Brach
By Albert & Nouri Beesemer — booked and paid for by us. No sponsored placements. Ever.
Philippe Starck's Paris hotel — a converted printing house in the 16th. The rooftop, the pool, the gym, and a genuinely good restaurant. Less central than it should be, but worth the compromise.
- City
- Paris
- Neighborhood
- 16TH ARR · TROCADÉRO
- Price from
- From ~€300/night
The VV Review
Brach is the most design-forward hotel on this list, and the design is Philippe Starck doing what Starck does best — a converted 1970s printing house reworked into something that feels part Bauhaus, part cabinet of curiosities, part greenhouse.
It is playful and serious at once, with a rooftop, a proper pool, a real gym, and a restaurant that earns its own following. The catch is the location: the 16th near Trocadéro is residential and a touch removed from the center. For what Brach delivers, it's a compromise worth making.
It is playful and serious at once, with a rooftop, a proper pool, a real gym, and a restaurant that earns its own following.
First Impressions
A converted printing house that gives little away from outside, then opens into Starck's layered, tactile world — wood, leather, stone, plants, objects. It feels like a place with a point of view rather than a brand standard.
The Rooms
Warm, material-rich, full of Starck's detail. Less classic-Paris, more international design hotel — which is exactly the point of coming here.
Food & Drink
The restaurant is genuinely good, not a hotel afterthought — Mediterranean-leaning, well-run. The rooftop is the asset most guests remember, with a pool and views across the 16th.
The Neighborhood
Trocadéro in the 16th — residential, well-heeled, close to the Eiffel Tower views and the Palais de Tokyo, but a metro ride from the dead center. The trade-off for space and quiet.
Brach is for the traveler who wants design and amenities over a central address. On those terms it's one of the most rewarding hotels in Paris.
What We Loved
Philippe Starck's 2019 project. The interiors are deliberately eclectic — taxidermy, brutalist concrete, lush fabric. It should not work as coherently as it does.
The best hotel fitness facility in Paris, without qualification. The gym, pool, and spa are the primary reason regulars return. If exercise is part of your travel, this is the address.
Brach's restaurant is serious and French. The terrace in warm months is among the better lunches in the 16th.
The 16th is residential Paris. There is no tourist pressure here. It is the version of the city that Parisians who don't need to prove anything live in.
Worth Knowing Before You Book
- 01The 16th arrondissement is not walking distance from most things visitors want to see. Plan for taxis or metro. The quiet is worth the trade-off.
- 02Request a room with a Trocadéro view. The Eiffel Tower sightline is real and the rooms are not priced dramatically higher.
- 03The gym books up. Reserve in advance, especially for early morning slots.
- 04The bar runs late and is genuinely popular with locals. The noise carries to some rooms. Ask for the quieter side of the building.