of pastries, crêpes, pancakes, waffles, muffins, brioche and macarons. I particularly liked the big bowls of speculoos spread and Nutella to smother on the pancakes and a selection of fine teas, especially my favourite, caramel tea. Also on offer are jelly snakes and gummy bears, should you wish to pimp your pancakes and start the day on a sugar high.

Breakfast can also be taken in the room or an express breakfast at the ground floor bar with velvet chairs and interesting artwork.

The Marie Antoinette suite is feminine and frothy – perfect for a girly weekend break with friends or a mother-daughter trip to Paris. Those who prefer a sleeker stay might prefer the darker, sexier ‘Levitation’ room with stark white acrylic interiors and a veil of blue and purple LED lighting. Whichever room appeals, it will certainly be an adventure!

Rooms at Seven Hotel start from €197 per night and the Marie Antoinette suite is priced at €367 per night. For more information and booking, visit: www.sevenhotelparis.com

Chérie City was a guest of Seven Hotel

Photos by Chérie City and Seven Hotel Paris

A Wonderful Stay at Hotel Odyssey Paris

The Hotel

The Room

The Bathroom

Breakfast

The Bar

Location

A Great Stay at Seven Hotel Paris

Location

The Suite

The Bathroom

Breakfast