This surprising hotel, across the street from the busiest train station in Europe, is designed around the locals who play important roles in the life of the Parisian neighborhoods around the Gare du Nord. VISTO's far-reaching concept brings the energy, color, and sounds of the area into the hotel.
VISTO’s goal was to transform the guest experience through art and objects that reflect the lives and stories of people who play crucial, unsung roles in the area around the station. Their lives and stories fill the hotel.
“This new Parisian hotel has an explosion of colors and mash-up of styles. Here is a hotel that explores new territory and shakes up the traditional codes of hospitality.” — L’Express
The vibrant art collection makes the hotel an inviting, intriguing space. The direct connection between the art and the hotel’s story offers guests an interactive and meaningful experience.
“Terminus Nord creates the metaphor of a global, living culture, with all its richness and nuance, thanks to the creative direction of Alex Toledano of VISTO, who selected some 100 works by artists from diverse cultures.” —Air France Madame
VISTO developed the concept for the Sape Bar—noted by Vogue as one of the most beautiful bars in Paris—around the Congolese movement of well-dressed men known as sapeurs. The owner of the famous shop and the center of the community features in the mural by Brazilian street artist Nunca, while the movement is celebrated in a colorful collection of art filling the walls of the bar. The bar’s cocktails were inspired by the movement’s bravery, color, and elegance.
The project’s centerpiece, Portraits of the Gare du Nord, written by Alex Toledano, VISTO’s President, tells 15 stories about the people who make the neighborhood. All the objects and art in the guestrooms also reflect the stories of the neighborhood locals and their communities.
“The result: no hotel resembles it.” —Le Figaro