TOO Hotel review: ‘Paris’s beauty appreciated from a veritable bird’s-eye view’
The Philippe Starck-designed hotel was envisioned to sit somewhere between reality and dreams
After numerous visits to Paris, I thought I’d seen it all. So, when I was invited to experience the French capital like never before, I was sceptical: what could possibly be new? The answer lies in the 13th arrondissement, just south of the river from the popular gay bars of La Marais, where the Tours Duo pierces the sky.
An award-winning masterpiece of modern architecture, the towers were designed by architect Jean Nouvel to resemble two dancers looking at each other, frozen in movement, capturing the romance the city is world-famous for.
A change in local planning laws means that the Tours Duo will be one of the last great skyscrapers to be built in the city, making the TOO Hotel, which occupies the upper floors of the smaller of the two buildings, something of a one-off.
If it initially seems unnatural to be in Paris and anywhere but within walking distance of Notre Dame, then think again. The modish TOO Hotel allows visitors — and residents — to take in the city from 127 metres above its winding streets and promenades. Enabling Paris’s beauty to be appreciated from a veritable bird’s-eye view, it offers a new perspective on this classic metropolis.
The TOO Hotel, opened in October 2022 by independent entrepreneur Laurent Taïeb, features interiors designed by polymath Philippe Starck, who envisioned the hotel as inhabiting a place so high in the sky that it sits somewhere between reality and dreams — the perfect concept for a hotel that floats above the city of light.
Its 139 rooms, the smallest of which is a generous 24 square metres, each providing a unique view across the city. No matter which direction you face, this is truly Paris revisited.
Starting from €230 (approx. £200) a room, TOO Hotel delivers four-star excellence in design and ambiance at a genuinely affordable price. Our vast suite is unfussy yet cosily contemporary in décor and the view from the huge bathtub is spectacular.
I dine in the magnificent Too Restaurant, which blends Asian flavours with European classics while, of course, retaining a French twist to its menu, created by chef Benjamin Six.
Afterward, I ascend one floor to enjoy a negroni or three in the TOO TacTac Skybar with its 150-metre panoramic terrace. As night descends, I watch as the famous light of the Eiffel Tower, eight kilometres away, circles its peak and illuminates the sky, strangely almost at eye level with the hotel terrace.
By day, the delights of central Paris are easily accessible from the hotel via the Metro, but I thoroughly recommend renting a Vélib’ Métropole bike and cycling along the Seine and past Notre- Dame, which takes just 20 minutes. Paris at the TOO Hotel is like an old lover — worth re-discovering.