The Hotel Marignan Champs-Elysées is pure luxury, from the entrance with its smart doorman to the dining room with its modern trompe l’oeil, bar with comfy chairs and a grand piano and rooms that are elegantly decorated. On the edge of the Avenue du Champs-Elysees, a few yards from the metro station and right in the heart of Paris, this is a little oasis of tranquility and pleasure.
It’s origins lie in the 18th century when it was a private town house. There are traces of the previous owners that really make this place stand out. Take the stairs instead of the lift and you’ll get a view of a stunning wooden stair well which is inscribed with the words “May this house be filled with real friends”. It was put there by a resident in the 1800s whose wife left him for his best friend. Nowadays the ancient hotel particulier is family owned. It’s elegant chic and sumptuously luxurious but at the same time friendly and welcoming.
There are some gorgeous suites for those who really want to push the boat out with terraces and views over the city and the Eiffel Tower. The rooms are big, comfy and plush and fabulously decorated with French style. In fact, everything is French in the hotel from the furniture to the l’Occitane toiletries in the lush bathrooms.
If you’re wanting to look your best for a night or day out, you can order room spa service, a hairdresser and manicurist if you give just a couple of hours’ notice.
It’s the sort of hotel that appeals to people who like luxury but aren’t trying to attract attention to the fact. Usain Bolt is a fan and so are many other celebrities who like to keep a low profile and not be too showy.
The night I stayed, Moët et Chandon were holding a party in the bar and I couldn’t hear a thing in my room. It’s very French, discrete and private, what the British call old school class. In summer the outdoor terrace is the perfect secret place for a sundowner with stunning views.
It’s a great hotel to stay at or indulge in a fabulous dinner at the renowned Nubé restaurant where chef Juan Arbelaz has built up a following thanks to his innovative and chic cuisine. Or just pop into the lovely, friendly bar for a cocktail or aperitif and enjoy art exhibitions, a piano concert, fashion show or DJ sets that regularly take place here.
Hotel Marignan Champs-Elysées is one of a kind, of a new generation, independent, different, unashamedly classy and lavish and the comfiest beds ever!
