Nolinski Paris – Hotel Review

With the magnificent Palais Garnier opera house at its doorstep and the Louvre’s treasures just as close by, boutique hotel Nolinski Paris is itself like a sleek, eclectic gallery. Its Art Deco-inspired elegance extends from the perfumed marble reception to the moody artworks and objets d’art that decorate each room.

Where is Nolinski Paris?

The hotel is on Avenue de l’Opéra in Paris’ first arrondissement. It’s 50 minutes by taxi from Charles de Gaulle airport or 40 minutes from Orly . The Eurostar terminal at Gare du Nord is easily accessible by taxi or metro (Pyramides metro station is right outside).

What’s near Nolinski Paris?

The city’s iconic landmarks and shopping are within a 15-minute walk: Palais Garnier, Musée du Louvre, the Palais Royal gardens, Jardin des Tuileries, Place Vendôme, the Comédie Française theatre, designer-lined Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and Printemps, Galeries Lafayette and La Samaritaine department stores. Explore on foot – all the better to appreciate the avenue’s Haussmann façades and earn a pastry from a master pâtissier; Cédric Grolet and Pierre Hermé have boutiques nearby. Saint-Lazare train station is five minutes away by taxi.

Room types

With 45 rooms (including 14 suites), this five-star hotel has the ambience of the pied-á-terre of a fabulous collector. Designer Jean-Louis Deniot has daubed a palette of grey and subtle metallics – platinum, pewter, bronze – with pops of vivid colour and used mirrors, sculptures and ceramics to give each room its own curated character. With its high ceilings, a Superior Suite is a romantic cocoon for couples. (The bed – with cotton-sateen Garnier-Thiebaut signature linen and Kauffmann down pillows – is as soft as the clouds that decorate the curvaceous grand staircase.) The opulent Joséphine Suite offers balcony views and bespoke furnishings.

Restaurants and bars

Le Restaurant is luminous and honey-hued with banquette seating in classic Parisian style – think jazz age with a touch of Studio 54. Start the day with buttery housemade viennoiserie and the frilliest fried eggs you’ll ever see. For lunch and dinner, executive chef Philip Chronopoulos (who also oversees the group’s two-Michelin-star Palais Royal Restaurant, just eight minutes’ walk away) takes inspiration from the Mediterranean, showcasing seafood, seasonal produce and French technique. Behind discreet curtains, beyond the baby grand, the bar in the Grand Salon serves cocktails by the Evok group’s creative director Jérémy Bacquet in a low-lit sanctuary lined with lamps and design books.

Sustainability

After a 2019 carbon footprint audit, the Evok group has focused efforts on limiting waste and energy use. Measures include reducing use of paper and non-essential packaging and working with non-profit Les Hôtels Solidaires, which collects partially used soaps, bathroom products and leftover pastries for redistribution. Guided by the principles of the UN Global Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals, the group’s sustainability development program also covers inclusive recruitment, training programs and support for local artists, writers and musicians.

Travel for work

Laptops and printers are available on request and reception can organise printing and photocopying. Each room has a small desk and free, fast wi-fi is available throughout the hotel.

Spa and pool

The Nolinski by La Colline Spa is an immersive, candlelit experience with a 16-metre pool, sauna, hammam and three treatment rooms, where Swiss skincare comes into its own. Unwind totally with a Signature Urban Detox Ritual of massage, body brushing, tea wrap and acupressure. Or re-energise with a personal training session.

What you need to know

Take a guided tour of Palais Garnier, the Neo-Baroque opera house, replete with a hall of mirrors and a Chagall ceiling, that inspired The Phantom of the Opera.  

SEE ALSO: A Local's Guide to Paris