Review of The Five, by Maggie Stack

The Five's main objective is to make you feel 'elsewhere' with its bright colours and futuristic rooms, while still providing the comforts of home. It's a design hotel that was designed by the same people who gave us the Murano, which makes it modern and a bit futuristic, but still comfortable. When you enter The Five Hotel, located on a quiet street in the Latin Quarter, you can instantly tell that this design hotel is all about fun.

The small reception area at the Five Hotel is filled with multi-patterned black and white furniture and a large red fireplace introduces you to the artwork of Isabel Emmerique, a well-known figure in the trading of Chinese lacquer. She has created a piece for each room, adding even more individuality to the already distinctive atmosphere of the design hotel.

The breakfast area is wonderfully colourful without being garish - and the food is decent, too. The staff are friendly and helpful. We tried for fifteen minutes to turn on our shower, at which point Michael at reception came to the rescue quickly and professionally, despite our embarrassment.

The Five Hotel has 24 rooms on 6 floors, all in conjunction with its philosophy of being different and cool. The rooms are generally small, which they do tend to be in Paris, with very comfortable beds and sleek bathrooms stocked with L'Occitane products.

The guests at the design hotel have the opportunity to personalize their space; you can choose a scent out of five to use in your warming lamp, and the fibre-optic lights glow like stars in the ceilings and the walls of the rooms and their bathrooms, where you can also adjust the colours and their speed. The higher categories have beaded canopies or beds suspended from the ceiling, which is either scary or sexy, depending on how comfortable you are with heights!

In the design hotel's bedroom suite, you enter into the living area, which has two twin lounges, flat screen television, and large velvet pillows. The double bedroom contains a second television and good-sized wardrobe, and the bathroom is large and bright. Opposite the bed, there is a set of double doors that leads out to garden (well, outside space with faux grass) containing lounge chairs, table, and a private Jacuzzi for four.

Quite surprising for any design hotel, let alone one in the city of lights, but that is what The Five Hotel is about. It is unusual, fun, and a good option for someone looking for an original place to stay in historic Paris.