31/08/2022
Bulgari Hotel Paris
Italian style meets French elegance at this 76-room boîte on Paris’s tony Avenue George V.
Why book?
Think of this quietly decadent, technologically sophisticated hotel as the swanky townhouse of your perennially stylish Italian friend. Between the Gio Ponti artwork, Caracalla baths–inspired pool mosaics, and even the dozen signature Italian pastries on offer, there’s more than a little bit of Italy suffused into this Parisian hideaway.
Set the scene
The hotel sits on Paris’s Right Bank, on the posh drag of George V—but it feels surprisingly removed from that hustle and bustle and the tourists taking long-range selfies with the Arc de Triomphe. Instead, its discreet entrance beckons you into a foyer alight with more than a dozen dangling glass lamps crafted by Barovier & Toso of Murano, and a sketch-like portrait of the actress Monica Vitti by the Franco-Chinese painter Yan Pei-Ming. Inside, it’s the sort of reserved, quietly sexy place where you could easily imagine in-the-know French and Italian patrons—locals as well as guests—convening for an aperitivo at the ivory onyx bar, backlit and glowing, to discuss the latest show at the Palais de Tokyo or the exhibitions at the most recent Salone del Mobile while they nibble on bar snacks. This is a space fit for a smart, cosmopolitan crowd, flush with good taste and well-informed opinions—and maybe even a pair of Prada glasses.
The backstory
You can’t just open a world-class hotel in Paris—and perhaps no one is more aware of that fact than Silvio Ursini, the executive vice president of Bulgari Hotels and Resorts, who described a more than decade-long process of finding and selecting the perfect site for the hotel. “We saw a few locations,” he says. “Nice building, wrong address; right address, wrong building. But we had no pressure whatsoever to open until we found something that we thought was perfect.” The one that they eventually settled on—a post office from the '70s—wasn’t perfect at all. It was actually something of an eyesore on the manicured avenue before the Italian architectural firm Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel began their work, headed by project director Roberto Mariani, which included gutting it and building it back meticulously over six years. The pandemic weighed on the timeline, too, forcing a delay of roughly a year and a half. “The building was really strange, because it was somehow totally inconsistent with its surroundings,” says architect Patricia Viel. “It was built with a kind of bold modernity that was interesting. So we started from that, trying to keep the very strong, specific identity of the building—but redesigning it.” And that they did, extending the window openings to cover two floors, a nod to the dramatically proportioned palaces designed by Andrea Palladio during the Renaissance, and constructing the façade with bronze window frames and the pale ashlar masonry that defines many of Paris’s most recognizable monuments, including the Louvre and the Trócadero. The result is a building that is both elegant and refined, at once a part of and apart from its surroundings—and one that deftly nods to both France and Italy in myriad ways. This hotel is the seventh outpost from the brand, which debuted in Milan in 2004 and has since grown to include properties in London, Bali, Beijing, Shanghai, and Dubai; new openings in Rome, Moscow, Tokyo, and more are slated to open between 2022 and 2025. Unsurprisingly, owing to the brand’s long legacy of crafting exquisite jewels, aesthetics rule at Bulgari hotels. But this isn’t for the traveler who goes googly-eyed for the classic Parisian grande dames; it’s for the one who has a keen eye for modern design and wants something with some Italian brio.
The rooms
If the public spaces of this hotel call to mind the well-appointed home of a Milanese friend, then the rooms and suites—of which there are just 76—are the logical continuation of that idea, a space you’d look forward to crashing after a spirited dinner party that lasts long into the night. Above all, though, they’re a study in balance: elegant but warm, quietly luxurious but not at all gauche, with a just-right blend of beauty and efficiency. Rooms have either views onto Avenue George V or a quiet courtyard that faces a school—though the soundproofing and blackout shades are so superior that you could stay here and never know there was a world outside at all. There are just a few pops of color, mostly in jewel tones, that liven up the space: an amethyst sofa by the contemporary Italian furniture line Maxalto, placed at the foot of the bed; photographs of brightly colored jewels from the Bulgari archives; a saffron-hued leather headboard. But the palette is really one of high-touch, light-colored textures, like the polished eucalyptus paneling that also lines the hallways, and the sumptuous Vescom fabrics on the walls. There are, of course, some subtle nods to France and to Paris specifically: a herringbone pattern carpet calls to mind the signature parquet floors of the city’s apartments, while an etched window above the bathtub, which depicts Bulgari’s serpenti constellation motif, employs the same technique as Lalique, the master of French glass design. Speaking of the bathtub: I could have spent forever in mine, soaking there or beneath the dual-headed shower (both with perfect pressure) before slipping into what I’ll boldly declare the most comfortable hotel bathrobe I’ve ever put on. But beautiful design can feel disappointing if it’s impractical, though that wasn’t the case here. Some of my favorite features were the room’s discreetly placed mod cons, like the Dyson hairdryer and an iPad that let me control the lights, temperature, and television, order room service, and even open the door, all from the bed. There were also smaller touches—neatly folded USB cords left in both bedside drawers, a sleek black adapter in a silky pouch on the desk, leather jewelry holders—that made me feel as if no detail had been overlooked, that everything had been thought through for my comfort. It was the same combination of sleek modernity and rich design that appeared in every other space at the hotel, and that I probably appreciated more than anything.
