Dishonesty Hour in Paris

Happy hour has gone rogue in Paris. Three boutique hotels have recently introduced “Dishonesty Hour” from 5 – 6 p.m. on Wednesdays. At La Pavillon de la Reine, just off the historic Place des Vosges in the heart of the Marais, guests like to unwind with wine or cocktails from the honor bar in the library lounge. You can mix your own beverage of choice, note it on a paper to be billed later, then sink into one of the velvet chairs to admire the room’s chic decoration by designer Didier Benderli, a protégé of Jacques Garcia. (Think red and gold color palette, sumptuous fabrics, shelves lined with books and objets d’art…)

But at Dishonesty Hour, the drinks are on the house. The hotel is inviting guests to help themselves from the bar, free of charge. The Pavillon de la Reine’s two sister hotels, Le Pavillon des Lettres and Hotel du Petit Moulin, have also introduced this fun perk. Just around the corner from the Élysée Palace in the eighth arrondissement, Le Pavillon des Lettres opened in 2011 with a literature-inspired design scheme. Each of its 26 rooms represents a letter of the alphabet and is devoted to a writer (like Z for Zola).

When, in 2012, Paris hotelier Jérôme Chevalier purchased Hotel du Petit Moulin, the Christian Lacroix-designed hotel in the hip Upper Marais, he brought the total hotel count to three. Behind the original boulangerie façade (the building used to be a bakery), the Hotel du Petit Moulin has 17 whimsical rooms decorated with flair. Some even feature designs from Lacroix’s own sketch pads on the walls.