Grand Powers – the Golden Triangle hotel that named a song

At the corner of rue François 1er and rue Pierre Charron, in the sliver of the 8th arrondissement Parisians call the Golden Triangle, a Haussmannian corner building has traded as a hotel since 1920, when the original Hotel Powers became a favourite stopover for English-speaking travellers heading on to the Riviera. Reborn after a complete 2019 renovation led by architect Bastié-Behzadi and designer Cathy Crinon, it reopened as Grand Powers, today owned by sisters Julie and Alexandra Marang and kept deliberately small at fifty rooms and suites across six floors. The MICHELIN Guide recognises it with One Key, noting that its thoroughly reimagined interiors live up to the Haussmannian grandeur of the façade. The address has history to match: in 1947, composer Henri Betti came here to meet lyricist André Hornez and settle, from a shortlist of ten titles, on the name for their new song – a tune later carried round the world by singers from Eartha Kitt to Diana Krall.

01The house

When the Hotel Powers opened its doors in 1920, it quickly became the favourite address of English-speaking travellers stopping over in Paris before heading to the Riviera. When the Hotel Powers opened in 1920, it quickly became the favorite address of English-speaking clients stopping over in Paris before heading to the Riviera. The neighbourhood around it remains the most guarded corner of the 8th arrondissement: that section of the 8th bounded by the Champs-Élysées and the Avenues Montaigne and George V, and the hotel's rebirth under its new name added, as the MICHELIN Guide put it, another compelling destination to this already storied neighborhood.

The current incarnation dates from a complete 2019 renovation carried out by architect Bastie-Behzadi and interior designer Cathy Crinon, who managed to preserve the building's Parisian soul while giving it a unique style. Across the building's six floors, the team kept generous volumes and mouldings, fireplaces and Hungarian-point parquet, while the house passed into the hands of Julie and Alexandra Marang, who run it today as part of the family-owned Paristory Hotels Collection.

02Rooms and suites

The hotel counts fifty rooms and Suites: 13, spread au fil des six étages and ranging from 20 to 45 square metres by category, each dressed in one of three palettes – rose poudré, vert céladon ou bleu profond – depending on the floor. Bathrooms pair white marble with miroirs Carlo Scarpa, and the custom furniture runs to walnut pieces upholstered in silk and velvet from Pierre Frey.

Insider tip

Rates from €650 (Dec 2025); George V metro five minutes away; Café 52 open 7am–midnight daily.

Materials carry the hotel's whole argument in miniature: lacquered paint, aged brass, oak and walnut, with Diptyque toiletries in the bathroom and a yoga mat available in each room. On the rue François 1er side, from the third floor up, several rooms open onto Eiffel Tower views available on the third floor and above, Rue François 1er side.

03Where to eat

Café 52 is run by chef Maxime Raab, who previously performed at Fouquet's, and the kitchen is ECOTABLE-certified, built around seasonal, mostly organic produce with vegetarian options, gluten-free or lactose-free, in healthy recipes but never without pleasure. Service runs on an all-day rhythm: Café 52 Paris 8 is open from 7am to midnight every day, and the Café 52 menu is available until 9.30 pm, with the breakfast buffet open from 7.00 am to 10.30 am every day.

On fine days, an open terrace allows guests to enjoy the sunshine during lunch or the refreshing evenings of summer during dinner, and on Sundays the kitchen turns to brunch on the terrace, close to the Avenue George V, Montaigne or Champs Elysées. The restaurant can also be privatised, with the Café 52 restaurant privatized for wedding dinners, cocktail parties, cabaret events, or meetings following a meal, the menu running from a club sandwich, Poke-bowl, or chicken supreme.

04The bar

Next to the restaurant, the bar, an intimate setting with warm and flowery tones, invites guests and Parisians to discover cocktails and finger food with a healthy signature. Drinks run later than food: beauty cocktails are available at the bar until midnight, while the selection of finger food is served until 9:30 p.m., making it as much a local late stop as a hotel bar.

05Spa and wellbeing

The Thala Spa is a world of pink marble with hammam, jacuzzi and sauna for total relaxation after a day's shopping, with a treatment room open to outside guests as well as residents. Treatments are built around Holidermie, the holistic protocol created by its founder Mélanie Huynh, which pairs skincare with nutritional supplements and guided self-massage rather than a conventional facial, under the name Holidermie: exclusive treatment protocols ensuring deep regeneration in the heart of bustling Paris.

A 24-hour Technogym fitness center with yoga accessories sits alongside the spa, with a personal trainer available on request. Every room carries its own yoga mat, and the most beautiful suites benefit from an exclusive yoga class given by partner Le Tigre Yoga Club for those who wish to start their day with serenity.

06The neighbourhood

Few Paris postcodes carry as much weight as the Golden Triangle, that section of the 8th bounded by the Champs-Élysées and the Avenues Montaigne and George V. One block away on Avenue Montaigne, Christian Dior opened his very first atelier, designing and sleeping in the building for over 10 years; today, it remains Dior's flagship boutique. George V metro station is a five-minute walk, and the Grand Palais is roughly a 10-minute walk from cultural exhibitions at the ornate Grand Palais.

07Making the most of a stay

For private dinners or receptions, the most beautiful suites of the hotel, the Café 52 or the Eugene lounge can be organised for the most exclusive desires. Arriving guests are offered a natural organic infusion or a glass of High Environmental Value champagne, a small ritual in keeping with the hotel's wider stance on yoga mats, short-circuit sourcing and a largely plant-forward menu.

Rooms are pet-friendly and room service runs around the clock; with only fifty rooms behind a single Haussmannian façade, the small scale is the point as much as the marble or the mouldings.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.