Article by Chelsea Kindred

“Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness impossible.” – Marcel Proust

It is not often that your first step into a new hotel surprises and enchants you. In the lobby of Hotel Joke, toys abound, lighted balloons that change color hang over the reception desk, and a corner filled with games and books invites you to take a moment to relax and enjoy. Warm croissants, fresh fruit, coffee and drinks are available for the taking. You can breathe; you’ve made it here.

Traveling isn’t easy. The weight of your luggage, navigating a foreign transit system, and communicating in another language can be exhausting. After making your way from the airport or train station, the last thing a weary traveler wants to do is hoist a suitcases up a stairwell or struggle through a lengthy conversation about your credit card at the check-in desk.

Hotel Joke wants you to feel at home. They want you to sit and have a free drink and bakery item from their lobby. They want you to feel truly welcome and every aspect of the hotel emphasizes this commitment to your comfort. From the interactions with the staff, to the fully stocked mini bar in your hotel room, to the hidden jokes found in every corner- the Hotel Joke wants you to be delighted.

Hotel Joke is an Asotel hotel in the heart of Paris. The appealing design and textures unique to the hotel show a real commitment to guest services and providing a comfortable stay for any person who comes through the doors.

The artistic rooms are full of surprises- jigsaw puzzle pieces under glass, magnetic poetry to build your own headboard, a wheel to spin just above your bed. The rooms are well appointed and clean, the bathroom spacious and filled with light. The provided toiletries are luxurious and the warm towels were welcome on a rare cold and rainy July day.

The hotel is just across from the infamous Moulin Rouge, a quarter of Paris that seriously sparkles at night with toasting glasses and bawdy laughter, with restaurants crowded into squares that offer a variety of food options just steps from the hotel. Multiple metro steps are within a minute or two walk from the front doors of the hotel. Turn a corridor just down the street from Hotel Joke and Sacré-Coeur startles you, another beautiful joke that Paris plays on all who visit her- revealing monuments, churches, artwork, gardens all there to explore if you keep your eyes open and have a good sense of humor.

Olivier Billard, the director of Hotel Joke, cited Proust when describing the air of the hotel. Proust, the enigmatic and beguiling author, is a perfect choice as Hotel Joke’s soul mate- both the hotel and the man have a sense of humor perfect for any weary traveler.

Stay. Play. Enjoy.

Hotel Joke

69 Rue Blanche, 75009 Paris, France, France