The former Axial Beaubourg has annexed the property next door to give it 19 new rooms and a stylish bar-lounge open to passing Marais hipsters – hence the change of name, though the same helpful team still manages it. If you like contemporary décor in the centre of the action this is the place for you. The hotel is superbly placed for the Marais’ lively bar scene and the Centre Pompidou, and looks like a page from Elle Déco with its giant two-tone lampshades, moss-coloured or Prince-of-Wales check chairs, and library stocked with design tomes. In the new rooms, designer Jean-Phlippe Nuel has combined wallpapers and fabrics in modish brown tones and there are square sinks and flat-screen TVs. A suite has a private courtyard and bath for two. The cheaper old rooms are similar in style but not quite as swanky and new. The place is squeaky clean and a small fitness room and sauna have just been opened.