L’HOTEL PARIS
With only 20 bedrooms, L’hotel is one of the smallest five star-hotels in Paris.
Each bedroom is different from the other; a reflection of the hotel’s philosophy that a personalized journey is more interesting than a generic experience.
Many people who haven’t stayed here still know of its existence, as this was the last address of Oscar Wilde.
In his honour there is an Oscar Wilde Suite and a cocktail bar, Wilde’s Lounge, named in his honour.
Having seen the elegant interiors and sophisticated ambiance of L’hotel, it is easy to imagine Wilde, known for his advanced sense of style, to have chosen the hotel because of its debonair charm.
In the 19th century, the hotel on 13 rue des Beaux Arts was modest, to say the least.
Wilde wrote to his publisher that the state of the hotel “really breaks one’s heart. It is so sale [filthy], so utterly depressing, so hopeless. Pray do what you can”. He continued: “My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other has to go.”
As it turns out, Wilde was the one who gave up the fight, but eventually, the hotel was completely transformed into a luxury destination.
In the 1960s, L’hotel was an international hotspot, and among its regulars were Salvador Dali, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Jim Morrison, and Serge Gainsbourg.
Jorge Luis Borges was such a frequent guest that he has been commemorated with a plaque on the building’s façade.
The bar and restaurant are both on the ground floor, facing a small inner courtyard.
It’s easy to forget that one is in Paris, as the hotel really exists in a world of its own, where everything that happens outside of its walls seem remarkably distant.
Staying here is like being in a soft cocoon.
Should you want to leave, you will discover that the hotel is in one of Paris’ best locations.
The 6th arrondissement is one of the most classic destinations in Paris, known for its many restaurants and cafés, and the hotel is within a stone’s throw of Le Bon Marché.
