Marilyn Monroe was glamorous and her image lives on in Paris at the Platine Hotel, a four star boutique hotel find on Hotel Tonight under the “hip” category.  I booked a week in advance ($215 a night was awesome deal saving over $100 a night) which is a nice feature of the app since the original inception of “tonight only”.  A hotel based on the iconic movie star is a pretty cool concept but it’s so interesting that this concept of “old Hollywood glamour” is such a throwback it’s fun. Located in Paris just ups the glam factor.

 

Location

The hotel is in a new part of Paris for me, located in the 15^th arr about a block from the Seine and about a 10-15 minute walk to the Eiffel Tower. The hotel is located behind the Beaugrenelle mall which has a fantastic selection of shops, food (patisserie, chocolates and restaurants) and entertainment (a Pathe movie theatre).  Rather than fight the crowds in the center of Paris (i.e. H&M, Zara, etc.) you can easily shop at the mall and enjoy the experience.

There’s no reason to leave the area as I had pretty much everything I wanted in short walking distance, but this is Paris and despite my injured foot I did hobble out and about. The metro, line 10 Charles Michel, is a block away from the hotel.  The RER C is also nearby. This was my first time in the area and really liked it.

 

Pre-Arrival

I sent an email to the staff inquiring about airport shuttle option since I couldn’t walk with the fractured foot and luggage.  In the past I was left behind at the airport by one company so I wanted to have the comfort of knowing that a driver with my name on the board was waiting for me. I received an email with options quickly and despite being expensive as expected, I had them book it for me.

Check In/Lobby

Arriving at the hotel, I was greeted immediately by both staff at the front desk as well as a wall of Marilyn Monroe flanked by movie lights.  It was the friendliest check in as they inquired about my visit, where I had just been and telling me about the hotel and the neighborhood highlights.

 

With my key in hand I walked to the small elevator next to the breakfast room.  The elevator was playing a loop of classic Marilyn Monroe movies dubbed in French.  The black and white films in the red-lit elevators was an instant reminder of the movie star and the age of glamour and classic Hollywood.

The lobby had checked rugs, black and yellow leather furniture with silver accents throughout.  A small honesty bar which turns into the lobby bar later in the day.

My Classic Room – Room 407

The hotel has just 46 rooms and I had booked the smallest room of 14m (approx. 150 sq. ft.) which I was reminded of when I opened the door and it hit the bed.  Having survived Room 409 in NYC and a plethora of cruise ship cabins, I was ready for the Paris room.   The instant cool factor made me overlook the size as I was only sleeping here. With a wire chair in the corner, the color scheme was gold, black and Marilyn.

The Queen bed was center with a closet on the right and another storage space on the left. The left included the minibar and safe.  Above the bed were the room light buttons and reading lights, all within an arms reach while in bed.  Walking around the bed was snug for one person as there is a side table with a mounted flat screen television above.

The bed was very soft which is good if you like to feel enveloped in comfort.  The room had a window with a backyard view of the concrete walls, but hey it was a window for natural light.

The Funky Bathroom

The bathroom is compact with a good-sized shower with funky blue lights.  Not really sure why the lights in the shower were sparkling and blue but who am I to argue, I turned them on and enjoyed the rain shower.  **Note that the door is clear glass so you can always see in, alone I was fine but if traveling with another person, this might be a problem**

The bathroom slippers are adorable with a famous Marilyn saying of “poupou pidou” with a checkered pattern and a bit of pink.  The toiletries are hotel branded.

Breakfast Room

Without an agenda, I slept in each day and missed breakfast (small buffet for €15).  I chose to go across the street to the mall and get a croissant and OJ from the patisserie for under €5  (McDonald’s and Starbucks are nearby as well). The breakfast room has a black and white tile floor, cotton candy colors and movie set chairs which definitely set the scene.

Lobby Bar, Gym and Hotel Spa

The lobby converts into a bar for a few hours.  The basement has a gym, Turkish stream bath and sauna for guest use as well as treatment rooms (massage €90).

The Paris Taxi Strike

The hotel put up a notice in the elevator about the Paris one day taxi strike that was announced.  Thankfully, I didn’t need a cab on the day of the strike.  Unfortunately, I needed on the day after and no one was answering the cab lines so I used Uber for the first time at a 1.9 surge price. The hotel said that guests had luck with Uber which was ironic since the taxis were striking against Uber Pop and Uber was earning more business.

Overall Impression

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend and The Platine hotel is definitely a diamond in Paris, albeit a small diamond but stunning nonetheless. I’d definitely stay here again in the future.

My Hotel Tonight rate was $215 (USD) per night for June booked one week ahead saving me over $100 and I used a promo code for another discount! The rates for this classic room vary from €129 – €315.  A great deal on a diamond of a boutique hotel.  

If you haven’t tried Hotel Tonight yet use my code SWOLKO1 for a $25 credit on your first booking.