New Paris hotel designed by Christian Lacroix

Following a soft launch just before Christmas, the Hôtel du Continent, with its 25 rooms and globe-trotting atmosphere, will hold its grand opening on February 3. Each floor in the new hotel is dedicated to a different continent. Europe, Africa, Asia, America and Oceania are represented "far from any anthropological or strictly ethnic preoccupation, but rather with this fanciful distance known to ancient travelers who brought back with them not only scientific information but tales and dreams too," according to French stylist and couturier Christian Lacroix, who designed the interior of the three-star establishment. The sixth floor, meanwhile, is dedicated to Antarctica. Located on Paris's Right Bank, just around the corner from the prestigious Place Vendôme, the Hôtel du Continent offers guests 25 rooms in three different sizes. Guests can expect to pay around €125 ($170) for a fully equipped room of around 10 square meters (110 sq ft). Nightly rates for the extra-large rooms (up to 31 sq m/333 sq ft) can reach up to €400 per night ($542). This is not the first time the iconic French couturier has lent his design sensibilities to the interior design of a hotel. Lacroix headed up the interior design of areas of the Sofitel So Bangkok hotel in Thailand, including its VIP lounge. Source: Relaxnews