Luxury – Page 3 – European Traveler

Designer Hotels of Paris

Photos courtesy Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau

Designer hotels: everything started in Paris a few years ago with the trend toward boutique hotels.

The term is used for small capacity hotels with three or four stars, which offer clients a personalized and attentive welcome and a particularly refined and cozy decor.

Following the success of this type of hotel, certain hotels decided to take the concept further by entrusting their decor to interior designers and architects and providing their guests with a contemporary atmosphere: designer furniture, use of new materials, the latest technologies and contemporary works of art.

Some hotel groups have made this design orientation their speciality. This is the case for the Murano Hotels and Resorts, which owns the Murano Urban Resort Hotel and the Kube
Rooms and Bars Hotel in Paris. The first, located between République and Bastille on the edge of the Marais, drew attention with its immaculate white design aesthetic, its bar lounge with colored seats, its lobby with a huge contemporary fireplace and its guest rooms which mix high-tech and state-of-the-art design. The second, located in the north of the capital, applies the same formula to the design of its guestrooms and offers an out-of-the-ordinary experience with its bar completely made of ice.

The Astotel group also offers 15 Parisian hotels where the designer touch captivates guests in search of a contemporary atmosphere. This is the case at Le 1223 Elysees, a hotel where beautiful materials (Swarovski crystal, marble, etc.) provide a contemporary feel, or at the Hotel Joyce, which combines the latest technology gadgets (iPod stations) with products answering to the needs of today’s travelers (a range of organic products), all in a contemporary decor that play on the codes of traditional hotel charm and character (outlines of bed heads and features of interior decor drawn on the bedroom walls).

The Relais de Paris group reinvents the classic Relais style with a contemporary, designer version. The BLC Design Hotel offers an immaculate white setting in the Charonne district. The 29 guest rooms all have a monochrome look, combining refined furniture with black and white photographs.

At the Standard Design Hotel, not far from the lively Bastille District, black and white begins in the reception areas. The young designers invited to decorate the hotel have created a contemporary, trendy place. The Color Design Hotel, between Bastille and the Gare de Lyon, lives up to its name and offers guests lively colors with special touches in the guest rooms and bathrooms. The vaulted breakfast room follows the same concept with a contrast provided by exposed stonework. Located in the picturesque Montmartre district, the Chat Noir Design Hotel plays the designer card while respecting the traditional Parisian style of this area. The decoration amusingly evokes the shadow plays that gave the Théâtre du Chat Noir its reputation, while offering refined white furniture complemented by warm orange and brick tones.

The wave of designer hotels can be found in all districts of Paris, each revealing a leading concept and specific style of decoration. Another example in the Latin Quarter is the Five Hotel. This hotel’s concept is the awakening of the five senses: smell with fragrances created just for the Five, touch with the use of sensual materials in the guestrooms and particularly the ultra-contemporary reinterpretation of Chinese lacquer, taste with a breakfast of the best Viennese pastries from the Monge bakery, sight with the fibre-optic lighting effects and luminous atmosphere of the bedrooms, and hearing appeased by the hotel’s silence.

In the same neighborhood, the Hotel Design de la Sorbonne has had a makeover and offers an upscale and elegant designer stay. Dark wallpaper, luxury fabrics and a contemporary photography exhibition on every level set the tone of the establishment.

The Hotel Le A, in the heart of the fashion district between the Champs-Élysées and the rue Saint Honore, mixes an ultra-designer look of the interior decor with a cozy feel in the reception areas designed to look like those of a private apartment, with a contemporary-style fireplace, comfortable couches, lounge with a library filled with art books, a bar under a 19th century glass roof and 25 sumptuous guestrooms where a refined sober style contrasts with bold contemporary drawings decorating the walls.

In a more understated style, design is also honored at the Hotel Arvor Saint-Georges, in the peaceful 9th arrondissement. The 30 guestrooms offer the tranquility of a contemporary and convivial private residence. In the 14th arrondissement, LeFabe Hotel stands out from the rest with its 17 guestrooms, each offering an original atmosphere. The names of the rooms (Mona Lisa, Orchidées, Together, etc.) are an indication of the designer decoration offered to guests. In the 16th arrondissement, Mon Hotel, a small establishment of 37 guestrooms a few steps from the Champs-Élysées, boasts luxury designer decor with the use of materials like leather, Alcantara fabric, and wood.

