Hôtel Chavanel
22 Rue Tronchet, Paris, 75008, FranceWhy We Like It
Though in many ways a convenience hotel, an unusual attention to detail, comfort and chic, plus a great location, add up to a notable boutique experience.
Fodor's Expert Review
Its center-of-it-all setting on one of Paris's busiest sidewalks, between la Madeleine and the big Haussmannian department stores, belies the calm behind its doors. Intimate, functional and feminine, the serene rooms display an unusual attention to detail in everything from wall coverings to lighting, in keeping with this historic haute-couture neighborhood.
You Should Know Facing the convenient but bustling rue Tronchet, there is some muffled sounds in street-facing rooms until around 8 p.m., though the hotel's excellent sound-proofing reduces it to white noise.
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Room
Lace (from the historic house of Sophie Hallette) is a running theme in the hotel's 25 cozy but well-proportioned rooms: in curtains, traced on a headboard, even reproduced on carpets. Other fine materials, from cashmere-blend throws to cotton-velvet wall coverings (in suites) and lamps made from silkworm pods, create an overall feeling of quality and harmony. The two spacious top-floor suites (#61, 65) offer a comfy lounge and plenty of Parisian character, and, at a price well below a 5-star hotel room, are a good bet if you're looking for style and space within the privacy of a small hotel. All but the standard category have in-room Nespresso machines.
Tip You couldn't be closer to the grands magasins—Printemps and Galeries Lafayette—Paris's big, historic department stores.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are small but easy to move around in and sparkling clean, with bath-rain shower combos and plenty of room for toiletries. Suites have separate massage baths and showers.
Lobby
The small lobby-reception area has a comfortable waiting area, but for lounging rooms are better. There is also a seasonal pop-up shop featuring interesting French collaborations that riff on the hotels haute-couture themes.
You Should Know There really is no comfortable lounge areas in this small convenience hotel, but suites offer their own comfy sitting spaces.
Dining
A continental buffet breakfast is served in the charming subterranean breakfast room, with curved ceilings and plenty of light.
Drinking
There is no bar.
Tip Few tourists realize that nearby Gare Saint-Lazare is also major shopping center, with all the quality French chains (Petit Bâteau, Aigle, etc.) as well as the wonderful Lazare brasserie, run by 3-star chef Eric Frechon. What's more, if you're headed to Giverny, this is your station.
What's Nearby
Getting Around
Between Place de la Madeleine, Concord, and Saint-Lazare metro stations you’ve got all Paris's major metro lines covered. But this is a quintessential walking neighborhood. The hotel is minutes from Paris's most bustling shopping areas, the rue and Faubourg Saint-Honoré and the grands magasins (Galeries Lafayette and Printemps), not to mention H&M and scores of other chains. Two minutes from the gourmet shops of Place de la Madeleine, this is also an excellent neighborhood for food. Close to the Tuilerie gardens, Place de la Concord, and the Champs-Élysées, this is also a great neighborhood for walkers, museum buffs and shopaholics alike. You’ll also find a wide array of restaurants, bistros, cafés, patisseries and wine bars within walking distance.
Restaurants
Caviar Kaspia, on nearby Place de la Madeleine, has been drawing politicians and stars since 1927. Le Rubis wine bar, another Paris institution, serves up French classics on a budget.