J.K. Place Paris Rive Gauche, the eponymous brand’s first hotel outside of Italy
The world famous Italian J.K. Place chain has opened its first international hotel. Its location on the Left Bank makes it a unique addition to the Parisian hospitality scene.
Paris is home to some of the most iconic luxury hotels in the world, so it takes a lot for a new hotel to make an impression. However J.K. Place Paris is truly one of a kind, bringing Italian identity and heritage to the City of Lights . A more than five-year project in the making, it is the first property outside of Italy from the impossibly stylish J.K. Group, which has gained a reputation among frequent travelers for its personalized service, home-away-from-home ambiance and elevated sense of style, which includes a unique décor in each room by the designer Michele Bönan. Opened in late-November 2019, the Paris outpost is set in the converted former European Consulate in the 7th Arrondissement, just off the Seine and a couple blocks from the Musée d’Orsay.
The location on the Left Bank is just one of the ways J.K. Place Paris sets itself apart from the city’s larger palace-grade properties. “When you stay at a J.K., you’re not a hotel guest—you’re a guest at a friend’s home, and the staff are your warm hosts,” says the company’s owner and founder, Ori Kafri. “They find out your likes and dislikes and tailor your experience accordingly.” Kafri likens checking in to a J.K. to buying a couture dress or suit. “It’s a made to measure place, and everyone is a VIP.”
Each of the 29 rooms is unique, while still united by the common thread of Kafri and Bönan’s artistic vision. “The hotel should feel like it’s full of things you gathered on your travels,” Kafri said. Each room has a J.K. Place signature: most rooms have griffe du lion marble fireplaces. The building is centered around a glass enclosed courtyard restaurant. At breakfast, the tables are laden with fig tartes, madeleines, and other precious patisserie; when the sun sets and Paris lets its hair down, the airy space transforms into a sultry outpost of Miami restaurant Casa Tua, the Miami- and Aspen-based members club / Italian restaurant that has a similar guest-at-a-private house ethos. Chef Michele Fortunato serves Italian inspired dishes with a delicate touch and some creative updates: cheesy “Scotch” quail eggs over carrot purée; ricotta gnudi, dressed with pine nuts and velvety black-eyed peas; a perfectly-cooked bistecca crowned with caramelized foie gras.
Soon, the hotel will unveil a subterranean Sisley spa, the only one in the city, complete with a fitness center and a marble-and-tile swimming pool. The team is also putting the finishing touches on their very own bateau mouche on the Seine. Unlike the traditional tourist version, this boat will have luxuries like a below-deck movie theater and a dining room with an open kitchen. It will be available for guests as part of a program of curated excursions that will soon begin rolling out. Kafri mused about the possibility of leading guests on a shopping tour of the fish market at Rungis — Paris’ famously hectic wholesale market, the largest in the world — and then bringing guests on board for a seafood lunch cooked by a private chef.