LE 123 ÉLYSÉES
123 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, Paris 8th
Tel +33( 0)1 53 89 01 23
www.astotel.com/hotel-le-123-elysees-paris.php
HOTEL LE A
4 rue d’Artois, Paris 8th
Tel +33 (0)1 42 56 99 99
www.paris-hotel-a.com
HOTEL ARVOR SAINT-GEORGES
8 rue Laferrière, Paris 9th
Tel +33 (0)1 48 78 60 92
www.arvor-hotel-paris.com
BLC DESIGN HOTEL
4 rue Richard-Lenoir, Paris 11th
Tel +33 (0)1 40 09 60 16
www.blcdesign-hotel-paris.com
CHAT NOIR DESIGN HOTEL
68 bd de Clichy, Paris 18th
Tel +33 (0)1 42 64 15 26
www.hotel-chatnoir-paris.com
COLOR DESIGN HOTEL
35 rue de Citeaux, Paris 12th
Tel +33 (0)1 43 07 77 28
www.colordesign-hotel-paris.com
HOTEL DESIGN DE LA SORBONNE
6 rue Victor-Cousin, Paris 5th
Tel +33 (0)1 43 54 58 08
www.hotelsorbonne.com
LE FABE HOTEL
113 bis rue de l’Ouest, Paris 14th
Tel +33 (0)1 40 44 09 63
www.lefabehotel.fr
FIVE HOTEL
3 rue Flatters, Paris 5th
Tel +33 (0)1 43 31 74 21
www.thefivehotel.com
HOTEL JOYCE
29 rue la Bruyère, Paris 9th
Tel +33 (0)1 55 07 00 01
www.astotel.com/hotel-joyce-paris.php
KUBE ROOMS AND BARS
1-5 passage Ruelle, Paris 18th
Tel +33 (0)1 42 05 20 00
www.muranoresort.com
MON HÔTEL
1 rue d’Argentine, Paris 16th
Tel +33 (0)1 45 02 76 76
www.monhotel.fr
MURANO URBAN RESORT
13 bd du Temple, Paris 3rd
Tel +33 (0)1 42 71 20 00
www.muranoresort.com
STANDARD DESIGN HOTEL
9 rue des Taillandiers, Paris 11th
Tel +33 (0)1 48 05 30 97
www.standard-hotel.com

InterCity Hotels: In the Center of the Action

By Don Heimburger
Photos by the author

My business takes me to European cities several times a year, and I usually end up spending a lot of time in the “old town” or historic part of a city or town. It’s typically my favorite place to spend time, looking at the market squares, visiting hotels and restaurants, asking questions about town festivals and events, or visiting a museum or other local attraction.

When I’m done at the end of a day, I want to stay close to the center of town, because really I’m not done with my work. There’s always more to see and do in the evening, and that means generally after a late afternoon break, I’m back again, interviewing, taking pictures or attending some function. And again it’s usually near the center of town.

CENTER OF TOWN CLOSE TO TRAIN STATION
In Europe, the center of town means it’s in close proximity to the train station, because the railroads are and were instrumental in growing cities.

One company that likes to locate its hotels near the train stations is Steigenberger’s InterCity Hotel group, a chain of 31 facilities in Germany and one in Austria. Their own literature says, “If you are seeking a centrally located, functionally equipped and comfortable domicile, InterCityHotels are your perfect choice.”

In a recent business deal, the Egyptian tourism corporation Travco Group became a majority stockholder in the Steigenberger Hotel Group. “Particular focus will be given to international expansion of the brands Steigenberger Hotels and Resorts and InterCityHotel,” says Hamed El Chiaty, founder and owner of the Travco Group.

On a recent trip to Munich and Freiburg, I booked rooms at the InterCity Hotel in both cities. From the Munich train station, where I arrived from the airport, I only had a few steps before I saw the familiar InterCity sign at one end of the train station.

