How To Experience Paris In Boutique Luxury – Hotel de Sers

Just a block or two back from the grand tree-lined avenue of the Champs-Elysées and a short stroll to the banks of the Seine, the Hotel de Sers is the perfect way to experience Paris in boutique luxury.

Where to stay in Paris - Hotel de Sers

What does ‘boutique luxury’ mean in hotel terms? To me, I guess it has to fulfil these four criteria: elegance, history, friendliness and—of course—luxury itself.

So what does Hotel de Sers do to hit these marks, and what does that mean for your visit to the beautiful romantic city of Paris?

Check out our video on Hotel de Sers and Paris here:

Hotel de Sers—boutique luxury in the heart of Paris

Hotel de Sers is part of the family-run B Signature Hotels and Resorts brand. The Jousse family have been running B Signature since Anne Jousse opened their first property in Brittany in 1990.

Since then Anne and her daughter Agathe have gone on to add six more hotels to the line; five in Paris and one on the Caribbean island of St Barthélemy.

In spite of all the hotels being superbly located, high luxury and small enough for all the staff to know your name by the first day, B Signature hotels are still good value—especially with the size and quality of the rooms and especially for Paris.

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Elegance

From the discreet reception hidden at the start of the lobby corridor to the impressive monumental staircase the coils up through the centre of the building, the Hotel de Sers has the kind of elegance you’d expect from a five-star hotel in the chic 8th Arrondissement.

The hotel’s restaurant and bar are in the courtyard, which is covered by a retractable glass ceiling, flooding the area with natural light. And the kitchen is behind a living wall, emphasising the feeling that you’re in the lavish courtyard garden of a 19th Century mansion.

Other touches in our room—the feature wall behind the bed, the oversized door to the ensuite, the sheer quantity of fresh flower arrangements throughout—makes the Hotel de Sers simply ooze sophistication and style.

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History

As with most buildings in the centre of Paris, the Hotel de Sers has a fascinating backstory. Commissioned by nobleman, military officer and world traveller Henri-Leopold Charles (a.k.a the Marquis de Sers) in 1880, this was his Paris apartment when away from his ancestral home in the south of France.

After the Marquis’ death in 1903, this Paris mansion was sold and used as offices and a medical facility during the early part of the 20th Century, but became a hotel in 1935. The Jousse family took this and the other four Paris properties into their portfolio in 2003.

Friendliness

The relationship between staff and guests in a hotel is often a qualifier of quality. At Hotel de Sers, you always feel like everyone working here has your best interests, your comfort and your happiness at heart.

Reception, bar and breakfast staff are so helpful, and housekeeping are always ready with a smile. And if you’re looking to uncover the secrets of the city, the hotel’s incredible concierge—Cédric Gazou—is amazing.

A rare Les Clef d’Or Concierge, Cédric has contacts throughout Paris and his knowledge of the city is flawless. Check out our interview with Cédric and learn what a Gold Keys Concierge can do for your time in the City of Light.

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Luxury

It’s always hard to define luxury, but in the Hotel de Sers’ case it’s the sum total of the earlier three points. Luxury is so intangible and subjective, it’s like trying to define an emotion. And perhaps that’s what luxury means here.

The emotion you feel as you walk through the bespoke asymmetrical front doors, when you’re greeted by reception, when the Gold Keys Concierge helps you get into a fully booked show or restaurant, or plans your day for you with things most people don’t get to do, that’s luxury.

Yes, it’s being able to stretch out in your beautiful room in your opulently soft hotel gown and watch the bright needle searchlight of the Eiffel Tower sweep across the city from your window. But it’s more about how you feel when you do these things.

And that’s what Hotel de Sers not only allows you to do, but actively encourages as well.

Where to stay in Paris - Hotel de Sers - Christina at the window

We stayed as media guests of B Signature Hotels and Resorts’ Hotel de Sers, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

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