1-7 Rue Jean Richepin, 75116 Paris

Brach Paris

Name: Brach Paris
Address: 1-7 Rue Jean Richepin, Paris, 75116, FR
Rating: 4.35

Hotel-restaurant 5-star with pool and spa in Paris

Presentation

Brach Paris is located on Rue Jean Richepin, in the 16th arrondissement, a stone’s throw from the Trocadéro. The building spent a long time sorting Paris’s mail in the 1970s, before Philippe Starck took over the 7,000 square meters and turned it into what we discover today. Behind the glass façade, greenery overflows everywhere, as if it had eventually managed to regain the upper hand over the original concrete.

As you push open the door, the feeling is almost like stepping into a collector’s home. Art books piled up, sculptures placed there as if by chance, objects brought back from Africa, Asia, South America. Raw wood blends with aged leather, marble rubs shoulders with metal, and daylight softens the whole. Reception, meanwhile, is on the first floor. It comes as a surprise the first time; you have to look around a bit for your way, but a word to the staff is enough, and that little oddity is part of the house’s charm.

Heading up to the upper floors, you find just under sixty rooms and suites, spread between the fifth and sixth levels. The smallest ones, around 24 square meters, play up high ceilings and large picture windows. Rosewood, marble, and fluted glass echo one another there, and the minibar has been reimagined as a small neighborhood grocery store. On the coffee tables and stools, a few books and a painting give these spaces a cabinet-of-curiosities feel, almost cluttered, yet never cold. You choose your own playlist from a dedicated switch, a detail many guests remember afterward. The blinds close automatically, the bathtub awaits, and the marble basins complete the picture.

One word, however, about sleep: rooms facing the street can sometimes let through traffic noise, and some evenings the atmosphere from the ground-floor terraces carries on late into the night. Nothing dramatic in the middle of Paris, but light sleepers would do well to request a high floor or a courtyard-facing room when booking.

Also on these floors, the suites range from 60 to 210 square meters, each opening onto its own planted terrace. The view sweeps 180 degrees over the rooftops of Paris, and some directly frame the Eiffel Tower. A Norwegian bath or a jacuzzi sometimes rounds out the picture, for days when leaving the room is not really necessary.

On the ground floor, the restaurant’s twenty-meter open kitchen takes up a good part of the space. It serves chef Adam Bentalha’s cuisine, focused on the Mediterranean: mezze, vegetarian dishes, crudo, with bread made from organic flours. Table service can sometimes take its time on a busy evening, but the welcome remains warm and no one rushes anyone.

Breakfast is worth lingering over: fresh pastries, and sometimes a madeleine slipped in on arrival as a welcome. During the day, the first-floor terrace is ideal for lunch or just a drink, lushly planted and adaptable, with a summer menu that long highlighted Greek products from the Kalios brand.

Down in the basement, the sports club evokes the spirit of a 1930s boxing club. The 22-meter pool flows into a warm-water basin, a sauna, a hammam, and a salt grotto, extended by Clarins treatment suites. One detail to know before going there in a robe: access to the sauna and hammam requires crossing the gym, between the machines, a route that is not always clearly marked. You get used to it quickly, and it is part of the little treasure hunt the house offers.

On the roof, the rooftop offers a 360-degree view over Paris and the Eiffel Tower, with a suspended garden that hosts Villa Minuty in summer. From May to September, you can go up there without a reservation for a glass of rosé among the aromatic plants. In winter, however, this level closes its doors, so it is better to aim for the warmer months if the rooftop is part of the plan.

On the sweet side, the hotel patisserie bears the signature of Fabien Emery, European champion in sugar arts, with creations that change with the seasons. It is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Sundays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

If summer brings you this way, head up to the rooftop just before aperitif time: Villa Minuty still pours its rosé there until dusk, and no one will ask you to book.

Summary of a few positive reviews read on the Web

Room upgraded on arrival, very comfortable, but the bathroom remains small with a single sink. Bedding and towels are good quality.
You can hear quite a bit of street noise in the evening, even on the upper floors. It does not bother everyone since you are right in Paris, but it is worth considering if you are a light sleeper.
Access to the sauna and hammam is not super clear; you have to cross the gym between the machines. Not a problem in itself, just something to know before going there in a robe.
Breakfast is very decent, with fresh pastries and a madeleine offered on arrival. In the evening, however, the restaurant menu remains fairly short.
Friendly welcome overall, even if once the staff seemed a little less attentive than usual, nothing serious.
The rooftop closes in winter, so there is no view of the Eiffel Tower from the roof at that time. Better to go in spring or summer to enjoy it.