FEATURES OF HOTEL
The five-story hotel has 198 rooms and suites, floors for non-smoking, with all rooms sound-proofed and air-conditioned. The soundproofing was a good idea, as next to a train station, it can be fairly noisy at times. Rooms feature a bathroom with shower, toilet, hair dryer, cable television and a writing desk. There was a WiFi connection in the room. The hotel featured two elevators and a restaurant (Fleming’s Brasserie & Wine Bar), where the morning’s complimentary breakfast was served.

I was happy to have room air conditioning when I was there, as it hit 95 degrees in the afternoon in Munich, a rarity for this city so close to the Alps.

A convenient part of any InterCity booking is a complimentary card that allows guests to use local public transportation free of charge. So if you want to go to the Marienplatz, as an example, which I did several times, I just presented my card at the train station when needed, and I enjoyed free transportation. The city center is less than a mile away.

Intercity hotels are mid-range in price, clean and walkable to the inner city. In the morning, a buffet-style breakfast was served with scrambled and hard-boiled eggs, sausage (white Munchener sausages), several types of yogurt, two types of juice, hard rolls, whole grain breads, crossiants and pastries, bacon, large pretzels, a variety of soft and hard cheeses, six types of cereals and a variety of cold cut meats.

There was also dried fruits, fresh fruits such as watermelon, pineapple, and a bowl of mixed apples for guests. I was ready to start my day!

The lobby downstairs was sparse but featured comfortable chairs and couches for guests, as well as a few tables.

THE FREIBURG INTERCITY
Later on, I took the train to Freiburg near the Black Forest, where again a stay at the InterCity there kept me close to the train station and was only a few blocks from downtown. The hotel, in fact, is just a few steps from the entrance to the train station.

This multi-level hotel features 152 guestrooms, had non-smoking rooms, cable television, direct dial telephones, a modem/fax link, a writing desk and a mini-bar. There was no air conditioning, so with the hot weather, keeping the window open was a necessity; I was told the typical summer high temperature doesn’t require air, and it’s not available in most Freiburg hotels.

The room had a shower, toilet, hairdryer, and a restaurant and a bar downstairs. The hotel staff was pleasant and I noticed they was able to answer visitors questions about the train schedules and the city. Again the room was clean and had the basics. The hotel even had rooms for the disabled if needed.

In all, a stay at a InterCityHotel affords travelers a convenient location for a mid-range price, with breakfast included.

MORE HOTELS TO OPEN
More InterCity Hotels are scheduled to open with the merger of the Travco Group. Steigenberger’s Chief Executive Officer André Witschi says that the company will continue to invest in improving the quality of their hotels, and international expansion will help them to increase brand awareness for Steigenberger Hotels and Resorts and InterCityHotels.

In 2010 and 2011 InterCityHotels will open five new locations in Germany: at the Berlin-Brandenburg Airport and in Bonn, Darmstadt, Mannheim and Ingolstadt.

For more information, go to:
www.intercityhotel.com
www.muenchen.intercityhotel.de
www.freiburg.intercityhotel.de

Contact the hotels by e-mail: info@muenchen.intercityhotel.de
info@freiburg.intercityhotel.de

If you are arriving by train:
www.raileurope.com

InterContinental Hotel Prague

Restful haven in a bustling capital

By Don Heimburger
Photos by the author

The InterContinental Hotel in Prague sits on the banks of the Vltava River in the city’s Jewish Quarter.

This is important because it offers a great view of the city and the Prague Castle and the river’s activities, but it also is convenient to the historical center, as well as transportation. The high-end shopping area called Parizska Street is a few steps outside the door.

I didn’t realize all this when I first spotted the hotel, but soon I realized that location sometimes can be everything. But for his hotel, it goes beyond that. It’s a luxury accommodation on the inside, as well as being centrally located.

OFFERS 372 ROOMS
The hotel offers 372 rooms and suites and another important feature, especially for the business traveler—the Club InterContinental (concierge service, a library, free internet access, copy machine, newspapers and refreshments).

The hotel’s rooms feature goose-down duvets, blackout curtains, Italian marble bathrooms, mini-bar, in-room safe, color television with 47 channels, telephone, voice mail, coffee machine, iron and ironing board and individually-controlled air conditioning.

