August 3, 2009

EUROPE | FRANCE | PARIS

True Blu Times Two

By Judy D'Mello

A whole new way to see the City of Lights.

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Some visitors to Paris believe there are only two types of hotels in the City of Lights: the grand old pleasure palaces on the boulevards, where liveried men usher the ooh-so-chic guests up a sweeping staircase; and the wood-beamed garret of indeterminate antiquity, up four flights but with a huge free-standing tub and views to die for.

Au contraire. In between the two, Paris is now brimming with a raft of upscale boutique hotels. Two such intimate lodgings have opened this year thanks to design-centric Radisson Blu Hotels, formerly known as the Radisson SAS brand (under the Belgian umbrella of Rezidor hotels). In February, the Radisson Blu Le Dokhan’s Hotel debuted in the famed 16th arrondissement — the Trocadero area, which boasts some of the finest views of the Eiffel Tower. The former private residence dating back to the 18th century now houses 41 rooms and 4 suites, all decked out in neo-classical furniture. Also to be found here is Le Dokhan Bar, touting itself as Paris’ first champagne bar and serving more than 50 brands of the bubbly. But the hotel’s piece de resistance? An elevator made entirely from a vintage Louis Vuitton wardrobe trunk.

More recently, Radisson Blu unveiled a second hotel in the 16th — the Radisson Blu Le Metropolitan. Like it’s sister property, this 48-room jewel of the Hausmann era is also a former private residence, yet indoors Le Metropolitan is all ultra modern. This is the work of French designer, Francois Champsaur whose aim was to recreate the quietude and privacy of an exclusive club — but with unrestricted views of the Eiffel Tower to boot.

The signature Eiffel Suite boasts the most dramatic vistas of all (along with private access to the hotel’s pool and hammam), though all guests can enjoy the ground-floor views from the house restaurant, run by an Alain Ducasse protégé. Its glass walls afford a front-row seat to Parisian street life and confirmation enough of what Paris lovers already know: that the greatest work of art here is the city itself.