The Elusive Man Behind the City’s Hottest Hideout: An Exclusive Look at the New Castiglione Addition
24 May 2021
The original Costes on Rue Saint-Honoré was one of the earliest cult anti-hotels. More like a members’ club with 78 baroque-chic bedrooms, its downstairs interior always buzzed with a kind of real-life Call My Agent! cast. The new Castiglione addition, slated to open in May, occupies a building on the adjacent Rue Castiglione, connecting to the original now named Saint-Honoré via a secret doorway. However, its brightness and openness create a distinctly different atmosphere.
“I feel like a farmer from my home region, the Aveyron, who has bought the neighboring estate and made one beautiful big property,” smiles Jean-Louis Costes. The creator of one of the most talked-about haunts in the world rarely speaks to the press, but his gentle enthusiasm shines as he showcases the newly finished Castiglione. “Regarde,” he points at a delicate gold tap in a bathroom designed to embody air and light. The 38 bedrooms are significantly larger than those in the older establishment, with double-height ceilings enhancing the sense of space, thanks to limestone and marble. Natural light streams through walk-in wardrobes, and bathrooms offer stunning views over the 1st arrondissement and Tuileries, while terraces gaze towards Place Vendôme and Sacré-Cœur. A spa with the largest indoor pool in Paris is in development beneath both sections of the hotel.
On the roof, a gilded sculpture by Canadian artist David Altmejd contributes to Costes’s museum-like art collection, which includes Igbo masks from Nigeria and a geometric glass-window installation. Designed by Christian Liaigre, the Castiglione is elegantly stripped back, in contrast to the opulent excess seen in the 1995 Jacques Garcia-designed Saint-Honoré. “I feared if I consulted Jacques again, we’d end up with a large patisserie alongside the one we have next door, which would be indigestible,” Costes remarks. “Christian kept insisting that I let him design the new hotel.” Nevertheless, elements of familiarity persist, such as eclectic artworks and rich damask upholstery. Ultimately, like its predecessor, its allure lies in something more intangible.
“It is whatever you think it is,” Costes explains. Elements like our music — the property has a channel on Apple Music and Spotify featuring everything from lounge electronica to Sixties French chansons — and our scent — Costes boasts its own perfumery and signature intoxicating woody scent — were not conceived for marketing but simply to enhance the experience. “I choose people. They do the rest.” The Castiglione will maintain the distinct soundtrack and aroma, catering to guests willing to indulge in its luxurious offerings. Regardless of the room chosen, brushing up on your français is advisable. “If someone speaks English to a staff member, they will respond in French,” asserts Costes, who prefers to conduct interviews in his native language. “It’s crucial that we remain a typical Parisian hotel.”
Rooms at the Castiglione start at approximately £1,040.
