Paris just got more romantic with the opening of its first hotel on water

It’s already the city of love, but the opening of the first hotel and bar on water in Paris has just ramped up the ooh-la-la factor.

The bar at the OFF hotel in Paris. Image: OFF Hotel

The OFF Hotel is situated on a purpose-built barge docked on the River Seine at the foot of the Gare d’Austerlitz. It has 54 rooms, four suites, a bar with cocktails and tapas, an interior path, a plunge pool and a marina. Located between the Left and Right banks, it offers stunning views across the river, and forms part of Paris’s riverside development scheme, which combines modernity and history.

The Sunset Suite at the OFF hotel in Paris. Image: OFF Hotel

The hotel was designed by the team at floating architecture specialists, Seine Design. From the swish vantage point of the plunge pool, guests can luxuriate in turquoise waters while watching the river boats and world go by. Then, if they fancy a change of scene, they can walk along the banks of the Seine to the city centre and see the Eiffel Tower or Cathedrále Notre Dame.

A bedroom at the OFF hotel in Paris. Image: OFF Hotel

While there are also other regeneration schemes going on in the French capital, the riverside development scheme came about because Parisians wanted to reclaim the Seine as a public space. It hadn’t been in previous years, because when the riverside quays were paved into roadways in the past, an asphalt divide separated it from the city. Mayor Anne Hidalgo has promised to make swimming in the river possible by 2024, and the Paris-Plages project has helped to develop the banks of the Seine as an urban beach. The Berges de Seine has also pedestrianised part of the Left Bank with cafés and children’s games.

For further information on OFF Hotel, please see here.