Checking in at Hotel Hana, a Parisian Escape Inspired by Japanese Hospitality

Photo by Stephan Julliard

On the edge of Paris’s Japanese quartier in the 2nd arrondissement, Hotel Hana is the latest addition to the area’s burgeoning hotel collection. The arrondissement has previously been best known for its food scene—on the nearby Rue de Nil, the Michelin-starred Frenchie bistro rubs shoulders with gourmet greengrocers Terroirs d’Avenir, whilst just around the corner, market street Rue Montorgueil is lined with some of Paris’s most famous bakeries and chocolate shops. Closer to home, home being Hotel Hana, Rue Sainte-Anne is the go-to destination for Parisians craving Japanese cuisine in what English-speakers sometimes refer to as Paris’s Little Tokyo. Now, rather than just passing by for dinner, travellers are invited to stay awhile at Hotel Hana, the latest opening from hotelier Nicolas Saltiel and his boutique Adresses collection.

Photo by Stephan Julliard

Photo by Stephan Julliard

Photo by Stephan Julliard

Saltiel has a talent for creating hotels with a true sense of place, from the aristocratic Monsieur George in the upmarket 8th arrondissement to the artistic Monsieur Aristide in the forever bohemian Montmartre. For Hotel Hana, Saltiel tapped one of Paris’s most in-demand designers, Laura Gonzalez, to transform a Haussmanian building, and one-time office block, into a cool and chic hotel.

Gonzalez drew inspiration from the surrounding neighbourhood to imbue the hotel with its Japanese style, but also from la belle époque, a time when the Japonisme design movement was thriving, to add a touch of French flair. In the 26 rooms and one suite, walls have been dressed with straw and natural iroko wood and complemented by rich earthy shades of terra cotta, mustard, and rust orange. To add a touch of her signature eclectic style, Gonzalez created a collection of bespoke furnishings that range from icy-blue floral poufs and bolsters to glossy prune-lacquered cabinets, which welcome guests with a minibar stocked with Japanese tea and matcha madeleines. Accessories are kept to a minimum, but notable additions include mustard ceramic lamps from artisanal British brand Porta Romana, whose lighting installations have graced the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

Photo by Stephan Julliard

Photo by Stephan Julliard

Photo by Robin Le Febvre

Photo by Romain Ricard

The earthy palette continues in the bathrooms with deep wood cabinets topped with red-marble sinks and large rain showers finished with cream-and-brown checkerboard tiling. On the corner of each floor are the Prestige Rooms, where Gonzalez has swapped out the carpets designed by Marguerite Le Maire for traditional Haussmanian-style parquet flooring. For more space, on the top floor one classic room and one suite can be combined to make a spacious apartment with the best views of the surrounding Haussman architecture and Le Centurial, the grand former headquarters of French bank Crédit Lyonnais opposite the hotel.

Hallways lined in woven papyrus lead downstairs to restaurant Hanabi, where the Japanese influences have been ramped up: tables are topped with a chunky layer of green raku, a Japanese ceramic, and striking metalized walls courtesy of Atelier Roma and featuring a reinterpretation of Japanese flowers, perhaps a nod to the hotel’s name (“flower” in Japanese). Floral banquettes clash with geometric fabric on the dark-wood seats, another nod to Gonzalez’s usual styling, whilst the use of ceramic continues at the open kitchen, which is framed by deep green textured tiles.

Photo by Robin Le Febvre

On the menu, Shirley Garrier of The Social Food, a “studio artistique culinaire,” has designed a small selection of Japanese-inspired dishes executed by South American chef Roberto Sanchez, who earned his stripes in the Michelin star kitchens of Le Bristol and Le Grand Vefour. Expect signature dishes such as udon noodles with bisque and langoustine tartare, and for vegetarians, black sesame goma tofu with a mentsuyu sauce. Next door in the bar, Shirley’s husband and The Social Food cofounder Mathieu Zouhairi has curated a list of sakes to complement what’s cooking in the restaurant and put a Japanese spin on cocktail classics and his own creations: whisky sours reimagined with hojicha syrup and black sesame or the signature Le Hana, which blends French calvados and rum with with sakura syrup and nashi pear.

Photo by Stephan Julliard

Underground, the intimate wellness area comprises a fitness room, a six-metre pool with a resistance swimming machine to get more out of your workout, and two treatment rooms offering a choice of massages—and to continue the hotel’s homage to Japan, a Japanese smoothing facial to relax and revive.

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