The landscape of France’s second city Marseilles, woefully devoid of luxury hotels, has just received an update with the arrival of the new InterContinental, housed in a magnificent 18th-century building overlooking the city’s old port. A onetime hospital, with a long and varied history dating back to 1166, the building is blessed with sweeping staircases, grand arched windows and elegant vaulted ceilings appointed by the designer, nephew of celebrated Baroque architect Jules Hardouin Mansart. Along with the original name (which translates to Hotel of God), the hotelier retained the building's features, which have been lovingly restored by Parisian architect Anthony Béchu. Jean-Philippe Nuel designed an emphatically modern interior with a standout monochrome marine-themed reception area and a lounge with striking black-and-white stonework on the floor and walls. There are 172 rooms and suites in all (the majority with sea views and private terraces) and facilities including a Clarins spa, indoor pool and glamorous brasserie and bar, which spills out onto a sun-drenched patio. Come September, serious gourmets will have the option of a second restaurant, the 40-seat brasserie run by Michelin-starred chef and longtime Marseille resident Lionel Levy.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
1 Place Daviel
Marseille
France
-
Jaç Hi-Fi Café brings Japanese listening-bar culture to BarcelonaIsern Serra Studio unveils a sound-sculpted interior that brings Japanese listening traditions into Catalonia’s contemporary design landscape
-
Modernist and contemporary Brazilian furniture face off in this LA exhibition‘Lightness & Tension’ (5-19 September 2025) features the work of Joaquim Tenreiro and Lucas Simões, as curator and dealer Ulysses de Santi explores the trajectory Brazilian furniture design
-
A refreshed Victorian home in London is soft, elegant and primed for hostingSobremesa house by architects Studio McW shows off its renovation and extension, designed for entertaining
-
At La Fondation hotel in Paris, minimalism has irresistible warmthOnce a parking lot, this 17th-arrondissement stay now offers rooftop city views, cocooning suites, and interiors by Roman and Williams
-
Sip in style at 30,000 feet with Air France’s new premier cocktail collectionThe airline partners with mixologist Matthias Giroud on three new signature cocktails for its La Première customers – here’s to a modern negroni, or a spicy non-alcoholic tipple
-
Discover Philippe Starck’s most surreal hotel yetAt Maison Heler Metz, brutalism meets bedtime story, with a 19th-century home perched on a concrete tower and a fictional host guiding the way
-
Locke unveils its most theatrical aparthotel yet in ParisDesign studio Fettle creates a layered and light-filled escape for the hospitality brand’s first Paris outpost, Le Jardin de Verre by Locke
-
The most stylish hotel takeovers to pop up at this summerFrom Capri to Ibiza, luxury fashion brands are taking over seaside resorts with exclusive boutique pop-ups and bespoke poolside accessories
-
Tour Eurostar’s sleek new lounges in Paris and BrusselsLondon-based Chris Bagot Architects has designed a stylish environment in which to work or unwind prior to high-speed rail travel
-
Taste a Louis Vuitton summer in sun-drenched Saint-TropezThe Arnaud Donckele & Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton restaurant returns to the White 1921 Saint-Tropez hotel for its third edition, now with a Michelin star
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Experimental Marais: a lush homecoming for the hospitality forceExperimental Group returns to its Parisian roots, where it opened its founding bar, to launch its first-ever flagship hotel, designed by Tristan Auer
