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Travelling
to Paris?
Book into a Photographer’s Delight
the Photography Themed Hôtel Déclic
By Steve
Meltzer
I was
planning a trip to Paris this spring for the publication of a book of my photographs and I was surfing the web looking accommodations when I came upon the Hôtel Déclic; a hotel that turns out to be a photographer’s wonderland dream wrapped up in elegant 4 star luxury. Crammed
full of cameras and imagery Déclic was almost too good to be true. Even its name echoed its photographic ambiance; “déclic” is slang for a
camera shutter release which is French « le déclencheur».
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| The Contact Sheet Suite |
Checking it out, I discovered that the Hôtel Déclic was the creation of designer
Sandrine Alouf of the company “Groupe Maranatha.” Alouf's vision was to create a
unique hotel that surrounds its guests in a sumptuous photographic environment of images, nostalgia and deluxe furnishings. The hotel is located in Montmartre one of the city’s most romantic “quartiers.” Since the late 19th
century it has been known for its art and the artists who resided there; which includes everyone from Matisse to Picasso. As well as art this charming 18th arrondisement neighborhood exudes romance. Sensuality is in the air and Montmartre has been the setting for films like “Can-Can”, “Moulin
Rouge” and “Amélie." The hotel itself is not too
far from the famous “Folies Bergère.”
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| The Photo Booth Room |
From the
street the hotel’s rather plain exterior belies the nearly hallucinogenic universe within. Entering the hotel you walk down corridors lined with cameras
and hundreds of images. Checking in you discover rooms with names like the Reflex,
the Contact Sheet and the Selfie. In fact all 18 rooms and 9 suites at Déclic are named for different photographic
themes and decorated accordingly; often with tongue deeply in cheek. For a
photographer it’s the perfect place to end a day after metro-schlepping across
Paris taking photos.
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| The Reflex Room |
In the
Reflex Room for example you can stretch out on a bed shaped like a vintage
interchangeable lens camera while in the Black & White room your bed’s headboard
is a giant screen that projects a show of “retro” B/W images taken by anonymous
photographers. As Sandrine Alouf charmingly puts it, “it captures the beauty of
the art of photography, the taste of the image, and the joy of snapping”. It’s a
room ready made for dreaming in black and white.
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| The Darkroom Suite |
Hotel Déclic blends sensuality and romance and it is nowhere more evident than in the “Darkroom
Suite” (which is also known as the “Sexy Noire Suite.”) This room’s darkroom theme includes overhead ‘safelight’ illumination which will bring back fond memories to any analog era photographers. Having worked in a photo lab for 30 years myself I must say that this is the most deluxe darkroom I’ve ever
been in. However the hotel frowns on actual darkroom work in suite as yellow fixer stains are impossible to get out of bed sheets and
towels.
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| The Paparazzi Suite |
Red is the
color of passion and it dominates several rooms like the lusciously intense red
décor of the “Paparazzi” suite. Fit for a visiting celebrity-- trying to avoid paparazzi-- it features a red carpet with a Hollywood gold star that leads to a sleek four poster
bed. Looking up while in bed guests come face to face with a satiric pack of paparazzi armed with cameras staring down at them.
There’s also a "photo shoot" room for
guests who want to sharpen their studio skills and the photographer Thierry Hugo is available through the hotel for classes and for private photo tours around the city.
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| The Photo Studio Suite |
Hôtel Déclic is an amazing place to stay.
Comfort and luxury with prices that are quite in line with most 4 star Paris hotels (129-499€). You can
find out more about Hôtel Déclic in my expanded article at
For
reservations or more information contact the hotel directly at
http://declichotel.com/en/contact.html
http://declichotel.com/en/contact.html
(All photos abaca press courtesy Hôtel Déclic)
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