TRAVEL + LEISURE Etats -Unis Avril 2013

The World’s Greatest

HOTELS2013 EDITION

Introduction by Nancy Novogrod

A bright guest-room

alcove. Right: The hotel’s low-lit bar.

Opened four years after its Parisian parent, this slightly smaller baby-Shelter—in Marseilles’ up-and-coming Cours Julien neighborhood— gives urban minimalism a street-smart spin. The hotel comes courtesy of Philippe Starck, who expanded on his whimsical bric-a-brac aesthetic by infusing public spaces with the warm tones and aquatic touches of the Midi region. Aluminum octopi drip over the hotel’s entranceway; ceilings are lined with graffitied chalkboards; rainbow-bright inflatable rafts hang above the bar. A pink foosball table channels the spirit of a traditional pétanque court. By contrast, each of the 123 rooms is a little Zen koan for the 21st century: bare cement walls, pastel accents, and embedded Apple TV’s. At all hours, guests crowd into the Alain Senderens restaurant for chorizo-and-cherry-tomato pizza—so good it’s almost enough to make you forget about the hotel’s beach 15 minutes away.

64 Rue de la Loubière; 33-4/84-35-20-00; mamashelter.com. $ 130 131

euro

pe

Colorful rafts hanging above Mama Shelter Marseilles’ bar.

Marseilles, France

Mama Shelter

The World’s Greatest

HOTELS2013 EDITION

Introduction by Nancy Novogrod

A bright guest-room

alcove. Right: The hotel’s low-lit bar.

Opened four years after its Parisian parent, this slightly smaller baby-Shelter—in Marseilles’ up-and-coming Cours Julien neighborhood— gives urban minimalism a street-smart spin. The hotel comes courtesy of Philippe Starck, who expanded on his whimsical bric-a-brac aesthetic by infusing public spaces with the warm tones and aquatic touches of the Midi region. Aluminum octopi drip over the hotel’s entranceway; ceilings are lined with graffitied chalkboards; rainbow-bright inflatable rafts hang above the bar. A pink foosball table channels the spirit of a traditional pétanque court. By contrast, each of the 123 rooms is a little Zen koan for the 21st century: bare cement walls, pastel accents, and embedded Apple TV’s. At all hours, guests crowd into the Alain Senderens restaurant for chorizo-and-cherry-tomato pizza—so good it’s almost enough to make you forget about the hotel’s beach 15 minutes away.

64 Rue de la Loubière; 33-4/84-35-20-00; mamashelter.com. $ 130 131

euro

pe

Colorful rafts hanging above Mama Shelter Marseilles’ bar.

Marseilles, France

Mama Shelter

TRAVEL + LEISURE Etats -Unis Avril 2013