Midnight in Paris: The City of Light has a new star

Hotel Review: Dame des Arts

Where: 4 Rue Danton, Paris, France

How much: From around 306 euros ($508) per night

Paris has always had alluring places to stay, but its hotel scene is really having a moment right now, fuelled by the post-pandemic travel boom and an expected visitor influx when the city hosts the 2024 Olympics (July 26-August 11). Thanks, in part, to strict planning regulations aimed at preserving Paris's cityscape, most new openings are conversions or refits of existing buildings. Hotel Dame des Arts is a smart example, transforming a nine-storey 1950s-era block previously occupied by a Holiday Inn.

It's just 200 metres from the River Seine in the Latin Quarter, a wonderfully walkable Left Bank enclave brimming with artisan cafes, bookshops, boutiques, plus the historic Sorbonne University and the elegant, leafy Jardin du Luxembourg. You're also only 10-15 minutes on foot from major Parisian landmarks like the Pantheon, the Louvre Museum and Notre-Dame Cathedral, which will reopen in December, fully restored after that devastating 2019 fire. Wish to venture further? The hotel is a baguette's throw from Saint-Michel station (Metro Line 4).

This hotel lives up to its name, decorated with more than 700 pieces of art, from prints and paintings of the local neighbourhood to vintage posters of Parisian theatre shows and exhibitions. Yet while there's a genuine Gallic vibe here - boosted by the delectable breakfast croissants and the polite, youthful multilingual staff ("Bonjour monsieur, bonjour madame") - the hotel's interior design has a cosmopolitan touch, courtesy of Jerusalem-born, Dutch-trained, Paris-based architect Raphael Navot.

With a muted colour palette and a penchant for natural materials - think oak, bamboo, glass and porcelain - there's a minimalist Nordic-chic aura to the 109 rooms and suites. Entry-level Classic rooms are tres snug (from 12 square metres), but I'm content with the leg room and wardrobe space in my 19-square-metre Signature room. Some larger upper-level options promise private outdoor balconies and glimpses of the Eiffel Tower. All guests can expect soothing, fragrant Diptyque lotions and a Nespresso machine with biodegradable coffee capsules roasted in Paris.

As well as daily petit-dejeuner and Sunday brunch, the hotel's sultry lobby-side restaurant serves lunch and dinner, with chef Othoniel Alvarez Castaneda blending Mexican, French and Japanese flavours and seasonal ingredients. I can vouch for the beef tataki with a smoky tatemada salsa dressing and herby salad. The tacos al pastor (corn tortillas bulging with pork, chilli, pineapple) are good, too, although the Brittany oysters with chilli oil and yuzu kosho may entice.

Scandinavia springs to mind again when I'm sizzling in the hotel's sauna, complimentary sessions for which can be booked between 9am and 9pm. Also in the basement is a small but delightfully formed 24-hour fitness studio with a gorgeous curved wooden ceiling, weights and handcrafted wood-clad exercise equipment by sustainable German company NOHrD.

The rooftop bar with 360-degree vistas is magnificent. A flurry of domes, spires and cinematic icons (including the Eiffel Tower and the Sacre-Coeur basilica) vie for your attention over silver Parisian mansard roofs. While hotel guests can access the rooftop year round, the bar closes in winter, but it's the place to be on a balmy summer evening.

Explore more: damedesarts.com

The writer was a guest of Hotel Dame des Arts.

Pictures: Ludovic Balay; Jerome Galland