Pullman Paris Montparnasse Re-Opens After 4-Year Renovation
Main Photo: The view of Paris from the 32nd floor skybar! Photo credit: Arnaud Laplanche
Date: April 2022
Name: Pullman Paris Montparnasse
Location: Montparnasse, Paris, France
Number of Keys: 957
Owner: The hotel started life as part of the Nova-Park chain, which went bankrupt in the late 1990s, and the hotel became Le Meridien Montparnasse on 1 July 1986. In 2010, the owners, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, switched management to Accor Hotels and the hotel became the Pullman Paris Montparnasse Hotel on 11 January 2011.
Manager: Accor under their Pullman brand
Pullman Hotels & Resorts has introduced the fresh new style of Pullman Paris Montparnasse, a 115-metre, avant-garde skyscraper designed by Pierre Dufau in 1972, and a landmark of modern architecture in the heart of Paris. The flagship property sits within a new complex and is part of a larger project that will revitalize the Montparnasse station (which handles more than 60 million commuters a year, transform the Montparnasse Tower (by 2024) and reconnect to the Gaîté quarter and it’s theatres.
Design duo Benjamin Clarens and Yann Martin, founders of CUT Architectures, were commissioned to reimagine Pullman Paris Montparnasse as a modern, innovation-oriented place: they have dreamed up an open-plan environment that is decidedly different from the straight, linear architecture of the Montparnasse neighborhood. Their design vision has created concentric spaces, where areas intended to facilitate interaction alternate with places meant for relaxation. This approach is evident all around the hotel, from the lobby with its circular ceilings to the detail of the bedroom lights and the large structures in the hotel’s Grand Ballroom.
To offer travelers dynamic opportunities for escape and inspiration, Pullman Paris Montparnasse will launch the Artist’s Playground in 2022, one of the pillars of the Pullman brand: an immersive exploration of digital art. Alexandre Toledano, the founder of Visto, a company specializing in curating art within premium and luxury hotels, has assembled an engaging collection of work by contemporary international artists. The works are displayed on a series of screens throughout the hotel and reflect the neighborhood, its architecture, its daylight and nocturnal rhythms.
In addition to these screens, the property will feature other digital creations, such as a 40-meter outdoor fresco and 3D printed sculptures. The Artist’s Playground and its installations constitute an astonishing art collection that will be continually refreshed.
Spanning the eighth to the 32nd floors, the 957 bedrooms, suites and apartments of Pullman Paris Montparnasse offer unparalleled views of the capital. All throughout the property, the hotel offers inspiring spaces where guests can endlessly contemplate “La Ville-Lumière” (City of Lights), admiring the Panthéon, Sacré-Cœur, the Montparnasse Tower, Saint-Sulpice, or the Luxembourg Gardens. The bedrooms, accessible via long corridors with retro-futurist lighting, make full use of their generous dimensions. The classic categories have 22 sq m (240 sq ft) of living space; this increases to 29 sq m (312 sq ft) in Deluxe rooms and 30 sq m (325 sq ft) in Deluxe Executive rooms. Meanwhile, the Suites and apartments, offers guests 60 sq m (645 sq ft) of space to make the most of their visit.
In the bedrooms, CUT Architectures have achieved a weightless feeling of freedom and fluidity The assemblage of bespoke furniture is both practical and functional, combining terrazzo with walnut veneer. The yellow and ocher color scheme is intended to bring visitors back to Earth, while Art Deco style lights call to mind the jazz and parties of the Montparnasse neighborhood’s glorious past. Just off the bedroom, the bathroom incorporates a walk-in shower or a relaxing bath that offers a clear view over Paris, depending on the room category. Digital, circular lighting integrated into the mirrors and the CO Bigelow line of products ensure that caring for one’s appearance remains effortless.
Pullman Paris Montparnasse is a foodie’s dream with a buzzy, energizing mix of locals and international travelers. The hotel invites Parisians and travellers to discover two culinary concepts unprecedented in France and in Europe: Umami Burger and Fi’lia. Umami Burger, the exceptional burger brand originating in Los Angeles has taken up residence on the second floor of Pullman Paris Montparnasse, representing its first European location. The 800 sq m (8,600 sq ft) interior allows up to 280 diners to try delicious burgers garnished with fresh red tomatoes, tasty American cheese and crunchy gherkins. The dynamic décor of Umami Burger Paris takes its inspiration from Japanese street art.
