Travel

Hôtel Rochechouart: art de vivre in Montmartre


This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Paris

Situated just off the busy Boulevard de Clichy in Pigalle, and a hop and a skip from the foot of Montmartre, this newly reimagined hotel is now a swinging Parisian hotspot — even in an area known for its nightlife. There aren’t many venues where you can segue from sipping a cocktail on plush velvet sofas surrounded by parlour palms to a brasserie dinner to rival the very best, and then slide off to the hotel’s own basement nightclub. Given it was lashing down with icy rain on our brief visit, it was a jolly good thing we didn’t need to leave the building.

The art deco facade surrounding the burgundy front doors of the Hôtel Rochechouart
Many of the recently redesigned hotel’s Art Deco features have been retained

A corner of one of the hotel’s rooms, with a bed, bronze headboard and bronze-coloured walls
One of the hotel’s rooms © Hervé Goluza

The hotel is now part of Orso, a French group that owns seven properties in the capital, including the charming Hôtel Leopold in Montparnasse. Under Orso, this handsome eight-floor building, a hotel since 1929, has been given a thoughtful reno by Parisian interior designers Festen, with many Art Deco features still intact. Walls are painted in a night-time palette of dark terracotta, bronze and green, with plenty of parquet and marble throughout. There is an even a tiny clunky elevator, which no Paris hotel should be without.

Our cosy suite in the eaves had a cracking view of Sacré-Coeur, and a lovely tiled en suite. The rooms are on the compact side, in according with Parisian tradition, with little in the way of extras (also a bit of a tradition), but the views more than make up for it.

One floor up, a petite rooftop bar looked promising for the warmer months, and is surely in full swing by now.

A vase of flowers on a table in the hotel’s restaurant
Head to the hotel’s restaurant . . . 

Rosewood chairs and linen-tableclothed tables on the hotel restaurant’s blue and gold mosaic floor, in front of a large mirror on a white-painted wall
 . . . for a traditional French food in an elegant setting © Hervé Goluza

The ground-floor restaurant, a destination in itself, is a perfectly geometric mix of alcoves and banquettes set off by beautiful blue and gold mosaic flooring. Original engraved menu boards on the wall that date from a bygone brasserie era, with items ranging from eau de vie and calvados to chocolat liégeois via soupe à l’oignon, set the tone for today’s still resolutely vieille école menu.

We tucked into with frogs’ legs and a very good beef tenderloin with frites, followed by an airy île flottante. It is hard not to overdo it here. If you are dining from Thursday to Saturday, go for something light so you don’t have to forgo the delights of the Mikado club downstairs, which would be a shame given the list of Parisian A-listers who hung out there in its heyday, such as Maurice Chevalier, Josephine Baker and Johnny Hallyday, to name but a few. I poked my head in at 10.30pm, but it was still too early for partying in Pigalle.

  • Good for: Dreamy views of the Sacré-Coeur; a hop and a skip from the pleasures of Montmartre

  • Not so good for: Swinging cats — rooms are petite

  • FYI: The rooftop bar can be hired out for private parties

  • Rooms: 105 rooms, including 19 suites

  • Double: From €400

  • Website; Directions

Rebecca Rose was a guest of Hôtel Rochechouart.

Tell us about your favourite place to stay in Paris in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter

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