Rates: from €150 per night
Added extras: the Phillippe Starck decor
Services: wifi and restaurant
It’s a long way from the flashy facades of other four-star hotels, so much so that you could pass the Chess Hotel without ever casting a second glance. The entrance is through the discreet rue de Helder, running perpendicular to Boulevard des Italiens, to find this mysterious spot. Ring the intercom and cross a huge corridor which opens onto an elevator.
The reception is on the first floor, pitched a hundred metres from the hubbub of Opera below, a unique view with the calm broken by the electronica soundtrack. Contrary to its name, there are no chess games but black and white is the order of the day here: on the checkered floors, the walls, furniture and in the restaurant. This elegant monochrome universe is the work of Philippe Starck and Christian Liaigre, a combination of chic French style and a more innovative contemporary vibe.
This continues in the hotel’s fifty rooms (around 20m2): armchairs, canopy beds with earthy, mustard and blue colour palette, arty photographs and details which are thoroughly thought out. It’s all in harmony yet doesn’t feel too try-hard. The Chess Hotel pulls off its original style with serious panache.
