11 Rue de la Nuée-Bleue, 67000 Strasbourg

Hôtel Léonor

Name: Hôtel Léonor
Address: 11 Rue de la Nuée-Bleue, Strasbourg, 67000, FR
Price range: 171 EUR
Rating: 4.65

Hotel 4-star in Strasbourg

Presentation

The Léonor stretches between Place Broglie and the quays, in an 18th-century building whose facade, listed as a historic monument, has retained all its elegance. You enter through a carriage gate that seems to have crossed the centuries without changing much, since the time of Marshal Léonor Marie du Maine de Bourg, the very man who gave his name to the place before it successively became a courthouse and then a police station.

On the other side of the lobby, a 500-square-meter inner courtyard opens to the sky. Jean-Philippe Nuel, who designed the decor, chose to set the old stonework in dialogue with contemporary furniture, almost industrial in places. Strasbourg locals gladly stop there at the end of the day, coffee or a drink in hand, and you’ll meet as many hotel guests as neighborhood residents who have simply come to spend a moment there.

As you go up the floors, the rooms tell another story. A wall of red ochre wallpaper, with half-erased patterns, reminds you in each of the 116 rooms and suites that these walls have had several lives. The layouts change from one room to another; some inherited from the old building offer unusually high ceilings. The bathrooms, more contemporary, deliberately contrast with the rest of the decor. On the courtesy tray, a Nespresso machine, and in the minibar, a few complimentary touches. Recent reviews agree on one point: cleanliness is almost brand-new, with soft towels, bathrobes, and slippers provided.

On the ground floor, everything opens up. The bar-pastry shop-restaurant operates without strict hours, and a permanent menu makes it possible to snack on a pastry at 3 p.m. or have a hot dish at 10 p.m. The cuisine bears the signature of Nicolas Stamm-Corby and Serge Schaal, from La Fourchette des Ducs (two Michelin stars), supported by executive chefs Axelle and Mathias Stelter. Seasonal Alsatian produce often appears on the plate, without much showmanship. Food intolerances are simply reported to reception, which adapts without making a fuss.

From morning onward, the leafy terrace gradually fills around the breakfast buffet, generous and varied. This is probably the quietest moment of the day here, before the ground floor once again becomes a thoroughfare. For the Léonor functions like an urban landmark: people come here for a drink between meetings, to meet friends, or simply to settle in with a laptop for an hour. This constant flow gives the place a special energy, but for anyone seeking a room completely away from the bustle of the ground floor, it is better to request a high floor overlooking the courtyard.

No pool at the Léonor. The fitness room, however, occupies an old vaulted room with exposed stone walls, a rather unexpected setting for a pilates class or a session with a certified coach.

The four seminar rooms also open onto the inner courtyard and are bathed in daylight, far from the usual atmosphere of windowless meeting rooms.

One final tip for those who have breakfast late: it is better to arrive before 9 a.m.; the buffet fills up quickly and loses a little of its calm.

Summary of a few positive reviews read on the Web

Impeccable room, soft towels, bathrobe and slippers provided. It feels like no one slept here before us.
Just a stone’s throw from the station. About a twenty-minute walk to reach the cathedral and the quays.
Generous breakfast, attentive staff even with a crowd at the buffet.
Beautiful breakfast buffet in the morning, a shame the wholegrain bread isn’t organic.
Very lively inner courtyard in the evening, between the bar and the restaurant.
Quick and thoughtful bar service, a good place for a coffee during the day.