Food and drink
The restaurant and bar concepts, developed by the lauded Italian chef Niko Romito and Leonardo Zanini, a master mixologist formerly at the Ritz Paris, struck just the right note for the hotel—polished and precise, sophisticated but not fussy. The lunch in the lounge menu looks a little short, but it hits all the high notes: on my first afternoon there, I tucked into a light plate of finely sliced raw fish in mayonnaise; another day, I tried the club sandwich, its layers perfectly even and crispy. One night, after returning late from a show at the nearby Crazy Horse cabaret, I dove head-first into a bowl of Romito’s expertly made spaghetti e pomodoro—talk about a midnight snack. But aside from settling into my almost-too-comfortable bed, visiting the bar each evening for a well-deserved aperitivo was one of the best parts of my stay. I quickly fell into a routine: I’d hit town in the morning, do plenty of sightseeing, then return to the hotel and do a quick change for dinner before skipping down for a drink and bar snacks. I especially loved the Scognizzo, a slightly tangy tipple made with tequila, velvet falernum, artichoke syrup, kiwi extract, and jalapeño essence, and layered with foamy egg white; I’d alternate sips with nibbles of the crumbly focacce or a meaty Castelvetrano olive. These are genuinely delicious, palate-pleasing drinks; you wouldn’t have to twist anyone’s arm to meet you here before dinner. In addition to the indoor dining room and lounge seating, there’s also a little Italian-style giardino outside, paved with stones salvaged from the courtyard of a French château and outfitted with wrought-iron furniture made in Provence—again, a seamless marriage of two cultures and aesthetics. It’s easy to imagine spending a long summer night out there, stringing together aperitivos with dinner and a nightcap or two.
The spa
It would be almost criminal not to block off an entire day to spend here—that’s how much time you’d need not only to receive your treatment, but to appreciate each distinct area, including the sauna, hammam, and pools (not to mention, the stylish design of each). Set one level below the ground-floor lobby, I felt like I was in on a secret as soon as the elevator doors parted. Angela, one of the spa’s charming receptionists, checked me in and spirited me away to the changing rooms—another beautiful space, clad in Burmese teak and creamy Vicenza stone from northern Italy—where I traded my plush white robe for one of the spa’s and my cozy, cork-bottomed slippers for a pair of woven thong sandals. After spending some time by the pool, a semi-Olympic lined with emerald and malachite mosaics that glinted in the soft, ambient light, followed by a quick trip to the sauna, I was escorted to my treatment room, about a half-flight of stairs up, where I was met by Marcia, my therapist. She’d pulled information from the questionnaire I submitted, which noted areas I wanted her to focus on or avoid altogether, and then proceeded to give me an “energizing massage,” gentle pressure applied with a fine layer of oil. I nearly fell asleep three times. From start to finish, the experience was relaxing and indulgent. And notably, this spa represents the first time that four lauded international brands—Switzerland’s Bellefontaine and Ananné brands, plus 111 Skin and Augustus Bader, all leaders in the field, will be offered in France. A full-service salon, including manicure, pedicure, and hairstyling stations with services offered by Des Garçons, two Parisian hairstylist brothers, is also in the works.
The neighborhood/area
If you’re after a classic (not to mention, high-end) Parisian experience, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better location than this. The hotel sits squarely within Paris’s tony Golden Triangle—a configuration of the Champs-Élysées, Avenue Montaigne, and Avenue George V—so there’s no shortage of shops to hit, whether it’s the Elie Saab boutique across the street, the Hermès shop down the road, or the shiny Chanel and Louis Vuitton outposts just one block over. All to say, the area is pretty buttoned up, and can be quiet at night—but if you want more action, all you have to do is ask the doorman to flag you a taxi. There’s also easy access to the Métro; the entrance to George V, a stop on Line 1, is just a seven-minute walk; the line can take you to popular sites like the Tuileries and the Louvre.
The service
Like pretty much everything at this hotel, the service is both smart and discreet—not fawning, but preemptive and always on alert. If your water glass is teetering on empty, wait 30 seconds and it’ll be filled; if you mention to the bartender one night that you prefer gin martinis to vodka, you won’t have to remind her again the next time you come around. Add to that a Maserati transfer service and shoe care by the famed shoemaker Berluti and you couldn’t want for anything more.
Anything left to mention?
I didn’t hit the gym during my stay, but if any hotel could make me want to work out, it would be this one. Curated by Workshop Gymnasium, a fitness and lifestyle company founded in London by the celebrated trainer Lee Mullins, the kitted-out space offers everything from pilates to strength and cardio training, with regimens developed for each guest based on personalized assessments. Conveniently, the program can also travel with you; say you spend one week at the Bulgari in Beijing, and the next, at the one in Paris; your program (and progress) remains on file so that you can have zero interruptions to your new routine.
