The first hotel in Paris dedicated to cinema, Hotel Paradiso, opened in March and on the top of the press release we received, it states, “A Cinema in Each Room.” The new concept hotel is a family affair started by brothers Nathanael and Elisha Karmitz. Their father, Marin Karmitz, founded the successful movie theater chain, mk2, in France in 1974. The small-screen theaters show mostly international, independent films and has now grown into a company that has a film production and film distribution arm. Nathanael and Elisha are the next-generation heirs to their father’s film company and are expanding their father’s and their own vision for cinema with new projects such as the hotel.
Elisha Karmitz was generous enough to personally take us on a tour of the hotel earlier this month. When we asked him if he was passionate about film, he said it wasn’t so much that he was passionate about film; rather, that he was born and raised in the film world, and that it’s like the air he breathes.
Hotel Paradiso has 34 rooms and two “cinema” suites. Every room is specifically designed so that the guest could have the best cinema experience possible and includes a nine-foot-wide screen and a laser projector. Guests can choose from an extensive selection of in-house DVD titles, plus access streaming platforms, such as Netflix, Mubi, CanalPlus and Disney, all with a touch of a button on a tablet. Once the guest chooses their film, the curtains are closed, the lights are lowered and the film is presented—all automatically.
The rooms and the junior suites, which are decorated in a contemporary style, have full or twin-size beds with five-star hotel quality mattresses with extra layers, and curtains, throw pillows and other room accessories in eye-pleasing shades of purple, blue, mustard and dark red along with rare film posters on the walls from the private art collection of the Karmitz family. The minibar has organic popcorn and other movie-watching snacks, and you can order room service from an in-room tablet.
In the lower level of the hotel is a six-screen mk2 movie complex that’s open to the public, but hotel guests receive two complimentary tickets to watch films on the bigger screens.
The Suite Cinema and the Grande Suite Cinema provide a unique film viewing experience. Besides the comfortable, well appointed rooms on the seventh floor with great cityscape views and terraces, there’s a separate screening room that can comfortably seat up to eight people with cushy padded seats and the same state-of-the-art projectors used at the mk2 Cinemas.
The intimate cafe at the entrance is a branch of Bob’s Juice Bar, owned by American Marc Grossman. The menu includes breakfast, sandwiches, bagels, savory bowls, organic juices and, in an ode to the film industry, the wine comes from Francis Ford Coppola vineyards.
The rooftop of the hotel, with a view of the Eiffel Tower, has an open-air cinema club, showing a series of special films along with a cocktail bar and barbecue menu.
The world-famous French artist JR is a family friend, and has created two exclusive photo murals for the hotel. Measuring 50 feet high and 10 feet across, and pasted on buildings opposite the hotel, the first mural depicts a still from "The Kid" by Charlie Chaplin from 1921, and the second is the classic photo image of Harold Lloyd hanging from the hands of a clock in "Safety Last!" from 1924.
The hotel is located in a non-touristy, residential neighborhood in the 12th arrondissement next to Nation square, a major metro and suburban train hub. It takes 10 to 15 minutes by metro and 20 to 30 minutes by taxi or Uber to reach the more central Paris areas, including the Louvre, Saint Germain, Champs Elysees and the Marais.
Room rates start at $140 a night; for the two suites, the pricing starts at $467 and $522 a night. For inquiries, contact Fabien Beauvallet, hotel manager, at [email protected].
Visit www.mk2hotelparadiso.com.
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