Eiffel Kennedy Hotel

The lobby of the Eiffel-Kennedy Hotel has a few contemporary dark leather chairs facing a big window onto the street. Bright lights, recessed into the ceiling, limed-wood paneling, and sable-brown painted walls and tile flooring create a pleasant, if brisk, feel to an entry area where guests are meant to check-in, not linger. The hotel is in a cream-colored, circa-1850 masonry building with flower boxes and charming dormer windows. Carpet-covered, curving staircases lead to the upper floors, but so does the elevator, a feature that's not a given in smaller Parisian properties. The hallway walls are painted in a sueded orange or brown. The cellar, a room with soft lighting and rough stone walls, is where a buffet breakfast is served from a pinewood sideboard at cherry-wood tables and chairs. Just outside the hotel and adjacent to its entrance is the brightly lit Cafe a la Fontaine. Guests are mainly couples and families, though the hotel's proximity to the headquarters of Radio Paris draws some business travelers as well. 

The 16th Arrondissement is one of the most elegant neighborhoods in Paris, with quiet, tree-lined streets, expensive but subtle limestone apartment buildings, and small house museums. The Eiffel-Kennedy Hotel is on a relatively busy corner of rue de Boullainvilliers; at the back of the hotel is the Maison de la Radio, home to public radio stations and a large concert hall. From the hotel, the Eiffel Tower can be reached on foot in about 20 minutes or six minutes by car. The Ranelagh Metro station is a seven-minute walk away. The Musee Clemenceau, housing the collection of statesman and writer Georges Clemenceau, is a 12-minute walk. The vast and rural Bois de Boulogne park is a seven-minute drive or 35-minute train ride. Musee Baccarat, housing a collection of sparkling crystal, is a seven-minute drive or a 22-minute train ride. For a different kind of dazzle, visitors might like to peek into the Musee de la Contrefacon, the "museum of counterfeiting," one that can be reached in seven minutes by car and 27 minutes by train. The Arc de Triomphe is a nine-minute drive or a 28-minute train ride. The Louvre is 11 minutes away by car or 35 minutes by train. Charles de Gaulle airport is a 27-minute drive without traffic.

Some rooms at the Eiffel - Kennedy Hotel, befitting its name, have views of the Eiffel Tower. Others face an interesting street in a pretty neighborhood. Although the hotel claims its rooms are soundproofed, those on the lower floors can be noisy, especially if the casement windows are open for admiring the flower box plantings. Unlike many Parisian hotels, this one has connecting rooms. Double Rooms with an extra bed are also available, convenient for small families or groups of friends. Decor is subtly stylish, with an effect that is spare but chic: Floors are wood with colorful area rugs; sheets and pillowcases, dubbed "premium" by the hotel, are white, but the duvets and accent pillows, which match the black-out drapes, are in stripes of varying hues with a satin finish; headboards are tufted satin in shades of pewter, cream, and buff. There are petite, dark-wood desks and chairs, contemporary in style, and small accent lamps. All rooms have 23-inch LED flat-screen TVs, air-conditioning, and minibars; some rooms have electric kettles. The bathrooms are contemporary in design and, especially in the larger rooms, feel more spacious than they are due to good layouts. Pedestal or white porcelain sinks are set into green, granite countertops, and there are either stall showers or deep but narrow shower/tub combos, both with glass partitions. Wall tiles are contemporary in large, beige rectangles, and the lighting is crisp. Some bathrooms have frosted glass windows. 

The Eiffel - Kennedy Hotel provides free newspapers in the lobby and its guest rooms. Wi-Fi is free in the hotel, and there's a small niche with a computer for guest use in the lobby. The front desk is staffed 24-hours and includes a safety deposit box, and during limited hours, concierge service. Breakfast is available in a softly lit cellar each morning, for a fee. The selection includes various meats and cheeses as well as a couple of cakes appealingly presented on crystal pedestals. The hotel will provide babysitting and do laundry and dry cleaning for a fee. There are no pets -- including service animals. And on-site parking isn't available.