Parisian brothels, Barcelona cotton exchanges
Planning a trip to Paris or Barcelona? Within a couple of weeks you’ll have the choice of staying in a converted brothel or an old cotton exchange.
Opening in early March in Paris’ Pigalle area is the Maison Souquet (10, rue des Bruxelles, 75009; maisonsouquet.com; room sfrom €250), a 20-room boutique hotel in a former Belle Époque “pleasure house”. The style is bordello-chic with touches of the Orient: each of the rooms is individually decorated – take your pick in styles from 18th-century, Indian or Napoleon III – and is named after a famous courtesan. The basement hammam and spa are the spot to unwind after a day on the boulevards (shopping and sightseeing, of course).
Meanwhile, the old Association of Cotton Manufacturers building in Barcelona has been converted into the 83-room Cotton House (Gran Vía de les Corts Catalanes, 670; hotelcottonhouse.com; rooms from €200). Part of the Marriott’s Autograph collection of hotels, the décor combines the grand elegance of the original 19th-century building with more modernist touches (the 1950s spiral staircase is a favourite with architecture buffs). There’s also a 300sq metre terrace and an outdoor pool and a small spa centre.
