History, art and design: Cheval Blanc’s first urban hotel is a romantic ode to French savoir faire

For the first time in my life, I got lost in a hotel room.

The 1,130-sq-ft Seine Suite in Cheval Blanc Paris was so capacious that I initially thought I had walked into a club lounge. I flitted in confusion between the living room, bedroom, walk-in wardrobe and bathroom several times before I finally found the shortest route from the front door to the bed. More importantly, I figured out how to get to the water closet without landing in the bathtub or walking into a mirror in the middle of the night.

One of the maisons under French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH Group, Cheval Blanc is known for its design-led beachfront and mountainside resorts. The rooms exude quiet palatial splendor, and every creature comfort is soft and plush, designed like a museum artefact (like my bedside lamp with a textured concrete stand) or labelled (like the Dior beauty products included my suite). Rain showers? Too basic. Every room in Cheval Blanc Paris has a hammam-shower that steams up the entire cubicle.

The 72-key property, including 46 suites, is the first urban hotel in the collection and occupies the Seine side of the historic La Samaritaine department store, which LVMH renovated for 15 years to the tune of €750 million (S$1.09 billion). Opening it in September 2021 felt like a brave move amid the lack of international travel. But then again, it may have been a strategy of LVMH’s chairman and chief executive officer Bernard Arnault to boost national pride.

From the paintings and sculptures to the staff uniforms, every piece of art and fashion detail is French designed. Local architect Edouard Francois took charge of the exteriors while American architect Peter Marino, who has conceptualised multiple LVMH boutiques like those of Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Tiffany, reimagined the interiors in the style of a Parisian residence.

From the start the hotel was positioned as the place for the fashionable and well-heeled to find urban respite, from high teas on the terrace with panoramic city views or pampering treatments at the Dior Spa. 

I had a glimpse of the latter, an underground retreat decked in cream and pastel-coloured textures, where a deep tissue massage knocked me out like a light. I woke up feeling sprightlier with tight knots magically kneaded out of my back and shoulders. Exuding the spirit of Paris is a serious matter here: Swimming in the mosaic-tiled 30-metre indoor swimming pool comes with a digital wall projecting scenes of the Seine River.

Two years later, with the doors of international travel flung open, Cheval Blanc Paris still had a decidedly French air. It is to the Parisians what the Raffles Singapore is to Singaporeans: Fascinated tourists will flock to it but it remains the pantheon for staycations, weddings and celebrations for locals.

I particularly enjoyed the buzz at the hotel’s seventh floor brasserie and cocktail bar Le Tout-Paris when I visited last spring. The contemporary brasserie and cocktail bar had playful pops of chilli red and mustard yellow, elevated nook seating and an outdoor terrace with sweeping views over the Seine and Paris’ Left Bank. The menu made me a happy bean. Breakfast bliss was eggs Benedict and brioche, pain au chocolat and croissants that were so light and flaky I could cry. Lunch and dinner options include on-point roasted pigeon, steak and again, the flakiest mille-feuille drizzled with vanilla cream. The hotel also has three other dining venues: The three-Michelin-starred Plenitude, Italian fine-diner Langosteria and private dining room La Table de Partage. From now till end March, the pop-up rooftop bar Celeste, encased in a bubble, is a romantic spot for a night cap.

You’d be hard pressed to find a more well-located hotel. Pont Neuf and the Seine River is at the doorstep, museums and art centres like the Louvre and Pompidou Centre are within walking distance and the trendy cobblestoned streets of Marais is a hop away. Immediately next door is the Samaritaine department store, where even if you don’t want to shop, the restored Art Nouveau and Deco details and light-filled glass atrium are worth a look.

At the end of a day absorbing the energy of the city, my favourite part is sitting at the enclosed “winter garden” of my suite with a cup of tea. The glow of the sunset, the muffled street sounds, the light from Pont Neuf’s streetlamps at night wove a tapestry of the city’s heartbeat. A soothing stillness settled in; a warm fuzzy feeling that never grows old.

Visit the Cheval Blanc website for more information.