Grand Pigalle Hotel

Grand Pigalle Hotel is the first Paris hotel property from the trendsetting Experimental Group, the food-and-drink-oriented hospitality company credited with launching the cocktail-bar concept in Paris a decade ago. Opened in 2015, the hotel occupies an exemplary Parisian limestone corner building with wrought-iron balconies in hip, hedonistic South Pigalle. Designer Dorothee Meilichzon handled the interiors, tipping her hat to the hotel group's cocktail culture by installing martini-glass carpeting in the halls and staircase and brass minibars in the guest rooms. The cool lounge-y vibe is palpable in an instant; instead of walking into dedicated lobby space, guests see a small reception area with a ribbed gold front desk and a mirrored wall of black leather tassel keys. The space immediately gives way to Wine & Dine, an all-day restaurant/bar/work space with chessboard tables and gray velvet banquettes and stools. Guests sit at cozy two-tops by the window, conduct casual meetings on the tufted sofas, and work remotely on MacBook Airs from the bar. Matte charcoal and smooth wood walls with rough cement columns give the ground floor an appropriately cocktail-bar feel, but large windows facing Rue Victor Masse let in lots of light during the day.The hotel gets a lot of regular clients, mostly couples and business travelers from the U.S. and U.K. (Rooms top out at 280 square feet and there are no interconnecting options, so it's not a good choice for families.) Even locals visit the street-level restaurant/lounge for a house cocktail, an Italian charcuterie plate and a glass of Sicilian, a coffee and slice of homemade cake, or Sunday brunch.

Grand Pigalle Hotel is located in the trendy neighborhood of South Pigalle, or SoPi. The area has lots of hipster cachet, with buzzy bars, shops, and bistros on every street (the hip tiki bar Dirty Dick is half a block from the hotel, while Pink Mamma and Ito Izakaya are both three minutes away by foot). From the hotel, it is a five-minute walk to Musee de la Vie Romantique and an eight-minute walk to Musee Gustave Moreau. The Pigalle metro station (lines 2 and 12) is a two-minute walk away. Getting to Charles de Gaulle Airport by car takes about 40 minutes; by train, the trip is about 50 minutes.

Like the public areas, the 37 guest rooms offer a heavy dose of high design along with original details like crown molding and non-working fireplaces (in some) -- and tight square footage. Subtle leopard-print carpeting, cool green-gray walls, and gold-flecked wallpaper frame the chic spaces, which feature custom mahogany desks and brass details, such as light fixtures and rolling-cart minibars. Minibars are stocked with local French snacks and custom glass-bottled drinks by Experimental Cocktail Club, like handmade Negronis. Other features include flat-screen HDTVs, Revo radios, vintage-style VOIP phones with free calls, dimmer lighting, and free Wi-Fi. Some rooms have espresso machines and bathrobes.French beds are handmade in Brittany and have high padded headboards and high-quality satin sheets. Bathrooms feature custom tiling, marble shelves, boutique toiletries, hairdryers, and old-fashioned scales. Most rooms have rainfall showers, and Deluxe and Corner rooms have bathtubs. (One of the three Junior Suites has a tub, as well.) Rooms receive twice-daily housekeeping, plus nightly turndown with a free bottle of water.Grand Pigalle's Standard rooms measure 150 square feet, and feature street views over Rue Victor Masse. Superiors face the quiet courtyard and add 10 square feet of space. Both Standard and Superior have queen beds. Deluxe rooms (one queen or two twin beds) offer 183 square feet of space and overlook Rue Henry Monnier. The 215-square-foot Corners (one queen or two twin beds) have a view of Avenue Frochot, a super-secret voie privée (private road). The three top-floor Junior Suites (one king or two twins) are between 215 and 280 square feet, and can see Sacre Couer and Montmartre. Some second- and fifth-floor rooms have balconies with tables and chairs.

On the street level is Wine & Dine, Grand Pigalle's restaurant/bar serving all three meals daily, plus 24-hour room service. Giovanni Passerini's seasonal Italian menu offers items like beef carpaccio and fresh ravioli of the day. On Sundays and bank holidays, Wine & Dine has a brunch buffet with baguettes, viennoiseries, yogurt, granola, boards of Italian cheese and charcuterie, avocado toast and poached eggs, and ravioli with sage butter. The restaurant's wine cellar features 200 labels, while signature ECC cocktails are of course a specialty. Dry cleaning and laundry services are available. Wi-Fi is free throughout Grand Pigalle Hotel.