"On a limestone avenue in the 8th arrondissement, a stone’s throw from the Arc de Triomphe, the red glass lanterns and Art Deco–style awning at the entrance of Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris catch your eyes. Inside, the lobby leads to smaller, cozier spaces like the wood-paneled concierge and an art-focused bookshop, three restaurants, a 99-seat cinema, and a smoking lounge. A contemporary art gallery run by the hotel, Art District, has its own entrance next door. There’s a noticeable churn of locals on the round floor—shoppers having coffee in Le Bar Long, friends holding a baby shower over brunch—which makes the property feel like a neighborhood hangout. Le Royal Monceau was founded in 1928 by Pierre Bremond and André Junot, and Raffles assumed the management of the property in 2008. After overhauling the interiors with Phillippe Starck at the helm, it reopened as Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris in October 2010. The 149 bedrooms and suites, from the smallest “artist rooms” to the apartment-like presidential suites, are appointed with Starck’s energetic panache: Murano-glass chandeliers hang over midcentury-modern leather sofas, writing desks made by Philippe Hurel have illustrated maps of Paris on their top, and acoustic guitars stand upright in corners, ready to be strummed. The bathrooms are jaw-droppers, decked with mirrors and stainless steel on all sides. It feels, memorably, like you are having a bath inside of a disco ball. In addition to a morning-to-night, seven-days-a-week café, Le Bar Long (club sandwiches; thick hot chocolate served in its own special pot), this Paris hotel has two destination restaurants: Matsuhisa Paris, a Peruvian-Japanese restaurant run by chef Nobu Matsuhisa (his only outpost in France), and Il Carpaccio, a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant opened in partnership with the three-Michelin-starred restaurant, Da Vittorio, based in Brusaporto, Italy (do not miss Da Vittorio’s signature dish, which is served at Il Carpaccio: paccheri with three types of tomatoes and Parmesan). In the mornings only, the Matsuhisa Paris space becomes a restaurant called La Cuisine, which serves a Parisian buffet breakfast. For high-wattage contemporary glamour and a meaty collection of artwork (pieces by Lucien Hervé, Harry Gruyaert, and Thierry Dreyfus are on site for perusing), this is a playful, modern alternative to the many traditional Parisian hotels. From $1,063. —Jo Rodgers" - CNT Editors
