Detailed Review
The Hotel Montalembert, historic landmark on the Left Bank of Paris, re-opened in October 1990 after nearly a year-long, 8 million dollar restoration and refurbishment. It was one of the first "Boutique Hotel" of Paris.
Built in 1926, the Hotel Montalembert is located in the center of Paris, in the heart of Saint Germain des Prés, home of the art galleries, antiques, fine shopping and few steps away from the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre. The name Montalembert comes from Charles Forbes Montalembert, a famous politician, writer and member of the prestigious Academie Française.
Mid 2005, the Hotel Montalembert became part of the prestigious Majestic Hotel Group, owned by the Soldevila, a long time family of hoteliers who already own the famous Hotel Majestic Barcelona in Spain.
Independent Reviews
-
“Paris’s original boutique hotel is still setting trends after a recent refurbishment, in a discrete location on the Left Bank.”
Montalembert
By Joanna Monkhouse
The Montalembert was the first of the boutique hotels in Paris and after its recent refurbishment is running once more alongside its imitators that had begun to overtake the original. The spirit remains the same but the dcor is now an example of that pared down yet luxurious style - seemlessly blending modern design with the period Art Deco features of the 1926 building. The polished marble floor of the lobby reflects the attitude of the attentive Prada-clad staff. A salon area with low backed white leather chairs and an angular velvet sofa leads into the stylish caf and bar, hung with large black and white photographs and furnished with dark wood. The fire burning in the intimate library draws guests. In summer months, the caf also serves on the terrace at the front of the hotel.
Two tiny Parisian lifts (each just big enough for three, without bags, if you breathe in) pass the pretty ironwork balustrade and the Deco windows of the staircase. Solid dark wood cupboards and high bed heads dominate the modern rooms, softened by the taupe, purple and blue fabrics. The traditional rooms have retained the pre-refurbishment Louis Phillipe antique furniture, and have a cream, cinnamon and olive color scheme. Both types feature imaginative, contemporary lighting. The Montalemberts 50 rooms and 6 suites are not the most spacious in Paris deluxes have a small hall, reducing any noise from the corridor, but the bedroom is about as small as the standard rooms but the corner suites are better with large windows in bedrooms and sitting rooms. Rooms on the courtyard side have less of a view but are very quiet. The luxurious bathrooms have deep baths, marble floors, acres of mirror on the walls and tall pivoting ones. The combination of mirrors, downlighters and chrome can have you reaching for your shades early in the morning. Satellite tv, video (soon to be dvd), minibar and safe are discreetly housed inside the large cupboards and internet, phone and fax lines are standard. The turn down service also turns on the music system in the evenings, a thoughtful touch.
Popular with the fashion crowd throughout the year, reservations during the shows must be made far in advance. Impeccably placed just off the Rue du Bac and the Boulevard St Germain, the Montalembert is a 10 minute walk west of the galleries and boutiques of St Germain, south of the Musee du Louvre and south-east of the Musee dOrsay.
© Travel Intelligence. All rights reserved
