Hotel 123 Elysées

16/20
The hotel is housed in a fine-looking Haussmannian building on the corner of a street in one of the smartest neighbourhoods in Paris. The Palais de l'Elysée is just a few hundred metres away on the same street and the tourist clientele the hotel attracts no doubt find it convenient being so close to the Champs-Elysées, the most famous avenue in the world, which is also just a few minutes' walk away. Those who like to party and live the high-life will be pleased to know that the hotel is surrounded by a plethora of smart boutiques, famous cafés, renowned restaurants, cinemas and nightclubs. It is also located at the entrance to the Saint-Philippe du Roule metro station on the line running across the city from Nation to the Trocadéro.

The 4-star 123 Elysées belongs to the Astotel group and is the most original and nicely-decorated of all of the hotels in the group.

The 123 Elysées is named after the street number at which it stands, so it's easy to see how it can easily constitute both a hotel and a unique place, one which fits in perfectly with the rest of the street, its address defining its identity, a space within the city, to the point where it becomes no longer just a building in which to sleep but rather a strong concept in itself. Indeed, the wonderful appeal of this place lies in the fact that it endeavours to be far more than a hotel, more like a highly original place where art, originality and creative combine. The hotel is rather on the small side but that just seems to add to the character of the decor here. In fact, all you'll find here in the way of facilities is a large bar, which also serves as the breakfast room. Nevertheless the interior designers have cleverly combined materials throughout the hotel to create a rather warm atmosphere combining reassuring traditionalism with deceptive design. Take, for example, the almost Classical marble floor incrusted with fine, very high-tech lights, the long bar covered in an amazing and unusual leather material, or even the rustic yet elegant London-style bricks behind the bar which are nevertheless overshadowed by the veil of Swarovski crystal lace suspended from the ceiling like an extremely sophisticated glass curtain. The feather chandelier in the lobby is also sure to spark a little curiosity, though this will immediately give way to the reassurance of the beautiful solid parquet flooring in the bar area. The whole place just oozes freshness and class and is certainly full of surprises!

The hotel has only 41 guest rooms which come in two categories, namely Superior and Deluxe, the difference lying in the size of the room. The decor of the guest rooms reflects that of the communal areas, all decorated slightly differently but with the same clever, delicate combination of materials. The decor of the rooms creates a subtly stylish atmosphere incorporating noble materials such as wood and stone but with plenty of originality thrown in too. Some of the rooms have their own individual bathrooms, and reside in little houses with zinc-covered roofs. The rooms on the top floor have something of a loft vibe about them, nestled under a beautiful mansard roof supported by wooden beams. Some of the rooms even come with a wonderful rustic wooden architect's desk giving them an inimitable modern feel, whilst the clear plastic light fittings successfully imitate a truly retro style. All of the guest rooms have the same kind of feel to them but differ ever so slightly in the colour of the net curtains, the tiling in the bathrooms and the materials used for the furniture. The effect created by this modern decor is both natural and mineral-like, and the fact that the materials here are used in their most natural forms whilst nevertheless being extremely sophisticated is just great. The top floor of the hotel affords views of Montmartre and the Eiffel Tower. The rooms also come with a bathrobe, free Wi-Fi, an iPod docking station and a mini-bar complete with champagne.