Hotel Bel Ami Paris

Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Paris has a countless number legendary sites, iconic quarters,world famous monuments, dream addresses and luxury hotels. In short, the French capital has the honor of being the world’s most visited city and the most famous.

One of its quarters however, has had a particular fascination for Parisians as well as visitors; a quarter which for centuries has attracted people from all walks of life from sightseers to stars: Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

Saint-Germain, as it’s called not only by its inhabitants, but by the huge number of visitors who love to walk in and out of the narrow streets of the 6^th arrondisement, is first and foremost a quarter which has always attracted artists and intellectuals. It’s this quality that gives it its charm and its soul.

In the 17th century, it was already the quarter of the Encyclopedists. Then came the French revolutionaries like Marat and Danton. After the Second World War, it was the center for jazz with music clubs attended by a mixed audience of intellectuals, philosophers, artists and pop singers. It was the heyday Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and it was the quarter’s effervescence with its numerous bistros, brasseries and bookstores that made Saint-Germain-des-Prés the epicenter and the spirit of the famous student demonstrations of May, 1968.

Although this spirit has, to a great extent, disappeared today, Saint Germain is a still a favorite spot for tourists and Parisians who still visit its somewhat retro bookstores or who come here to soak up the memories of an era that created a Parisian myth which still hovers over the quarter today.

Saint Germain luxury

Located a few steps from the legendary Café de Flore in the heart of the 6th arrondisement, the Hotel Bel Ami is the newest jewel in the Bessé family’s collection of hotels which already include the Hotel de Sers and the Edouard VI. This charm hotel was recently honored with a fifth star and has therefore entered the select circle of the capital’s most luxurious hotels.

The Bel Ami already has a literary and intellectual past worthy of the quarter surrounding it, since it’s situated in the former printing house where Guy de Maupassant had his first novel, “Bel Ami” printed.

Original, fresh and daring are the key words here. Architect Philippe Maidenberg, who contributed his Parisian flair to the site, gave it a contemporary and pop feeling with vivid, striking colors especially in the brunch room, which has already become a favorite neighborhood meeting place, thanks to its highly appreciated late breakfasts entirely created by the renowned Chef Christophe Hay.

Thanks to its proportions, the Bel Ami is a hotel built on a human scale. Special attention was paid to the space and the structure in order to make it a stunning site without it being inundated with design objects. During the day, the bay window allows in a maximum of natural light. At night, the sophisticated and design lighting system takes over, creating a magical, elegant and intimate space. Video screens project images of urban life, thereby bringing the city into the hotel, an important and successful initiative since the environment is one of the hotel’s strong points.

The floors upstairs are an invitation to guests to lose themselves in the labyrinth of surprisingly immense corridors. The rooms play with a blend and a juxtaposition of blue, green and red. They all have a superb view of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés church.

The Bel Ami regularly hosts art exhibits, musical evenings and other cultural events. For wellness enthusiasts however, the Esthederm spa, the first of its kind, enables each guest to find his own personal inner peace in the heart of a hotel where good humor and conviviality reign supreme.