The location is no stranger to hotel projects, as the Pullmann Paris Rive-Gauche - formerly the Sofitel Porte de Sèvres - stood on the same site just next to the Aquaboulevard and not far from the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre, before being demolished. From 7 June, Okko Hotels revives the hospital vocation of the site, marking its arrival at Paris. Running alongside the Boulevard Périphérique, its dark glass façade - "with its monolithic, sculptural character"as described by the firm Jean-Michel Wilmotte - contains a 149 roomsalmost all identical and designed by Patrick Norguetthe brand's resident designer since its debut in Nantes in 2014.
Yet this uniformity is not a source of boredom, with a décor in warm or light tones, as the case may be, highlighting a limited space of 18 m², but extremely well laid out. "Everything has been thought through to ensure that customers have everything they need."A small desk, a large bed with a sofa and built-in safe, alcoves with a Nespresso coffee machine and a bottle of water, and plenty of sockets. Business travellers will find everything they need for their stays, which generally last no more than one or two nights, including a small desk, a king-size bed with a sofa and built-in safe, alcoves containing a Nespresso coffee machine and a bottle of water, and plenty of sockets. A distinctive feature of the room is the bathroom area, with a large Italian-style shower, separated from the rest of the room by a curtain of wooden slats inspired by moucharabiehs, keeping out glare but letting in natural light.
While the design of the rooms is similar to what the brand's regulars have been able to appreciate in Nantes, Lyon, Grenoble, Bayonne, Rueil-Malamaison and Cannes, in Paris Okko is deploying another idea common to all its establishments: its Le Club areaThis is a sort of executive lounge, open to all guests, offering snacks at any time, 24 hours a day. It is in this vast living room, furnished with sofas, library corners and wooden guest tables, that the life of the hotel is organised. Breakfast is self-service, with guests simply helping themselves to pastries and hot drinks, or opening the fridges for fruit juices and cold drinks. In the evening, the hotel makes up for not having a restaurant by offering a generous aperitivo. Plates of cold meats and cheeses, quiches, soups, a glass of wine or a local beer: executives who want to relax in peace will find plenty to satisfy their hunger while having a good time. Although additional alcoholic beverages are subject to a charge, these are the only extras that guests have to pay for when they leave. For breakfast and aperitivo, the WiFi that video on demandEverything is included in the room rate, which in Paris should start at around 95 euros.
Following this opening, which brings the total number of Okko hotels to seven, several other establishments will be inaugurated shortly, to begin to Strasbourg next October, on the Malraux peninsula, in a district that is currently undergoing major redevelopment. Then, in 2019, there will be a hotel in ToulonThe hotel is located on Place de la Liberté, in the heart of the city centre and very close to the station, in a tower that includes housing and offices as well as the hotel. The same year also saw the strengthening Okko's offering in the Paris region with one opening in Meudon and two in Paris, one near Gare Montparnasse and the other directly integrated into Gare de l'Est. "A truly unique project with a roof garden and period rooms"says Solenne Devys. For the occasion, another design agency, the Studio Catoirwill be responsible for designing the new generation of rooms, opening a new page in the history of the brand. A story that will continue internationally in 2020and not just anywhere, on the Grand Place de Brussels.
