Hotel-Residence Chalgrin

NOTE: The Hotel-Residence Chalgrin is currently closed.

The Hotel-Residence Chalgrin is a romantic and vividly eccentric dream of a hotel, offering reasonably priced rooms in a 19th-century mansion just west of the Arc de Triomphe.

The swanky Hotel-Residence Chalgrin stands out from most of the other hotels in our guide for several reasons, chief among them the fact that it’s housed in a former mansion, constructed in the 19th century for the famed writer Anatole France. In 1915, the mansion was reworked into a hotel, although many of the original rooms and details remained.

Today the Chalgrin’s décor pays homage to the building’s past, boldly mixing fabrics and furnishings. The rooms offer a range of colors, with small table lights casting shadows down onto blue carpets. Furniture varies from Louis XVI-style reproductions to antique dressers and armoires.

Given all the 19th-century styling, the flat-screen TV and telephone (in all rooms) and free Wi-Fi (throughout the hotel) are a bit incongruous, if convenient. All rooms are equipped with a private bath, all with shower, tiled and mostly modern. (One room, #24, a playful-in-pink “lovers’ lair,” is located a few steps down from the reception and has a dated, 70’s-era green pea bath. Check out our photo.)

With all these trimmings, why are the Hotel-Residence Chalgrin’s rates so reasonable (staying about €100 year-round)? The hotel has five floors of rooms and no elevator. And, although the very friendly staff will probably lend a hand with luggage, some travelers will find the mansion’s old winding staircase less-than-charming.

If, however, you don’t mind the climb, we’d recommend the rooms with small balconies on the fourth floor (make a note of it when reserving). All but four of the hotel's 19 rooms overlook the street.

The Chalgrin is located on the small and crooked rue Chalgrin, which is tucked into the city’s diplomatic quarter two blocks west of the Arc de Triomphe and Avenue de Champs-Elysées. This is not Cheapo-territory—in fact, it’s posh and chic.

A breakfast buffet is offered for €9 (including cheeses and meats). The entire hotel, including all rooms, are non-smoking.