Review: Hôtel Dame Des Arts

Why book? 

The 360-degree views from the rooftop bar alone are a reason to book. On a clear day you can see practically the entire city. If your faith in Paris is flagging—which does happen but seldom lasts—a visit to the rooftop of Hôtel Dame des Arts will restore it. When this reviewer described the stupendous panorama to a Paris-born-and-bred friend, she sighed and said simply: “Oui. I sometimes think about leaving Paris but the thing that prevents me is the rooftops.” 

Set the scene 

The Quartier Latin is, of course, a famously artsy part of town and one with strong cinematic associations. It’s no coincidence that the main typeface on the hotel’s printed materials is called Jean-Luc Godard. But you needn’t have stumbled out of a screening room at the nearby Le Champo rubbing your eyes with one hand and clutching an issue of Cahiers du Cinéma in the other to appreciate what designer Raphael Navot has done here. It’s all about the interplay between curved and straight lines, hard and soft textures, glossy and matte surfaces. It’s true that the look is approximately mid-century, which fits with the Nouvelle Vague idea, but there’s no sense of pastiche about it. It’s its own thing. You’ll inhale it at a glance the moment you step inside, along with a whiff of the house perfume—nothing cloying or over-the-top, faintly nostalgic yet with an unmistakable contemporary zing and altogether rather lovely. 

The backstory 

Interesting for several reasons. The building was built in 1959—yesterday by Parisian standards. (The street behind the hotel has been there since 1179.) Initially it was a drama school, subsequently a Holiday Inn. “Oh, I see-e-e-e,” you might be thinking. But in fact it’s a remarkable building in every sense of the word. The main entrance, in particular, is fantastic—a long opaque sliding door with a metal lattice that takes its architectural cue from the traditional Japanese shoji but also brings to mind the dynamic modern geometries of Mondrian. 

The rooms  

Once again the views are a huge plus. Roughly speaking, the higher you are, the better the views get—or rather the bigger they get. Ask for a room on the sixth, seventh, or eighth floor, on the Rue Suger side, with a terrace. But this is Paris and there’s charm in all directions, à tous les étages. Style-wise, the 109 rooms are similarly got-up in a way that is at once spartan and spoiling, chic and subdued. (This applies even in the littlest rooms, which are indeed little.) There are deft touches everywhere—the bedside tables with tops as rich and glossy as a crème caramel; the autumnal tones of the curtains; the contoured eau-de-nil tiles in the bathrooms; the ongoing juxtaposition of straight and curved lines that you find throughout the hotel. All very coherent and discreetly sensuous. 

Food and drink 

Mexican. Really. Though not strictly Mexican-Mexican—actually a beguiling Franco-Mexican fusion with pan-Asian influences. All of which geographical, cultural, and culinary variety converges, miraculously, in the person of the chef himself, Othoniel Alvarez Castañeda, who was born and raised in Mexico, trained in France, and perfected his sashimi at the Buddha Bar. Hence on the menu at Dame des Arts you may find Breton oysters with yuzu and guajillo chili oil, beef tartare with trout eggs and chili oil, and a particularly wonderful tostada of red tuna with fried leeks and chipotle mayonnaise. The fusion principle has been applied in a thoroughgoing fashion, so that vegetarian dishes and non-alcoholic drinks are as thoughtfully contrived as their meaty and boozy counterparts. The house take on a Virgin Mary is exemplary, its lusciously thick tomato-juice base enlivened by pickled mustard seeds, kaffir-lime leaves, and a fiery sauce comprising four different Mexican chilis (one fresh, three dried, rehydrated, and toasted for a hint of smokiness), elderflower vinegar (from Normandy) and a dash of Tabasco. Lurking behind all of this deliciousness is consultant Matthieu Alfandari, formerly director of operations at the Experimental Group, which has done so much to shake up the Paris bar, restaurant, and hotel scene in recent years. 

The spa 

Downstairs there’s a sauna and, next to it, a single treatment room, with massages outsourced to a local firm. Appointments are available on request with two hours’ notice. Adjacent to the treatment room is an incredibly cool fitness space. With its hypnotic wave-like wooden ceiling, trick mirrors, and matchy-matchy wooden equipment (including boxing gloves in precisely the right shade of brown), it warrants a visit even if your idea of exercise is to smoke heavily on your terrace while gazing moodily at the Paris skyline. 

The neighborhood/area 

The Quartier Latin is one of the most photogenic corners of one of the most photographed cities on earth, instantly recognizable and familiar even to those who’ve never set foot on its narrow streets or broad boulevards. The magic is potent whether it’s your first visit or your fiftieth. Familiarity breeds not contempt but love. Hôtel Dame des Arts is very much in the thick of it, just minutes away from all manner of marvels both large and small. The cathedral of Notre-Dame—the clue is there in the hotel’s name—is foremost and largest among them. For the small and less familiar variety, try the Musée Delacroix, with its astonishing courtyard garden. 

The service 

Delivered with charm by a young, multilingual team, brimming with enthusiasm, high on life, low on old-fashioned Parisian contempt. 

For families 

There are 12 rooms that can be connected. No roll-out beds, however, or kids’ menus or fluffy toys upon arrival. Not an obvious choice for families, overall.

Eco effort 

Pas mal. Almost no single-use plastic and plenty of refillable containers including large-volume eco-totes for many of the spirits in the bar. On-site carton-compacting and organic-waste management. All “Clef Verte” suppliers, many of them local—none more so than the Boulangerie Liberté, which supplies the bread and pastries from its premises around the corner on Rue Saint-André des Arts. 

Accessibility for those with mobility impairments 

There are four accessible rooms with handrails, emergency buttons, walk-in showers, and extra space for wheelchair access. The ground-floor restaurant and courtyard, rooftop bar, basement fitness center, and massage rooms are all wheelchair-accessible, too.  

Anything left to mention? 

There was an intriguing “watch this space” aspect to the way things were shaping up at the hotel at the time of its opening. The management is very keen not only to see locals mingling with guests in the bar and restaurant—which in any case they were doing from day one—but also to make it a meaningful part of the local arts scene.