WHEN hotel aficionados speak about Hotel Costes in Paris, the fact that is
normally trotted out goes something like: “Oh, that’s where all the models
stay.” This may well be the case, but based on my most recent visit I
believe it should be: “Oh, that’s where all the models work.”
Certainly there’s no denying there are plenty of beautiful people scattered
around the restaurant and bars. But having spent a career watching hotel
staff, I can honestly declare that the Costes staff are the most beautiful
and elegant. Now there are other hotel contenders for this accolade; there
is the cool manicured look of the front-office staff at The Four Seasons in
London, or the rather obvious charms of the swimming pool bar babes at the
Mondrian in Los Angeles, but overall my award goes to the boys, and
especially the girls, at Hotel Costes. This attribute does not of course
always translate to best service, but it’s certainly a good start.
Rue du Faubourg St-Honoré is the Bond Street of Paris, and Hotel Costes is
discreetly “baguetted” between the big- name fashion stores that you would
expect to find there. Christian Lacroix and Guerlain are opposite the hotel,
while Chanel, Cartier and Jaeger Le-Coultre are two minutes’ walk away in
place Vendôme. Apart from fashion and jewellery, this street is also home to
some of Paris’s most famous chocolatiers — with Godiva and La Maison du
Chocolat within yards of the hotel. There is ample opportunity to seriously
damage your wealth and waistline by spending a weekend in this quarter of
Paris.
Fresh from a speedy and comfortable Eurostar journey from Waterloo, my wife
Judy and I were greeted at Costes by not one but two model doormen. We were
impressed by their eagerness to carry our bags, until between them they
forgot to send them to our room. A small mistake and one of the few that
occurred during our stay.
Entering Hotel Costes is an assault on the senses: the subdued lighting, the
cool lounge music and the exotic musk scent that wafts around the public
spaces all hit you at once. Slowly, as your eyes adjust, you notice the
opulent decor, garnet-red velvets and silks highlighted by pools of subtle
light. The lighting, such as it is, emanates from beautifully detailed brass
and silk wall sconces and magnificent crystal chandeliers. You realise that
the sensuous style of the designer Jacques Garcia is something special.
In these times of hotels taking the airport-lounge look to extremes, it is
reassuring to see the fashion crowd (who presumably know about such things)
hanging out somewhere where the decor is traditional, lush and somewhat over
the top. Costes is a fine example of high-brothel chic and is the perfect
antidote to the uncomfortable, unwelcoming minimalism that all too many
hotel groups have forced on us over the past decade.
After a simple check-in, we are escorted past a catwalk of waitresses to our
small but perfectly formed room. It overlooks one of the best hotel
courtyards in Paris; terracotta walls, ironwork balconies, lots of greenery
and classical statues. The room is very dark and very traditional, with
high-quality fixtures and fittings set against a backdrop of faded chintz
fabric wall coverings. Unlike the public areas of the hotel, the look in the
bedrooms is eccentric Portobello aunt, but again the detailing is well
thought out: hand-made, real brass toggle switches for lighting, ornate door
hinges and intricate coving.
The hotel gets the bedroom and bathroom basics right, too. Lots of fluffy
towels, great water pressure, nice Costes bathroom smellies, down-filled
pillows, Egyptian cotton duvets and a good bed. The room is quiet and a
sensible temperature. The room doesn’t feel overdesigned; it reminds me of
the rooms at La Colombe d’Or in St-Paul-de-Vence near Nice, another
contender for a favourite hotel. I suppose the general theme emerging from
my hotel preferences is hotels with character and idiosyncrasies, not so
perfect that the soul has been designed out of them.
The other critical ingredient in a great hotel is good eating and drinking.
This may seem obvious, but how many hotels do it well? At Costes it is done
very well indeed. Again it is thoughtful design that creates the setting for
one of the most fascinating places to have dinner in Paris. The dark velvet
and silk-dressed ground-floor salons are all connected to each other via the
courtyard and an internal open colonnade. There is little demarcation
between areas, the reception area flows into the bar and into the dining
areas.
By 9pm when we come down for dinner, we see the fashion crowd eating and
drinking everywhere: in the colonnade, in quieter side salons; anywhere that
a chair and table can be placed. Every seat gets a different view of the
catwalk, which is now shared by waitresses and guests; this is a
people-watching paradise. The relaxed approach to where everyone sits,
whether they are sipping cocktails or having dinner, is the key to the great
atmosphere. The chairs are a clever choice too, considerably lower and more
comfortable than a true dining chair, but equally useable for eating or
relaxing.
The brilliant music mixing is overseen by the legendary Stéphane Pompougnac.
It gets a little louder and livelier as the evening progresses but never
obtrusively so. All this activity can be achieved only by military precision
behind the scenes. When somewhere is as relaxed as Costes appears to be to
the customer yet as efficient in what it delivers, this suggests
hotel-keeping at its best.
After finding a corner for a couple of pre-dinner glasses of Billecart-Salmon
rosé champagne with friends, we were shown to our table next to the catwalk.
The simply presented menu skips through French classics, a few
Thai-influenced dishes and some international comfort food. There are of
course many great, perhaps better, restaurants in Paris for food alone, but
the unchallenging ease of this menu and its execution are right for this
relaxed environment. Judy’s crab and avocado starter and her main course of
roasted Thai crevettes were both given the thumbs up, my frothy mushroom
soup was a triumph and line-caught sea bass to follow was beautifully fresh.
My red wine preference was satisfied by a bottle of Clos de l’Oratoire,
St-Emilion 1995. Efficient service was delivered by a waif-model waitress
wearing a glittery PVC belt; whatever happened to hotel uniforms of
polyester suits and engraved plastic name badges? After dinner we moved to
the even darker room of the main bar, sank into deep black velvet sofas to
soak up the atmosphere and listen to the music.
Room 212 provided a good night’s sleep. We opted for a room-service breakfast:
really good coffee, fresh orange juice and pastries; no frills, just well
executed.
We couldn’t leave Costes without a visit to the underground swimming pool that
has been made into a haven of peace. Relaxation beds around the pool are
shrouded with white cotton muslin drapes; this is a difficult space to
design and decorate and yet once again great colours, detail and lighting
combine to create something special.
All of this splendour comes at a cost; our room was €500 (£342) a night for a
small room, and the bill for an overnight stay for two with dinner and
drinks was about £685.
We loved our weekend at Hotel Costes; it is a great hotel that has a unique
atmosphere created through great design and detail. We have visited the
hotel on several occasions and have never been disappointed. It remains one
of our favourite hotels in the world.
Robin Hutson was co-founder and chairman of the Hotel du Vin group. He is
part-time executive chairman of Soho House and a non-executive director of
Hostellerie de Crillon le Brave in Provence.
Need to know
Robin Hutson travelled with Eurostar (0870 5186186, www.eurostar.com), which
has return fares from Waterloo to Paris from £59. Hotel Costes (00 33 1 42
44 50 00, www.hotelcostes.com) at 239 rue St-Honoré has double rooms from about
£342, breakfast £20.50.
Paris Ile-de-France tourist board (www.pidf.com)
