Ascott Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France
Ascott Arc de Triomphe 4 Stars
“This luxury hotel in Paris is most popular with young, trendy media types.”
Hotel Overview
Review of Ascott Arc de Triomphe, by Nadia Latif
Ascott Arc de Triomphe is a venerable institution of a luxury hotel in Paris. Like its older sibling, it attracts its fair share of the rich and famous. But true to its designer, Spanish architect Ricardo Borfill, it is much more informal, with plenty of quirky design features to keep its trendy clientele happy.
Situated as it is between the Arc de Triomphe and the Seine means that location-wise, the Ascott Arc de Triomphe is very central and very bustling. This is not the place to choose for an quiet retreat; but then that would hardly match the Red Mae West's Lips sofa, a Dali-designed piece, that sits pretty in the entrance.
A rarity in Paris, the Ascott Arc de Triomphe boasts a swimming pool alongside its hammam, sauna and spa facilities. There's also a spacious gym with personal trainers. The restaurant is small and serves light meals and snacks; there is plans to expand this in the coming year. Throughout, the hotel has an edge of the Scandanavian to it, with plenty of blond wood on show and Corbusier-style modern furniture.
Each of the 83 rooms has a different designer chair in it. They are all of a decent size, for Paris, with generous bathrooms that look out onto the courtyard garden. Our favourite room is a Junior Suite, room 323, which measures 50m². It has a thick shag-pile carpet, huge bed and a lovely curved window screened off with bamboo.
Facilities
Rooms
83Awards
“Gold List”, Conde Nast Traveller 07Who stays here?
The sister hotel, the Costes, is famous for its super-starry clientele: everyone from Kylie Minogue to Annie Leibowitz. The Costes K's crowd is equally young and trendy but not as high-powered; consequently, there's also much less attitude and ego.
Come for...
- Lots of space, starting in the vast white lobby
- Fun, statement designs and pieces of art
- Deluxe goodies and gadgets, like the Bang and Olufsen TVs
Not Suitable for...
- Agoraphobics
Children
Children are welcome to stay at the hotel. The staff can arrange a babysitting service for guests, and provide an extra bed in the room.
Eating in
There's no restaurant, but room service runs around the clock and there's a funky little bar.
The Press Say
"I was really blown away, too, by the Ascott Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It's got a French-Moroccan feel to it, which I love." The Observer 06Reviews
Review of Ascott Arc de Triomphe, by Jamie Dunford Wood
Ascott Arc de Triomphe is the luxury hotel of choice in Paris for working media folk. Positioned off-centre, between the Arc de Triomphe and the Seine, and not far from the Eiffel Tower, the Ascott Arc de Triomphe is an office conversion, which means they've had plenty of space to develop this luxury hotel. Lurking behind the traditional facade of the luxury hotel is a large interior court filled with greenery.
The public spaces in this luxury hotel, including large informal snack, drinks and meeting areas, are filled with light from large floor to ceiling windows. A ramp leads up to reception from the street.
Most of the 83 rooms in this luxury hotel are of decent size, the junior suites offering 55 sq metres. Décor is functional, with a design edge - blond wood, beige carpet, pale brown leather. Walls are cream, with no pictures to relieve them, but designer lamps and odd chairs lend character. Bathrooms are generally small, but pristine in white travertine tiling.