You’re headed to Paris for business. Trying to figure out a nice place to stay, with modern amenities and a nice restaurant to enjoy your evenings. City center is uber expensive and conditions are not always the best, so how bout you’ll stay close to the airport? But can you find one? I’ll let you in on a little secret : yes, you can.
A few months ago I was invited to Paris by pentahotel to participate in the ground opening of their new hotel located in Roissy-en-France and very close to the CDG airport. This came in as a surprise. I was a pentahotel customer (already) who was constantly staying with them in Vienna. So I thought “wow, this is going to be a nice experience”.
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For those who don’t know, the pentahotel experience (what I was experiencing in Vienna was v2) is all about a high end design with industrial accents and coziness. What I was seeing in Paris was not much different. But there was change. The bed seemed bigger and a lot more comfy, the colors played with a black and white palette, new accessories got the eye – more wire, different lights and an iron sliding door to the bathroom, that looked nothing short of spectacular.
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The bar area is quite the same with what I was used — industrial furniture, lots of metal mixed with vintage wood, bookcases, leather couches and great music. It’s really fun to enjoy a burger after a long day in the city. And I forgot to add. They have one of the coolest work areas I’ve seen in a hotel. It’s not the classical conference rooms you’re used with, it’s more like play rooms for adults.
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INTERVIEW
To find out more about this whole new concept, we sat down with Alastair Thomann, managing director of pentahotels. Hope you’ll like it.
What’s the story behind the Penta v3 redesign?
Starting with Design 1.0 pentahotels created a new idea of a hotel design experience that combines the comfort of a luxurious product with the essence of what the traveler today needs and seeks. Realizing the success of this combination, in the design 2.0 pentahotels made a big step towards a contemporary high end design. This idea is even further expanded in the next design step, realizing one global design experience for all pentahotels.
What inspired you?
Design trends, not only in hospitality sector… also other industry trends from fashion, music and entertainment inspire us. At pentahotels a mix of different styles and designs creates the whole atmosphere. Sometimes maverick and imperfect elements add to the warm and comfortable experience, always searching for the unique pentastyle.
And why did you decide to shift from v2?
We were searching for a global answer for our design. Before, hotels in different global regions had their own design approach. As a global brand, pentahotels need to be perceived as “one”. A strong connection between Western and Asian design elements were incorporated. The ultimate goal was – and it took us a lot of effort – to create one global pentahotel design language, which we can instantly use as “plug-and-play” for all newly build pentahotels around the globe. We just need to know the sizes and the conditions of the rooms to start.
Is there a special place, feature or design that you’re most proud of for your hotels?
The pentalounge, for sure. It represents the core of our brand. All newly created ideas are always referring to this living-room-alike open space public area. pentahotels always wants to create spaces, that incorporates the basic ideas of fun and functionality, creativity with comfort, and simplicity with style. This can best be experienced in our pentalounge.
We’d like to know more about the “unparalleled quality of sleep” that all pentahotels provide for their guests. What does it mean exactly?
Guests who experience the quality of sleeping at pentahotels for the first time are impressed. No kidding… we get calls regularly from guests asking where to get these. But we have to disappoint them. The orthopedic inner-spring mattresses at pentahotels were created just for us. The deluxe and lightweight feather bedding comes with it. It is quite obvious that hotel guests are primarily looking for a good sleep – a classical “no-brainer”. And we put highest efforts in this. The list continues with the shower and at pentahotels this is key: the entertainment.
What’s next in line for pentahotels from a design perspective?
Getting the global design into all parts of our hotels – in a relaxed, connected, neighborhood lifestyle hotel experience. Starting with the rooms and the pentalounge, we are looking into conferencing area, the gyms, the exterior. Design is constantly evolving, that’s the exciting news! So will pentahotels.
Thank you pentahotels for this great trip. (All images copyright © 2017 TheCoolist.com)
