Who's Going
Marais Lovers, Gay Couples, Design Snobs
Reason to Stay
Lobby Lounge, Hip Location, Design Hotel
Hotel Type
Design Hotel
Like an ethereal asylum of decoupage Corian walls and detox-theme that extends from lobby to guest room loo, The location couldn't be better, set amongst a street of 17th Century architecture with a vast assortment of boutiques, art galleries and one-room restaurant are all the rage. Hotel Gabriel is the latest micro-hotel to hit the Marais disguising its fashionable design for anything but just another boutique hotel. The lobby feels like an apparition of Marie Antoinette, although she would never have been in a 4-star hotel, with its glamorous lobby area and stand-up reception set in translucent glass setting. A nearby one-room restaurant and adjoining lounge are surrounded in all white walls and white leather furnishings bring a clinical charm to a menu of antioxidant beverages, bite-size appetizers and breakfasts that linger till 1pm.
The Room
We experienced this latest hotel novelty while staying in Norway, a country with two weeks of winter darkness, an LCD light system dims you to sleep and awake. The Paris version is contained in the series of Glowing Rooms were Corian walls conceal LCD light and sound programs that coordinate with the stages of your sleep cycle and melatonin levels. Scientific, not sure, but quirky and more fun that watching late-night French variety shows. Rooms are not for the claustrophobic, set in no more that 250 square feet with built-in wardrobes and pull-down desks built to mimic boast a modernized 1930's cruise-ship cabin design. In-room high-tech amenities include free wireless Internet, I-pod station and bar with wall-mount LCD TV. Round-angled bathrooms are free-flowing spaces where hydro-massage shower, washbasin and toilet are all useable at once creating a floor that as endlessly wet as annoying.
Preferred Room
Glowing Room
Special Features
Designer Hotel, LCD Light System
Amenities
Lobby Lounge, Bar, Restaurant, Hip Clientele
