Hôtel Hi

Description:

• An architectural and decorative "statement," this hotel occupies a former boardinghouse that dates to the 1930s. Spearheaded by Matali Crasset, a one-time colleague of Philippe Starck, a team of architects and engineers created one of the most aggressively avant-garde hotels in the south of France. Each of the nine high-tech room "concepts" is different. They range from hospital white-on-white to birch-wood veneer and acid green to cool violet and gray. The unconventional layouts may include a bathtub tucked behind a screen of potted plants or elevated to a position of theatrical prominence. Electronic gizmos include state-of-the-art CD systems. The Japanese word hi describes the black mottling on the back of an ornamental carp, which has traditionally been associated with good luck.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010