{"id":141,"date":"2009-02-11T14:18:00","date_gmt":"2009-02-11T20:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2009\/02\/designers-up-hip-factor-of-paris-hotels\/"},"modified":"2016-12-17T13:41:42","modified_gmt":"2016-12-17T19:41:42","slug":"designers-up-hip-factor-of-paris-hotels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2009\/02\/designers-up-hip-factor-of-paris-hotels\/","title":{"rendered":"Designers up hip factor of Paris hotels"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Paris-hotels\"<\/a> By Anthony Grant<\/em><\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s the best of times or the worst of times there will always be Paris. The French capital is so dense with history and creativity that it\u2019s almost immune from the slings and arrows of global economic downturn — especially if you breeze into town for a few days. If you do, some new Paris hotels<\/a><\/strong> will be vying for your attention. <\/p>\n

One is the strangely named Mama Shelter<\/strong>, which makes up for in hipness (designed by Philippe Starck<\/strong>) what it lacks in central location. Though it may be a long way from the Seine, out in the Bagnolet section of the 20th arrondissement, hipsters are gonna love the fiesty melange of bare concrete walls, luxury linens<\/strong> and Chewbacca lampshades. The overall vibe is more of what the French call \u201chetero cool,\u201d but you can think pink as you stroll past the nearby Pere Lachaise cemetery, last resting place of Oscar Wilde, and on up  to 184 Rue des Pyrenees, where you\u2019ll find Le Riad, a<\/strong> gay-friendly Moroccan-inspired hammam<\/strong>, with mint tea and all.<\/p>\n

Like Mama Shelter, the smaller but also new One by the Five<\/strong> goes for the hip factor, but it\u2019s location on the Rue Flatters, in the fifth arrondissement, puts you closer to the Latin Quarter<\/strong> and the Seine. But there\u2019s hip and then there\u2019s Christian Lacroix. I said Lacroix, sweetie: and yes, you can channel Patsy and Edwina as you revel in the absolutely fabulous styling job Monsieur Lacroix gave to the Hotel Bellechasse<\/strong>, down the street from the mighty Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay. It\u2019s a designer\u2019s dreamscape. Ask for one of the Pompeii or Mousquetaire rooms.<\/p>\n

As author of a well-known guidebookto Paris, I\u2019m often asked where to go for a good meal in Paris that\u2019s not too expensive. To give the complete answer, well, I\u2019d have to write (another) book, but one of my favorites is right in the heart of the gay Marais district and it\u2019s called Les Fous d\u2019en Face<\/strong>. Reliable, delicious, cozy, with great wines, killer desserts and waiters with charming smiles: what more could you want? Spanish tapas, perhaps — if that\u2019s the case, get grazing at trendy Toro<\/strong>, on the edge of the high-energy Montorgueil district. A stuffed bull\u2019s head over the bar sets the tone. After dinner you could take in a late show at the UGC Les Halles multiplex. Beaucoup de French students!<\/p>\n

Related Orbitz resources:
<\/strong><\/p>\n