A breath of lifestyle in this VIIe A district so chic and so wise: the SAX Paris hotel blends the hushed elegance befitting its neighbourhood with the distinctive elements of the contemporary hotel business, between a disruptive event venue and rooftop with a unique view of the whole of Parisfacing the Eiffel Tower. Owned by the Compagnie de Phalsbourg, which designed the project, this new establishment marks the Group's entry into the Eiffel Tower. Hilton in the Paris luxury hotel sector. At the same time, LXR Hotels & Resorts, the lifestyle counterpart to Waldorf and Conrad, took its first steps in Europe.
Following in the footsteps of a building dating back to the early days of the telephone - the former Ségur exchange, built in 1900 - the hotel extends along the Avenue de Saxe behind its Neo-Gothic facade in ashlar and red brickThese are decorated with official references, here the monogram 'RF' of the French Republic, there symbols of universal suffrage. Gone are the 'ladies' who worked to connect the first subscribers: SAX Paris is very much of its time, the time of smartphones and digital technology.
Immediately after the entrance, on the left, the Galerie sets the tone. It's a long space, decorated with 200 mirrors and a collection of Baccarat chandeliers, drenched in electric red lightThe gallery is also home to a digital art gallery, where digital art is projected onto the back wall. Designed by the creative studio of Karine Journo, the wife of the founder of Compagnie de Phalsbourg, the Galerie can accommodate around forty people, whether for a drink or coffee during the day, or a cocktail or tapas in the evening. " It is also a place that can be privatisedfor a cocktail party, private dinner, fashion or business eventl", explains Guillaume Bourniquel, General Manager of the hotel.
Even though the SAX Paris has a 40 m² meeting room in the basement, the hotel is not primarily targeting business groups. The leisure clientele is more likely, driven by the more than 200 million members of Hilton's loyalty programme, but also business travellers passing through, as many of its rooms have uhe desk sits neatly behind the headboard. Close to UNESCO and a number of embassies, and soon to be joined by McKinsey's new headquarters on the Boulevard des Invalides in June, the hotel adds a prestigious address on the left bank of the Seine, where five-star hotels are little represented apart from the JK Place and the Lutetia, which has just opened its doors. into the Mandarin Oriental fold.
From business to chic
Originally, the hotel was to take a more business-like approach, opening under the Hilton brand, with Philippe Starck at work on the design side. " The project has gone from strength to strength. We could have done even more, in a more beautiful and more advanced way, to arrive at a product that fully deserves to be positioned in the five stars "plus, pluswithout going as far as the palace" explains Guillaume Bourniquel, who makes no secret of the fact that a few "Starckian" inspirations crept into the final décor.
A former employee of the Peninsula, the hotel manager praises the quality of his rooms, some of which would not be out of place in the inventory of a luxury hotel. the finishes and materials used" . But at an obviously lower price. Venetian blinds playing on light and shade for a cocooning effect, chrome mirror, white or caramel leather, large mirror integrating the connected television: luxury is hereThe bathrooms are lined with white panda marble with black and white veining.
Overlooking the garden or the Avenue de Saxe and the Place de Breteuil, the 118 rooms and suites are divided into around ten categories, ranging from the 25 m² superior room to the three major suites, the Studio (60m²), the Winter Garden Suite (45m²) and the Signature Suite, which ranges from 80 to 150m² depending on whether or not it is connected to the two adjoining rooms.
Paris as far as the eye can see
This comfort is complemented by the relaxation areas on offer, the SAX Le Club Fitness & Spa reserved for customers and members and, in the courtyard garden, a swimming pool heated to 29°C and a relaxing jacuzzi. A courtyard where residents and locals alike can enjoy the hotel's chic brasserie menu in fine weather, ranging from French classics to classics such as club sandwiches.
But the attraction of the hotel, its focal point, lies elsewhere, on the its rooftop, billed as one of the best in Paris. Not without reason, thanks to its unobstructed view of all the capital's monuments, with the Eiffel Tower as its neighbour, and its surface area of 350 m². It's an exceptional place that only customers of the Kinugawa Rive Gauche restaurant will be able to appreciate. This a household name in Japanese cuisinewith addresses in Paris, Courchevel and Courchevel in winter, Ramatuelle in summer and Dubai, as part of the Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab recently opened, operates this two-storey restaurant, indoors at 7e and rooftop at 8eThe restaurant has a total of 180 seats in the dining room and 200 on the terrace. It's the perfect place to enjoy a salmon taruto with white truffles or a tuna tartare with caviar, facing the Iron Lady. And, in the distance, the La Défense business district.
