Hotel Insider: Paris's Hotel de Berri sculpts out a stylish haven for art lovers

Much warmer compared to the wintry Parisian temperatures outside. Arriving very jet-lagged after a traffic-congested two-hour journey from the airport which should, on a standard day, take about 30 minutes, I’m whisked through check-in at Hotel de Berri, a Luxury Collection Hotel. I’m a few hours prior to the requisite time of 3pm, but I’m assured an area could be made ready earlier, and guided to the adjoining bar-cum-cafe to get a coffee while I wait.

The hotel is in a heritage building, one side after the abode of Princess Mathilde Bonaparte and the other formerly occupied by Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli. In the 1970s, the initial mansions were demolished and replaced by offices. The bland, utilitarian glass frontage, designed by Maurice Novarina, is protected from alteration but inside, the owners have been able to let their artistic inclinations loose. Expect a neoclassical haven liberally scattered with sculptures and artworks, many pieces replicated from works in the Louvre.

Hotel de Berri is a stone’s throw from the Champs-Elysees, using its myriad restaurants, bars and boutiques. Emerging from Rue de Berri to the famed shopping district, the Louis Vuitton flagship is because, as is Fouquet’s, a brasserie first opened in 1899 which has counted Liza Minnelli, Edith Piaf and Catherine Deneuve among its patrons. To the right may be the towering Arc de Triomphe and in regards to a 30-minute walk left will be the Louvre and the Jardin des Tuileries.

Fusing modern comfort with a nostalgic lavishness, rooms are perfect sanctuaries where to rest tired feet after a day spent pounding Paris’s rues and avenues. Each one of the 75 rooms is unique for some reason, whether furnished with different fabrics, adorned with distinctive paintings or replete with contrasting objets d’art.

My king deluxe room has a cooling grey, cream and teal colourway, accented with wooden herringbone floors, a leopard-print chair and blue striped wallpaper. It sounds headache-inducingly busy, however the effect is calmingly well curated. All of the mod cons one would expect are present, however the room never feels clinically contemporary, because of the abstract art, the velvet headboard, chandelier bed lamps and uplighters housed in Botticelli-style shells.

With the added details - the TV is designed to appear to be a mirror when switched off, while showers include inbuilt aromatherapy pods, a Nespresso-style addition which allows you to infuse your water with scents - the area is suitable for comfort without compromising on style.

Enthusiastic without being suffocating. Other than a walk-through of your room after arrival, staff will greet you with a cheery bonjour however, not encroach on your own time. The concierge is effective and ready to help with directions, bookings or answering the tiniest of queries. All of the receptionists seem extremely proficient in the hotel’s history, artwork and local hot spots.

In my long-weekend stay, the hotel is favored by couples anywhere from their twenties to their seventies, while Bizazz Bar comes alive from 6pm with suited businessmen, elegantly dressed groups and flamboyantly outfitted creatives. Despite the humming atmosphere, the hotel never veers anywhere towards rowdy, instead vibrating with a voguish elegance.

Le Bizazz Bar is where you’ll find breakfast, although I chose to take a basket of flaky pastries, fresh grapefruit juice, tangy lime yoghurt and piping-hot coffee in my own room, on occasion. The breakfast buffet is much the same, with eggs, pancakes, breads and more put into the table. The watery eggs neglect to impress my fellow diners, however the buttery pains au chocolat and chaussons aux pommes are hard to fault.

For lunch and dinner, venture nearby to Le Schiap, the name a nod to former inhabitant Schiaparelli. Echoing the eclectic decor of the hotel, the restaurant’s walls are cloaked in a mural by illustrator Hippolyte Romain, a work that took three weeks to complete and pays tribute to designers and celebrities from the 1930s until today. Spot Coco Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier and, rather conspicuously, Woody Allen among the stars. Here, the compact menu can be an unpretentious selection of Italian-inspired plates executed with flair: think crispy Atlantic octopus, chickpea and spiced capsicum; Northern sea codfish, bouillabaisse jus, potato and fennel; and gateau Saint Honore.