CitizenM expands Paris presence
Dutch hotel group citizenM has opened a hotel in the heart of Paris’s business district, La Défense, ahead of the August launch of its flagship central Gare du Lyon property.
With 175 guestrooms and three societyM meeting spaces, citizenM La Défense sits squarely within the area’s redevelopment plan, which will see an introduction of sprawling terraces and gardens, new avenues and towers, organic restaurants and fashionable bars to the area.
At the ground level entrance guests are greeted by coffeeM, citizenM’s own coffee bar concept – first introduced at the Tower of London flagship – adorned with a ceiling fresco featuring a repeat-pattern of Andy Warhol photo-booth selfies. societyM meeting rooms are located adjacent, and provide creative environments for meetings and workshops whilst the breakout space features a Parisian kiosk.
From here, two escalators take guests up to the check in and living room areas. Alongside each escalator is citizenM’s signature shelving, featuring a range of colourful and quirky objects from Eames birds to artworks, books and curiosities. Clad from ground to first floor with a bespoke mural by Paris and New York based artist collective AVAF, the escalators mark a new design element for the brand.
Elsewhere, the living room, providing a space to work, eat and socialise, is on the first floor and enclosed by a glass façade and a large terrace. The space also features collectionM, citizenM’s retail component, with a ceiling adorned by another piece of bespoke fresco by local artist Romain Froquet. Nearby, canteenM offers a place to drink, eat and meet, and boasts walls clad in copper as a nod to French cuisine and its reliance on traditional copper pans.
Following the opening of the La Défense property, the august launch of citizenM Gare de Lyon will mark the largest of the brand’s three strong portfolio in Paris, offering the distinctive citizenM style over fifteen floors and 338 guestrooms. Located next to Gare de Lyon station, one of the city’s main transport hubs, the hotel will be a short walk to the River Seine and the historical district of Le Marais.
As with all its properties, citizenM has worked with design and architecture practice Concrete to create these hotels. Designed to feel like a home, the living room lobbies are filled with designer furniture from Vitra. The hotels also provide free Wi-Fi, a 24-hour canteen and self-check in terminals. Guestrooms, meanwhile, are equipped with a selection of smart technology including a custom MoodPad that controls everything in the room, a TV with unlimited free movies, an XL King Size bed with soft Italian linen, and a powerful rain shower.
