Just Checked Out: Marquis Faubourg Saint Honore, Paris

It’s become tradition that my husband and I end our European holiday in Paris for three days before heading back home. So many hotels in Paris so many options. How do you decide where to stay? Our decision was predicated on a number of things: Location, functional yet stylish accommodations and price point.

We are always excited to know when a new hotel is opening up in the city of lights and have been eager to check out the Marquis Faubourg St. Honoré since this discreet boutique hotel (housed in a 18th century townhouse) opened last year off the Champs Elysées.

Thank you to our globe-trotting contributing reviewer, Romi Howard (always eager and willing to do a thorough hotel inspection!) for a insightful review on this new and exciting addition to the Paris hotel scene:

I’ve been fortunate enough to have stayed in a number of hotels in Paris. The one we’ve been frequenting with regularity the last few times La Tremoille (see our post on Inviato) works wonderfully if you are a family of four and/or on a girls trip  based on its location but more importantly the room configuration cannot be beat. Having said that, the hotel has grown a little tired in its appearance and quite frankly just isn’t nice enough when you’re on a holiday alone with your husband.

We wanted something newer and stylish but spending an exorbitant amount of money to stay at the Bristol or George V was not palatable either. When Inviato’s editor told us to look into the Marquis Faubourg St. Honoré, we were intrigued. The hotel looked stylishly intimate, the location was ideal (right off St. Honoré) and the price point was in line with our what we wanted to spend.

So we decided to give it a go and I’m happy to say we were not disappointed. As a matter of fact, we were absolutely delighted with our stay and look forward to returning next summer.

The hotel is on rue Anjou just around the corner from the presidential palace and, of course, all the shops on St. Honoré. It is privately owned and not part of any hotel consortium. As such, this is an exceptionally intimate hotel with the emphasis on intimate. There are only 15 rooms in the entire hotel. From a size perspective, it resembles a very spacious home which includes the entryway that doubles as check in and a lobby all rolled into one. It’s very compact and a little too small if more then one guest is arriving with baggage at the same time which fortunately was not the case upon our arrival. A minor quibble but a quibble nonetheless.

Kevin, the gentleman who checked us in, was incredibly helpful during our stay. There is few staff on property and they take on many roles at once. The same person that checks you in is also your porter and concierge. Having said that, they juggle their many hats with aplomb (with the exception of the poor gentleman handling the morning shift and the cook that failed to show up. I do believe he was cooking my omelet but I digress and even though he was very frazzled he managed to handle the situation rather gracefully).

The hotel in general and the rooms in particular are extremely well thought out (not a surprise as the interior designer is Michele Bonan, who designed the uber-gorgeous JK Place hotel in Capri). My husband and I stayed in the smallest suite (room 23) and, despite its size, I never wanted to leave. It’s laid out like a chic pied à terre. The carrera marble-adorned bathroom (huge for Paris standards) is separated by beautiful paneled sliding doors with mirrors, giving the feeling of a much larger room. The living room area is separated by the bedroom with more sliding doors. The living is very “country manor library meets urban chic” (replete with an entire library of books for your reading leisure) with mounted flat screens and other apple products wired throughout the room to allow you to access movies, music and other tech-savvy things that impressed my hard-to-please husband. A completely stocked fridge with all kind of beverages (at no charge) was a lovely touch. Abundant Hermes products upped the chic quotient.

Breakfast is served in the most wonderfully quaint room stacked with more books and distinctively French-looking curios. Breakfast itself, including in the room rate, was yummy with fresh baked goods, cheeses, fruits and preserves and yogurts. The croissants were fresh and delicious. Ordering some eggs or an omelet is available upon request.

The spa and gym, though very – you guessed it – petite and relegated to the basement of the premises, are surprisingly enticing as the surrounding walls and architecture of the space is such that you feel almost like you’re in a wine cave. The gym has all the necessary equipment and both are designed in a minimalist style.

Rooms To Get

We got to take a peek at the junior suite and the master suite. There’s only a 100 square footage difference but the master suite has a little terrace facing the courtyard that is furnished with two teak chairs, ideal for an intimate breakfast. All rooms with the exception of the smallest category of rooms have exceptionably ample walk in closets (giving you another reason to buy more things!).

Room 23 (where we stayed), which ironically is the smallest of the 15 available rooms, is the only one with a free standing shower (a large one I might add) . My recommendation, having checked out two larger configured rooms, is to request room 23 if you are only two people as the square footage difference is about 100 feet. Really not much of a difference. If you are adding another person, then the larger suites are the only way to go.

While there is a room just beyond the entryway that serves drinks (bottles are lined up on a table), we found it awkward as you don’t quite know if they are there for decoration, as an honor bar or do you ask for a pour from the front desk? And, because there is no music indicating that one should relax and enjoy a cocktail, nobody does. For me, a hotel bar is essential when traveling to a foreign city hotel. It’s something I personally enjoy at the end of the day or the start of my evening to take a cocktail either alone or with company and be a part of the fabric of the space and the people and the city. This hotel just didn’t have that. That’s my one major complaint.

The Last Word

The service was wonderful: Helpful, solicitous, efficient, and prompt. Everything you’d want and expect from a hotel of this caliber. The problem is that there wasn’t enough staff on hand at times so whoever is there has to wear many hats. I must add that Kevin, a master in many languages, was just wonderful. We cannot say enough about him as he was indispensable during our stay.

Overall this is a hotel I would highly recommend if you are coming as a couple and I would definitely return to stay with my husband again.