I found plush towels in my room, fluffy pillows, chocolates at turn down time, bright, cheerful rooms with two comfy chairs and 3.4 ounce bottles of shampoo, lotion, conditioner and shower gel. The bathroom had two hand towels, two face towels and two shower towels. There was plenty of closet space, a storage cabinet and nice plush carpeting. The flat screen television was of the newest model, and the swimming pool was nice.

BREAKFAST: GOOD VARIETY
Breakfast, an important meal for business and leisure travelers alike, featured a large variety of meats and sausages, cheeses, cereals, potatoes, hot plates such as waffles or scrambled or fried eggs made to order, breads and rolls, juices, coffee and tea, and fruit, as well as whole fruit. The breakfast was delicious and there was plenty of it. The wait staff was pleasant and efficient.

The hotel’s staff is multilingual–good when you can’t understand the local language.

The Zlata Praha Restaurant in the hotel serves a wide variety of dishes, including Czech and international cuisine. A Sunday brunch is also offered between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. A second restaurant on the first floor, the Primator, offers excellent views of the river. Duke’s Bar & Cafe offers a pleasant setting for a quiet drink or two, with live entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings.

A Health club and spa are part of the hotel offerings, with whirlpool, saunas and solariums, as well as five treatment rooms.

To make a reservation, go to www.intercontinental.com/prague or www.icprague.com. The five-star InterContinental hotel is located at Curieovych 43/5, Prague 1, 110 00, Czech Republic. E-mail is prague@ihg.com.

Hotel Amigo Is a Friendly Place

By Don Heimburger
Photos by the author or as noted

“I am delighted to introduce the Hotel Amigo, which we restored to its rightful status as the best luxury hotel in Brussels,” said Rocco Forte when the hotel’s renovation was completed in 2002. Forte, owner of the Rocco Forte chain of 14 hotels (some currently under development), which are located in European capitals and in Marrakech, has assembled a group of upper-scale hotels that are designed to provide all the usual higher class amenities and then some.

Located at Rue de l’Amigo 1-3, only a block from the famous Grand Place, considered the center of Brussels and noted as likely the most beautiful square in Europe, the five-star Amigo is ideally situated near the key historical sites, shopping areas, restaurants and entertainment.

The doormen in their black top hats signal a welcome to the hotel; the lobby is small, but neat and classy with a dark-paneled reception counter and polite clerks.

The air-conditioned room was bright, very clean, with a small suite adjoining the bedroom and bathroom. Comfort was key. There was a modern feel to the room which featured furniture and pictures from the Blaton collection and influences from Brussels’ history. The bright bathroom featured a red mosaic vanity top and excellent toiletries.

The room contained Brussels linens, red silk curtains with embroidered velvet details and Flemish chairs and desks. The bed was firm and comfortable. The room was quiet and provided a cozy getaway from busy shopping or touristy activities. I did not try the restaurant for dinner, or the bar, being there only one evening.

A BIT OF HISTORY

The hotel has a bit of history. The original structure on the lot was built before 1522 by a wealthy merchant family and later purchased by the city council and turned into a prison. In 1957 the Hotel Amigo was built by the Blaton family on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of 1958. During the Rocco Forte renovation in 2000, it underwent a re-styling by Olga Polizzi, the hotel’s director of design. Canvases from artists such as Courtens, Dansaert and Wagemans, together with Flemish wall tapestries from the 18th century, give the hotel a pleasingly modern but still historic flavor.

The morning breakfast included all the necessary eggs, breads, meats and cheeses, juices, coffee, and fruits to satisfy many diverse tastes. The wait staff was pleasant and helpful.

Then hotel was won many awards, including being rated one of the top 100 hotels in the world by the Institutional Investor in 2007. Forbes Traveler rates it one of the top 400 hotels in the world.

European Traveler rates it extremely high as well. We liked virtually everything about it.

