The demolition party that went down at the The Hotel Royal Monceau in Paris wasn't just any old party. This is Paris after all and the hotel managed to make their demolition artistic by inviting 25 contemporary artists and celebs to "artistically ruin" the hotel rooms on the third floor.
On hand for the crazy/beautiful destruction were Kanye West, Jude Law, and 18-year-old internet celebrity Cory Kennedy.
"I'm gonna smash everything," yelled Cory Kennedy, rushing into Andre and Olympia Scarry's all-black room, fitted out with battered couches and a giant disco ball. Kanye West, who roamed the corridors with a bemused-looking Yves Carcelle, said that trashing hotel rooms was old hat. "Yeah, you know, the usual throwing the telly out of the window type of thing," he said.
The AFP has a more detailed report of the party, including the fun fact that Madonna's "Justify My Love" video was shot here in the hotel.
The Hotel Royal Monceau in Paris has had some issues, to say the least, over the past few years. From booting out guests to playing hot potato with luxury brands, the historic hotel has seen far too many ups and downs.
But all that is in the past now as the hotel readies for a complete overhaul and a new look from Philippe Starck. As a way to clean house, the hotel held an auction of its furniture and now they are letting guests demolish whatever is left behind.
Every music festival we've ever been to has had an army of porta-potties imported for the occassion, shining like blue-green beacons in the sunlight just beyond the stage. We're always grateful for them, since our activities during such events go no further than eating, drinking, peeing, sleeping, and repeating.
We can score goodies to eat and drink at the festival, the porta-potties have us covered on the peeing part -- but the sleeping part? Well, now that we've grown older than 18 and have left behind the age in which it was acceptable and even preferable to pitch a tent with our buddies and crash for the night, we're gonna need a hotel.
Enter French company Abilmo, whose "pop-up" hotel room was conceived precisely for this situation.
So you want free WiFi when you stay in a luxury hotel huh? Good luck! Send us a post card via FedEx overnight instead, it's sooo much cheaper than paying to send an email from your room. Unless you're staying at the Hotel de Crillon in Paris that is.
If you've been following our Best & Worst Wi-Fi Hotel Stories from the past few weeks, the overwhelming consensus is any hotel that costs more than $150 a night charges for WiFi, whereas any hotel UNDER $150 usually throws it in for nothing.
Hey, those luxury hotels do give you Premium internet access for the $24.95 you pay - it lets you feel like you're worth a million bucks while you browse the internet... Ok, maybe not - you just feel like you were robbed.
But! If you stay at the Hotel de Crillon in Paris--a six-star hotel which has been rated as the nicest and most exclusive hotel in the world--they'll throw in free WiFi during your stay! Thats free WiFi in the lobby, in your room, in the ballroom, in the bar, and in the bathroom!
We've avoided covering the hotel scene at the Cannes Film Festival this year largely because the same shizz happens every year, practically on auto-pilot. Expensive hotels get more expensive, movies get booed and applauded, Sharon Stone walks the red carpet over and over and nothing really truly of interest happens.
Except when it happens to Madonna. Apparently, Madge was holed up in the Intercontinental Carlton Hotel in Cannes last week while there to promote her documentary, "I Am Because We Are", about orphans in Malawi. But she got pissed when she saw that a French TV crew had managed to sneak into her suite and film the place, including the special water and gym equipment she had requested.
And according to the French newspaper, Le Parisien, Madonna won't pay the $90,000 hotel bill because of the security breach. Usually, we think Madonna's a bit of a crackpot but she's actually very right in this instance. We bet a couple of people got fired at the Carlton this week.
Since we can't afford to stay at the Hotel Bristol ourselves, we asked the off-the-record advice of a friendly businessman who stays there regularly for conferences. He had a lot to say about the hotel's style, location and dining which we've recapitulated below for you. Enjoy.
It has a fabulous location: a quiet, quiet street but only a ten-second walk to the main St Germain axis of shopping, strolling and dining streets. And of course, close enough to the Eiffel Tower to walk there.
It has the potential to be a great hotel - 39 rooms of varying sizes, some with terrace balconies based around a small central courtyard. And perhaps at one time it was. But its faded, battered exterior and grotesque 60s décor (original, with the original wear and grime as well) mean it's a grandma's choice if anyone's.
We were rather cheeky about the Hôtel Bellechasse in our review of design hotels in Paris. But we take it back, as if you're looking for a special hotel on a buzzing street, seconds from the Orsay Museum, a pop across the river to the Louvre, and only a short, nice walk along the Seine to the Eiffel Tower, this is the place you'll find love.
The Bellechasse is a Christian Lacroix baby, a thing which you see immediately on entering the small foyer - unmistakeable bold, bizarre mixtures of colours (including a yellow ceiling) and deep, plush fabrics. The staff are super-helpful, if rather brusque in a very French way.
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by juliana
