Hotel Sezz

Press Reviews

Conde Nast Traveler (US), April 2009
"Diehard design buffs should risk the ultramodern Sezz, with fabulous bathrooms and interior walls clad in dark-gray stone."

Travel + Leisure
"Decorated by Philippe Starck–trained Christophe Pillet, the new, 27-chambre Hotel Sezz is phonetically named after the 16th Arrondissement it calls home. The lobby, lit with Murano-glass fixtures, doesn’t have a front desk—that’s been replaced by an itinerant team of personal assistants, one of whom remains at each guest’s beck and call—but it does have La Grande Dame, its Veuve Clicquot champagne bar. Rooms are accented with bright, acid colors that pop against textured stone walls and stainless steel furniture, like the lits de camp, or camp-style beds, fitted with painted wooden drawers."

The Globe and Mail, December 2007
"Located in the 16th arrondissement of Passy, The Sezz was once a Best Western. But after a 15-month renovation, the only remnants of its past are artistic photographs of the old interior. The new look is meant to evoke a sleek informality. This is achieved through cooling shades of grey - the rooms and corridors are awash in charcoals, heathers and about 1,600 square metres of pearly Cascais stone from Portugal - spiked through with details such as red leather couches and pink acrylic side tables in the lobby. The hotel also plays up its Passy inheritance: The front door has polished brass handles, the central stairway is a spiral of black iron and the rooms facing the street have French doors that open to intricate balconies where you can catch a glimpse of the Seine.

The 13 rooms and 14 suites have amenities such as wireless web and voice mail. And the decor includes pinstriped flannel curtains and beds made up with demure white linens. The accents also include sensuous Murano glass lamps and chocolate leather headboards. The rooms call to mind afternoon tryst more than midday meeting. This is partly because hotelier Shahe Kalaidjian has placed the beds in the centre of each room. The real erotic centrepiece, though, is the peek-a-boo bathroom: A glass wall separates the bed from the deluxe shower.

Why guests would pay $36 for a continental breakfast when they can walk a few blocks for fresh pain au chocolat is unclear, but there is a small bar for those who want their yogurt, cheese, fruit and cereal in-house. The hotel has also joined forces with Veuve Clicquot, so room service includes all manner of bubbly and champers cocktails. Or impress your companion with a $320 bottle of La Grande Dame and $175 Ossetra royal caviar.

In the basement is a spa with a bubble-gum-pink change room, sexy glass showers and a rather uncomfortable-looking rectangular Jacuzzi. Guests can also arrange massages or a hammam on demand."

Conde Nast Traveler USA Hot List Hotels 2006
"Designer Christophe Pillet has taken a former Best Western in the sleepy sixteenth arrondissement and turned it into a style-monger's address. Walls in all 27 rooms are faced in gorgeous rough-cut, fossil-studded slate and have ebonized parquet floors—the perfect backdrop for the chrome-plated bed. Unlike other high-design hotels, the Sezz is quite welcoming: Staff are anxious to be helpful, and you're offered a complimentary drink as soon as you arrive. There's a sauna and a steam room in the basement relaxation area, and the convivial bar/reception area is actually used by guests. The overpriced breakfast, though good, is annoying in a location where there's no nearby alternative."

Hinge Magazine, 2006
"Spanking new and oozing with attitude, Hotel Sezz is a hip addition to the Paris boutique hotel scene. Occupying a circa 1913 grey limestone building, it offers 27 rooms ranging from 200 - 400 sq ft. The concept comes courtesy of owner Shahe Kalaidjian and architect Christophe Pillet. Pillet used a simple and understate palette of materials to envelope guests in a contemporary sense of luxury. One of the most striking things about the hotel is that there's no concierge or reception desk. Instead, one of the aforementioned personal assistants greets guests when they arrive, and makes them feel welcome in a friendly, decidedly atypical Parisian manner. Two salons finished in muted shades of red and brown are situated on either side of the entrance lobby, and complement the khaki-grey Portuguese stone dominating the walls throughout the hotel.

Each guestroom is anchored by a floating bed located right in the centre in the space. Plush area rugs, minimal detailing and clean lines give the rooms style and elegance; bathrooms are equally simple with deep tubs, wide basins and discreet lighting. Pillet ensured rich, warm materials took away the coolness associated with contemporary design, without removing any of the oomph factor. Balancing out the hotel is the Grande Dame bar, developed in partnership with Veuve Clicquot champagne and featuring a couple of dramatic seating nooks. In addition there is a hammam, jacuzzi and massage room in the basement to soothe away tired muscles after a full day out about the shops and cafes of Paris."

Guest Reviews

Reviews are only from people who have stayed there and booked through i-escape.

• “The room was very nice and cool. However, the glass wall separating the bathroom / toilet from the bedroom was rather difficult to get used to.”
  Mark, Switzerland (08.04.12)