A few weeks ago I spent a weekend at the mysterious Hotel Amour, rumored to be a former rent-by-the-hour hotel in Pigalle, Paris' red light district.

The history of the place now serves as Amour's theme - from the name and interior to its philosophy. In their own words: "Even though we love kids; Hotel Amour is indeed a more appropriate place to make babies rather than bringing them".
Like art hotels such as Winston, Fox and Des Arts, each of Hotel Amour's 20 rooms are different and have their own character, most of them styled by co-owner and street artist Monsieur André.

Some notes: Rooms must be booked in person or by phone. In the age of doing everything via the web, this can be quite a challenge, especially in French. Furthermore, you won't find much (any) information on their website thus fueling the mystique and myths about the place. Actually, the one-page website has been down for the past 4-5 weeks - perhaps they don't mind, because guests appear to be regulars and information about the hotel is virally distributed anyway (word of mouth). Rooms do not have conventional hotel-stuff like: TV, hairdryer, table, chairs, minibar and telephone, all of which urban travelers don't really need anyway. Besides the atmospheric decor, rooms are basically just fitted with queen-sized beds, an i-Pod base and a bathroom with Kiehl's skin and hair products. During my stay, a jazz quintet was playing live in the neighboring room. The SM/erotic picture on my wall didn't match the rest of the room's colorful cartoon-like style and for some Lynchian reason, the picture wouldn't hang straight. The restaurant/bar is frequented by local non-hotel guests, which is a total plus because it generates a lively non-hotelish atmosphere. Amour is not just a 'hotel with personality' but also a 'personal hotel' where basic human interactions seem to be in focus. Despite its somewhat hip reputation, it is quite relaxed and unpretentious.

• hotelamour.com (currently/permanently down)