As we enter a new year of uncertain economic times, it’s good news that luxury, style and originality don’t necessarily have to be compromised by an unwelcomed tightening of your purse strings. If seriously cool boutique hotels are your thing but the disappearing high street and steady decline of the pound against the euro have got you worried, then the team behind Club Med, alongside general authority on all things design, Philippe Starck, have brought us an oasis of affordable designer goodness in the heart of Paris. The Mama Shelter hotel, situated in the Saint Blaise quartier in the centre of Paris offers 172 deliciously designed rooms all with iMacs, TV, Internet, CD/DVD players, Skype and free wireless Internet access at shockingly affordable prices.
The concept of Mama Shelter is not just about providing a obscenely well designed boutique hotel at cost effective prices, but creating a place to be. The hotel is littered with communal spaces which include photo booth display screens in tables and columns which allow guests and visitors to meet and interact, an 8 person foosball table, DJs and live acts, an enormous bar with an outdoor terrace and a restaurant with simple family style dishes. As hotel guests become tired of the same formal experience, Mama Shelter could well provide a blueprint for a modern, vibrant breed of hotel that could change our lives.
Words By;
James Davidson; Editor in Chief