A century after the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs – the moment that gave Art Deco its name – the French capital is marking the movement’s 100th anniversary with a major exhibition this autumn and a rare opportunity to experience the city through an architectural lens. At its heart is a stay at one of Paris’ most understated grande dames: the Prince de Galles.
Tucked just off the Champs-Élysées on Avenue George V, the Prince de Galles opened in 1929, the work of architect André Arfvidson. It remains one of the city’s most authentic Art Deco landmarks: less a hotel, more a living monument.
While many visitors to Paris make a beeline for Haussmannian grandeur or medieval alleyways, the Prince de Galles offers something different: a world born from the machine age. A symphony of mosaics is scattered throughout (including in many suite bathrooms), alongside wrought-iron balustrades and etched glass. The hotel’s grand hallways glow with the golden geometry and ornamental optimism that defined the Jazz Age.
This year, that sense of place has been brought into sharper focus with the launch of the ‘Unlocking Art Deco’ experience, a unique themed stay that makes an off-season trip to Paris a good idea.
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(George Kipouros) -
(@raphaelmetivet) -
(George Kiporous)
On checking in, I was ushered into a Mosaic Suite, lined with original tilework and burnished bronze accents, the palette a chic interplay of inky blues and polished stone. Throughout the hotel, Deco-inspired rooms and suites extended the story. They had the quiet hush and plushness you’d expect from a modern five-star, but with textures and materials that told the visual history of an architectural movement: marble, walnut, velvet. Even the lighting nodded to the era, glowing theatrically and casting the kind of soft shadows that could have lit a 1930s film set.
The centrepiece of my stay was the half-day ‘Unlocking Art Deco’ tour, an expert-led walk through the city’s most remarkable Deco monuments. Think of it less as sightseeing, more as architectural storytelling. The tour began with access to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the city’s first major Art Deco building and an early experiment in reinforced concrete. Its creation was a collaboration between some of France’s greatest artists and designers of the age.
From there, the narrative unfolded across the Musée d’Art Moderne, the Palais d’Iéna and the outstanding Musée des Arts Décoratifs, part of the Louvre complex. Each stop offered a new lens through which to view Deco’s rise and how its sleek lines and stylised motifs became a visual shorthand for progress, luxury and light. The route concluded at the historic Printemps department store, where we stepped beneath a soaring glass dome in a fitting finale: commercial Paris as a cathedral of design.
In a city known for its romance, the Prince de Galles quietly champions design while offering exceptional service. The ‘Unlocking Art Deco’ experience may come at a price (from €2,400/£2,045 per stay, including the suite and tour), but for architecture lovers, aesthetes and those craving a fresh take on Paris, it’s hard to beat.
More information: Standard rates from £750 B&B per night. Visit marriott.com or email hotelprincedegalles@luxurycollection.com
