Paris hotels evoke 19th century literature
and early 20th century art

by Lucy Komisar

No longer just places to sleep and shower, hotels are now environments for experience. The more modern they are, the more likely they are to evoke the literary, artistic or historical pasts. Consider, for literature, the left bank Bel Ami and, for art, the right bank Hilton Arc de Triomphe. I stayed at both on my last visit to Paris.

The Paris Bel Ami

The Bel Ami on the small rue Saint Benoît just steps from the Place Saint-Germain is a hotel with panache. The centuries old building where it stood was destroyed and then reconstructed at the end of 19 century. It was used for a printing house that produced the official documents of the National Assembly. Then in the 1980s, it became a hotel, Latitude Saint Germain, and a famous jazz club.

In 2000, the GLA Group transformed the site into 4-star boutique hotel. Going back to the building’s origins, GLA sought a name related to the late 19th century literary past of Saint Germain. A little research: Guy de Maupassant in 1885 wrote Bel Ami– the story of a corrupt journalist who rose to power by manipulating powerful, intelligent, and wealthy mistresses. They called him by the nickname Bel Ami, literally, beautiful friend. And so the hotel was named.

Owner Grace Leo-Andrieu made famous the Montalembert as the first boutique hotel in Paris. This hotelier was born in Hong Kong, did her university work at Cornell University (its hotel school is world renowned) and now lives in Paris. Hers is the only hotel in the quarter whose rooms have a view of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Out the window I could see the Abbaye, the stone church on the main place.

Bel Ami clients are both leisure visitors and business people, especially businesswomen, who want to be in Saint Germain but also want something up to date. Plus, as the manager explained, “Business women were tired of the Rive Droîte; a woman alone in a bar could be a little bit ‘confusing’.” He explained, “Here in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, nobody is going to imagine things. There is an environment that is very safe and relaxed.” So have a drink at the Salon Maupassant! Or visit the Café Deux Magots and the Café de Flore on the Place Saint German half a block away.

The Bel Ami is as trendy as the neighborhood. So naturally, when the manager wanted to introduce the hotel to some media people, he arranged a tour unlike any I had ever experienced. The rooms were “peopled” by live models – my favorite being a man nonchalantly taking a bath. There was also a couple getting ready for an evening out. A lady back from a shopping trip. Another relaxing with magazines. Well, that’s a way to show off rooms!

The Bel Ami has 115 rooms. The dining room has gray slate tables and modern red chairs, with a gray wood beamed roof. It is for breakfast, and, from noon, for private events, cocktails, and meetings. The bar serves small snacks and informal food. Downstairs, there’s a spa and meeting rooms.

The Hilton Arc de Triomphe

OK, so now let’s be adventurous and go to the right bank, the Rive Droîte. The Hilton, a long-time favorite of American business and leisure travelers, has fashioned the Arc de Triomphe hotel with inspiration from the Art Deco period. The style started in Paris 1925 at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (Arts Décoratifs was shortened to Art Deco) and swept the art world. Throughout the hotel, you will see typical Art Deco materials -- rich ebony, jade and reddish-brown palissandre wood. My bed had a headboard with the signature flying horse designed by the world’s most important Art Deco designer, Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1879-1933).

The glittering lobby follows the same theme, with pastel orange and lots of gold. In the rooms and hallways are Art Deco furniture and original works of art acquired throughout the world.

The breakfast restaurant is lit by Art Deco chandeliers, and the “Purple Bar” and lounge are enhanced by gold etched mirrors.

My preference was the “Patio Andalou,” an outdoor garden café with a fountain and palms and live music! (Glimpse the band to the left of the statue.) Imagine all that in the midst of the busy 8th arrondissement, near the Boulevard Haussmann, about a mile from the hotel’s namesake Arc de Triomphe.

The Hilton Arc de Triomphe has 463 rooms, including 50 suites.  I found the Executive Lounge the perfect place to relax, with a drink and a snack, a breath of air on the terrace, a look at the newspapers and a perusal of my email. Thirty-three rooms have their own terraces.

Cell phone

If you need a cell phone in France, the best solution is Call in Europe. It’s cheaper than using your US phone or buying a French prepaid SIM card.

There’s a one-time charge of $29, which also keeps the phone active for any other country in Europe you visit. In France, as with local cell phones, incoming calls are free. Outgoing calls from France cost $.39 a minute to France, to Europe or to the US. That’s a lot less than the .55 euros for French prepaid cell phone local calls or the $1.10 to dial elsewhere in Europe or to North America. When you travel elsewhere in Europe, costs are $.39 for incoming calls and $.69 to call out locally and the rest of Europe, $.99 for the US.

Plus, I didn’t have to buy minutes in advance and lose the ones I didn’t use or face the problem of running out. The system just charges your credit card for time used.

I used the SIM card in my own unlocked GSM phone. If you don’t have a tri-band phone, you can get travel kits starting at $48 that include a phone and SIM card. Or you can rent a phone. You can also use unlocked Blackberries and smart phones.

If you go

Hotel Bel-Ami
7/11 rue Saint Benoît
Saint-Germain-des-Prés
75006 Paris - France
Tel 33 (0)1 42 61 53 53
Fax  33 (0)1 49 27 09 33
USA 888 GLA 83 80
contact@hotel-bel-ami.com
http:// www.hotel-bel-ami.com
www.glahotels.com
Wifi in rooms; free on two lobby computers.

Hilton Arc de Triomphe
51-57 rue de Courcelles
75008 Paris
Tel 33 (0)1 5836 6700
Fax 33 (0)1 5836 6777
Reservations 33 (0)1 5836 6745
Res Fax 33 (0)1 5836 6746
ce_adt@hilton.com|
http://www.arcdetriompheparis.hilton.com/
Internet for a fee
Métro Courcelles & Métro Monceau

Call in Europe
822 Railroad Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830
(877) 730-5305
info@callineurope.com
|http://www.callineurope.com/

by Lucy Komisar.