Maison Malesherbes

As the name infers, HappyCulture hotels work hard to nurture a romantic, social, and effervescent spirit in all its properties, and Maison Malesherbes follows suit—with Belle Époque splash and a 19th-century apartment building to boot. The lobby and attached lounge weave the brand's signature rich reds, blues, yellows, and greens into floral and velvet upholstery, wallpaper, and rugs, spruced up further by period portraits, brass mirrors, and other vintage ephemera. The mostly couples who check in are encouraged to loiter with wine, cocktails, or espresso from small bar in the corner, filled with plenty of oversize art books. The downstairs breakfast room channels the same spirit, but it has no windows to add the sunshine glow. Working travelers can also make use of the tiny business center with a single computer, printer, and scanner.

The Hotel Maison Malesherbes is located in the 8th Arrondissement, across the street from Saint-Augustin church and a statue of Joan of Arc. While it's a short walk from the Champs-Élysées, it's somewhat far from Paris’s major sights, though there's excellent public transportation nearby. It's a three-minute walk to the St Augustine metro stop, and bus stops are also aplenty on the surrounding blocks, with the nearest no more than a one-minute walk away. The RER B line (with one transfer) runs to Charles de Gaulle Airport in 55 minutes, while a cab can do it in 33 minutes if traffic is moving.

• Six-minute walk to Gare Saint-Lazare
• 12-minute walk to Parc Monceau
• 16-minute walk to Champs-Élysées and Jardin de la Nouvelle France
• 21-minute walk to Moulin Rouge and Montmartre
• 22-minute walk to Arc de Triomph
• 14 minutes to Musée Rodin via public transit 
• 22 minutes to Louvre via public transit
• 24 minutes to Sacré-Coeur and Centre Pompidou via public transit
• 26 minutes to Eiffel Tower via public transit
• 27 minutes to Notre Dame via public transit
• 30 minutes to Luxembourg Gardens via public transit 

As with all hotels in the HappyCulture brand, much effort is spent in infusing the rooms and suites with quirk and playfulness via rich yellows, reds, blues, and greens throughout. Belle Époque-style flowered wallpaper and other vintage details, including rotary phones, serving trays, brass lamps, marble-top desks, and period art prints, are also featured. Units have twin or queen beds, plus flat-screen TVs with cable, safes, soundproof windows, electric kettles, and air-conditioning, but in-room Wi-Fi costs extra. Tile-and-marble bathrooms are as chic as sleeping areas, and all have walk-in showers with removable showerheads, hairdryers, and Prija-brand toiletries. Upgrading rooms gets you a small Juliette balconies just big enough for a chair or two, and a bathtub. The most charming views look across to the church, but late risers may not appreciate the hourly bells. 

Although the hotel is short on facilities outside the cocktail lounge and breakfast room, it covers the basics, including a tiny business corner with a scanner and printer, luggage storage, and for additional charge, laundry and dry cleaning. There's also phone chargers and umbrellas on loan. Wi-Fi is high speed and free in public spaces, and guests can add a mobile hotspot, which connects to the internet via the 4G mobile network, for an additional charge. Breakfast costs extra too, and comes in a full or “express” rate. There is no parking on-site, but public lots and on-street parking are nearby.