The lowdown:

• Member of the Leading Hotels of the World
• 174 rooms, including 18 suites and the Blaton Suite (on the top floor with large terrace for excellent views of Brussels)
• In-room telephones, voice messaging, internet connection, cable TV, marble bathroom, minibar, safe, trouser press
• Ristorante Bocconi, with bar in the lobby
• Ballroom for up to 200 guests
• Fitness center
• Transfers from the airport (at a charge)
• 24-hour room service which “arrives on time” (the hotel guarantees this)
• In 2007, room rates for a classic room single were 590e; 720e for an executive room single
• General Manager: Ivan Artolli, since 2002 (fluent in French and English)
• Reservations: amigo@roccofortehotels.com

Conrad Brussels…A Warm Welcome and Oversized Towels

When you think of cosmopolitan Brussels, you probably think of chocolates and beer and great food.

But it also has some very good hotels. Take the Conrad Brussels, at Avenue Louise 71, opened in 1993. Avenue Louise is a broad, highly fashionable thoroughfare, and the stately Conrad fits right in.

The hotel lobby area is wide and expansive, and it gives the feel of sophistication and luxury (the hotel is rated five stars; Expedia.com rates the hotel between Superior and Exceptional, or 4 1/2 stars). The exterior of the refurnished building has regained its 19th century elegance.

My quiet room, #519, was spacious (the hotel promotes the fact that it offers the most spacious rooms of any hotel in the city) and featured plush carpeting. It also overlooked the city. There was a large television, a Mr. Coffee machine with a couple of bags of coffee, a tray with a brush, laundry bag, shoe bag, shoe mitt, and an electrical outlet with both 115- and 220-volt sockets.

There was a marble bathroom, robe and slippers, a hi-end Bose Wave radio, and the largest fluffy towels I’ve ever been wrapped in, measuring 4′ x 6′. The room had classic decor and eco-friendly Halogen lightbulbs. A secure key card operated the elevator that featured dark wood paneling and lots of brass and glass.

There was an unbelievable amount of space in the closet for clothes, and a medicine cabinet in the bathroom. There was pull-down bed service in the evening. The bed was comfortable. The accompanying photo was taken in Room #519 while I was there.

The restaurant served a very fine all-inclusive breakfast in the morning with meats, eggs, rolls, fruits, yogurts, cereals, juices and fine Belgian coffee, and more. Friendly service and smiles were noted by the wait staff and the reservation clerks.

The hotel has 269 guestrooms including 39 suites, as well as rooms for the disabled, and of course, non-smoking rooms are available. In fact, there are three entire non-smoking floors in the hotel. For meetings and conferences, there are 15 meeting rooms covering 6,000 square feet.

On TripAdvisor.com one hotel guest wrote,”Classy hotel. Polite and professional front of house staff. Very Good! The bedrooms are very spacious and the king size beds are so comfortable. Only negative point is that some of the bedroom decor was a little tired, however, I did get a cheap deal for the standard of hotel! Worth every penny. “

DINING AND SPA AT THE CONRAD
While I wasn’t able to dine at the Conrad, I can tell you there is Cafe Wiltcher’s with indoor and terrace dining; there’s the Loui Lounge & Bar that offers coffee and biscotti, a light lunch or tapas, and mezza or antipasti. There is also a lobby lounge and 24-hour room service.

There is the health club of the hotel, Aspria Avenue Louise, which features a 56-foot-long pool, a gym, sauna, jacuzzi and a spa offering more than 60 treatments. The health club fee is 25 EUR.

The location of the hotel is about a 20- to 25-minute walk from the Grand Place, which is said to be Europe’s most beautiful square. Unless it’s a pleasant day, I’d suggest a cab which will get you to this area of the city quickly. I did walk to the Royal Palace and the Palais de Justice which is a fairly easy walk from the hotel.

Pricing: Rates will vary depending on the rooms, but I found rates between 389 Eur (for a classic king bedroom or two queen beds) and 564 EUR (for a junior suite with two queen beds or one king size bed). The hotel also offers a Romantic Escape Package that includes early check-in, in-room sparkling wine and breakfast for two, either in-room or in the restaurant.

Overall I enjoyed my quick stay here. The Conrad chain is known for its upscale service, and their Brussels hotel meets these fine standards. Don Heimburger