Hôtel Lumen Paris Louvre

“Lumen” is Latin for “light,” and the lighting in this new Paris hotel (which opened in September) is one of its best features, especially in the four rooms dubbed “Saint Roch” in honor of the Baroque church across the street. While on the small side, these corner rooms win out over the others in terms of charm, with their high ceilings and two windows with views of the church. At night atmospheric lighting is provided by an unusual crystal chandelier that cascades from ceiling to floor, sparkling with reflections and rainbows. The glass-walled bathrooms in these rooms are decorated with colorful Bisazza mosaics.

The crystal lighting fixture in the Saint Roch rooms and the rest of the hotel’s furnishings, were designed by decorator Claudio Colucci, while architect Alain Daronian was responsible for converting the Haussmannian building from a bank into a hotel, complete with typical Parisian touches like decorative molding that contrasts nicely with the mix of textures and styles chosen by Colucci. The lighting in the other rooms, while not as spectacular as the cascading crystals, includes multi-globe fixtures in metal and frosted glass, their round shapes complementing the oval forms of the beds’ headboards.

The lobby is a study in felicitous contrasts of classic and contemporary styles, with crystal chandeliers, mirrors, an orange sofa, canopied armchairs, Baroque-printed velvet-covered chairs, stainless-steel panels and polished granite floors.

As far as location goes, it would be hard to do better. The hotel is surrounded by many of Paris’s top attractions: the Louvre, the Place Vendôme, the Opéra Garnier and the luxury boutiques of the Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré.

This independent boutique hotel, owned by Herman Bal, is part of the Preferred Hotel Group reservations system, and has 32 rooms, including two suites. The hotel also houses a restaurant, Le Passage Saint Roch, with a “neoclassical” menu created by food writer and consultant Frédérick Grasser Hermé (a proponent of “chromatic cuisine” and author of Serial Colors), and prepared by chef Philippe Gasmand, formerly of the Pavillon Royal de Paris and Lenôtre. Its decoration echoes that of the hotel, but in shades of red. At night its ceiling lights up like a starry sky.

Needless to say, the hotel is equipped with all the amenities travelers expect these days. It also has an attractive meeting room with an adjacent bar/lounge in the basement. A business corner will soon be operational.

Heidi Ellison

Hôtel Lumen Paris Louvre: 15 rue des Pyramides, 75001 Paris. Métro: Pyramides. Tel.: 01 44 50 77 00. Fax: 01 44 50 77 10. Rates: €290-€1,150 per night.

E-mail: info@hotel-lumenparis.com. Web: www.hotel-lumenparis.com

© 2007 Paris Update