The philosophy of Fi’lia is to create honest, authentic and generous Italian dishes that respect the cycle of the seasons. Here, a meal will begin with crusty focaccia served with olive oil and oregano, followed by a range of authentic pizzas available in classic, green (with kale) or wellness (without gluten) versions, homemade pasta dishes or authentic Italian salads.
Chef Rafael Casas, a globetrotter originally from Argentina, heads up the Pullman Paris Montparnasse restaurants. His focus is on vegetable-based gastronomy and on finding seamless ways to integrate vegan, gluten-free and low-calorie alternatives into the menus.
At 115 meters (377 feet) above the city, Skybar at Pullman Paris Montparnasse is the highest open-air rooftop bar in Paris. Following openings in Miami, Los Angeles and Nassau Bahamas, the latest Skybar features a cocktail bar and terrace on the hotel’s 32nd floor, with a VIP area that boasts Paris’s most beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower and skyline. In fact, with its 180-degree panoramic view, Skybar Paris has the city at its feet.
In collaboration with London-based Bergman Interiors, specialists in well-being design concepts, and in partnership with Les Mills, Pullman Paris Montparnasse has opened a 200 sq m (2,150 sq ft) Power Fitness room. Kitted out with the most high-tech urban equipment, the wellness space is laid out as a crossfit studio with a mini athletics circuit, racks of weights, skipping ropes, punching bags and stationary bikes. To complete the concept, a spa will open in 2023.
The fourth floor of Pullman Paris Montparnasse, dubbed the Green Floor, features 15 meeting and conference rooms that open onto 800 sq m (8,600 sq ft) of private terraces lush with greenery. Thirteen of the meetings rooms are dubbed ‘Green Rooms’ with direct access to the outdoor terrace and the flexible Green Suite with executive lounge and dining. The Green Floor harmoniously combines work and well-being. The terraces are designed as urban gardens that encourage biodiversity and are an ideal space for relaxation. In addition to the Green Floor, Pullman Paris Montparnasse has also created 19 bedrooms on the upper floors of the hotel that can be converted into meeting rooms.
With 742 sq m (7,987 sq ft) of floor space and ceilings nearly seven meters (23 feet) high, Pullman Paris Montparnasse’s Grand Ballroom (see above) is the perfect venue for celebrating all kinds of events: fashion shows, concerts, weddings, private parties, conventions and more. Beneath a ceiling of anodized aluminum mesh, with light structures that echo the concentric design of the lobby, the Grand Ballroom offers a stunning view over one of the city’s most avant-garde architectural creations: the Maine-Montparnasse building.
In order to optimize well-being at work, the hotel has invested in a new approach to cleaning, one with both social and environmental impact. Vapodil, an alternative, ecological cleaning solution, helps reduce water consumption by utilizing water vapor: for every liter of water Vapodil uses, 30 to 50 liters are required for a conventional clean.
In addition to the different training programs that were available in the build-up to the launch, every person who joins the company participates in a half-day training on climate change and the hotel’s social and environmental ambitions, in order to ensure that employees understand and feel fully involved in the hotel’s sustainability strategies.
Complementing these efforts, Executive Chef Rafael Casás and all his restaurant staff have introduced a far-reaching program to combat food waste. This is a mission that involves an investment of $3 million Euros in a MEIKO organic waste station connected directly to the restaurants’ kitchens – a first for France –!; the development of a new “less is more” banqueting concept, which prioritizes a better way of measuring servings, so that quality takes precedence over quantity; and the establishment of a partnership with LINKEE, a platform for redistributing leftover food products to associations within a 30-kilometer (19-mile) radius of the hotel.
Pullman Paris Montparnasse has also committed to recycling more than ten types of waste products: organic waste, glass, cardboard, paper, plastic bottles, neon lights, lightbulbs, toner, aluminum, and batteries. Other activities that are a part of the hotel’s drive to reduce waste include: using refillable product dispensers in all bathrooms; a drive to go paperless whenever possible; the fight against digital pollution; introducing a deposit system for packaging; the discontinuation of coffee capsules in common areas other than bedrooms; the removal of water bottles in meeting spaces; and the introduction of vegetarian alternatives in all food offers.
Price: Undisclosed
THPT Comment: Eco and stunning! Certainly a lot packed in to this four-year refurb and will do this area of Paris proud. The owners are a massive shopping complex owner, including the Westfield brand. This hotel is part of the Galerie Gaîté development with 100 shops, offices, housing and this 957 hotel!
First Seen: Accor press release
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