SO/Paris, the Ennismore – Accor group’s new 5-star hotel, has opened its doors between the Ile Saint-Louis and the Marais, built in a sixteen-storey 1960s building that proudly overlooks the rooftops of Paris like a belvedere.
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Facing the Seine, it brings a breath of fresh air and avant-gardism to the quiet Sully-Morland district, bringing together architecture, design, fashion – its uniforms bear the signature of Guillaume Henry, Patou’s artistic director – and art – thanks to its 122 contemporary and experimental works by artists such as Neil Beloufa, Thomas Fougeirol, Elsa Sahal and Alice Guittard.
The metamorphosis of the sober building, clad in stone and concrete, was entrusted to British architect David Chipperfield in collaboration with CALQ Architecture, and the interiors to the RDAI agency. The result is a pronounced design with subtle references to Paris, such as the terrazzo floor with “peacock’s tail” motifs and geometries alluding to the Haussmann façades.
The entrance leaves no one indifferent. With the Seine as the hotel’s guiding thread, through the undulations created by a stone thrown into the water, the traveller is welcomed in its lobby presided over by eight enormous tulip-shaped columns, which create a sort of organic vault.
Its sought-after undulating effect is multiplied by the play of amber-coloured mirrors that envelop its walls, warm tones that, together with its mustard armchairs and concrete and marble furnishings, create a harmonious blend of cool and warm materials.
Its 162 rooms and suites offer a cosy, simple and open-plan atmosphere, in which its comfortable and functional furnishings, dominated by nomadic and multifunctional elements, give a sense of space and leave room for light and spectacular views.
The numerous large windows (there are at least two in the rooms and up to ten in the suites) and the luminosity stand out, which, together with the three colour ranges used, greyish blue, yellow and orange, saffron, copper and terracotta, manages to masterfully blend the interior and exterior lighting.
In addition, to create and accentuate beautiful and interesting landscapes, they play with volumes and colours that frame generous views of Paris and its emblematic monuments, the Pantheon, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Pompidou Centre and the Sacré-Cœur.
Its small and pleasant spa, Codage Paris, exudes serenity thanks to its indirect and enveloping light and the choice of its colour palette, the soft emerald green of its cabins and the micro-mosaics that envelop its Turkish hammam, designed by RDAI.
Its restaurant, bar and club, Bonnie, is in the hands of Société Parisienne, known for its spectacular tables such as La Suite Girafe, Gigi, Maison Russe, Apicius or Perruche. Today, newly installed at the top of the Morland Tower, they have left the reins to the architect Jordane Arrivetz, founder of the decoration agency Notoire, to sublimate their different spaces.
The dining room on the 15th floor has a modern, velvety ambiance with its psychedelic carpeting and opulent 60s-style contemporary armchairs. Its décor extends to the terrace (a sunny-day paradise), where the striking immersive installation The Seeing City, by Olafur Eliasson and Sebastian Benham (Studio Other Spaces), transforms the glass windows and mirrored ceiling into a large kaleidoscope that magnifies the dramatic landscape.
Day or night, with a distinctive grey Parisian sky, a storm or a sunset, the views are endlessly divided and reflected, vertiginously inverting perspectives.
In the kitchen, his cuisine revisits with panache and generosity a chic version of classic brasserie recipes, where the product is king. His dishes are accompanied by a glass of champagne, a seasonal cocktail, a clever mix of the 60s and 70s from his repertoire, or a good old wine.
The sea is the protagonist, and they serve it in the form of a more than tasty sea bream marinated with lime; juicy veal ravioli with truffles, mushrooms and foie gras; escargots de Bourgogne or squid fritters with chipotle sauce.
To continue, they serve an exquisite turbot with mushrooms and yellow wine sauce; cod with gnocchi and seaweed butter; or the already popular linguini with langoustines and basil. But there is something for everyone, they also offer roast chicken with mashed potatoes and truffle juice or Angus steak with Béarnaise sauce.
The sweet and savoury desserts stand out from the rest of the trendy menus, so as well as enjoying a traditional mille-feuille, diners can indulge in peaches with fresh almonds and lemon sorbet, roasted figs with honey and Speculoos ice cream, or an addictive walnut and vanilla tart.
Paris lovers, here is the SO/Paris hotel, its panoramic rooms, its cosy suite overlooking the bathtub, its spa and inviting pool, its bar’s regressive cocktails, its club with New York accents and its scenic table d’hôte, where you eat well.
