The elevator doors swing open and I step into darkness. Then I notice the luminous painted stars on its sides and the barely visible control panel. Up in the dimly-lit corridor, I grope my way to my room which has an Italian name plate (no numbers) and place my finger in a digital device till the computer recognises the whorls and swirls on the tip and the green light ‘unlocks’ the door! Very New Age. In 60 seconds, I absorb the Marilyn Monroe Pop Art above the bed, the black tiled flooring, silver-hued chairs, Bang & Olufsen DVD player and ol’ Dom cooling itself in an ice bucket. When I fiddle with the light switches, the room changes colour — from rose pink to sky blue, from solar yellow to floaty lilac. An adjustable lighting system to suit every mood. Quite sensuous, I think, as I examine the goose feather ergonomic pillows. If you happen to check yourself into one of the plush suites, there is even a private heated pool to slip into for a bit of skinnydipping.

Situated on the edge of the trendy Marais district in Paris, the four-year-old Murano Urban Resort — draped in Venetian mirrors, Vincent Breed glass sculptures and crystal chandeliers, some from the island of Murano near Venice — took two years of thought, 500 architectural plans and 15 months of construction, before designers Christine Derory and Raymond Morel could create a setting that spelt relaxed luxe, injected with a resolutely modernist appeal.

While the white building retains some of its 19th century origins, the heart of the resort lies beneath its enormous glass roof where an embedded fireplace sends out controlled flames that flicker on the shingled edges. A long white Chesterfield-style sofa – the lobby’s pride and joy — nudges a pink 21st century version of the love seat and as I sip a cocktail seated on a tulip-shaped stool at the adjoining bar, I am told there are more than 170 varieties of vodka to choose from, all exclusively imported from around the world.

When dusk falls, the bar’s daytime façade of natural light, Columbian brews and buttery croissants, becomes all flirty colours, select cigars and throbbing beats. The hotel has nurtured for itself a strong musical identity that finds a loyal set of aficionados returning time and again to groove to the ‘aphrodisiac nights’ every Friday and live concert performances twice a week. Celebrity deejays play the sounds of the night and the inhouse bartenders – among them the deft-handed Sandrine Houdre-Gregoire who has just released her sixth menu of cocktails — captivate from their positions behind the 15 metre-long black slate bar.

Along with deep red and white, the colour black is a continuous element in the sleek design. It shows up in the pebbled flooring of the bathrooms, toilet rolls, restaurant napkins, crockery…but in the honeymoon suite pink rules. Fluttery pink curtains, sunken Jacuzzi, 360 degree bed, pink heart-shaped pillows, classical ‘pleasure kits’, champagne and strawberries, a Cabriolet Audi TT Sportline on call – all very popular with celebrities, married or not, as proved by singer Rihanna who checked into the suite that very evening.

All things said, a hotel, classical or contemporary, usually achieves cult status for the cuisine it keeps and the Murano does not disappoint. On offer are chef Antoine Perray’s refreshingly light and creative concoctions that include his famed monkfish bouillabaisse and turbot with an arugula reduction. ‘Full steam ahead’ is the fat-free menu and the legendary Sunday brunch, said to be one of the most lavish in Paris packs a punch not just with its stretched timings from 12pm to 5pm but also for its wide variety, which even finds favour with the staunchest vegetarian. And if it’s traditional you’re looking for, there is the annual Dom Perignon New Year’s Eve dinner coming up....

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