Mama Shelter Toulouse

Few hotel brands are quite as successful at combining an instantly recognizable house style with careful tailoring to its locations. Mama Shelter Toulouse is full of subtle references to the architecture of this rose-colored Renaissance city; it’s more full, of course, of street art and youth-culture references, as well as some knowing nods to Toulouse’s thriving rugby fandom.

The facade of an old cinema conceals some 120 rooms, which range in no-nonsense style from size Small on up to XXL. The in-room comforts at all sizes are low-key where it doesn’t much matter, and luxurious where it does, specifically in the beds; movies are free, and the bath products in the oversized rain showers are organic.

There’s a 20-seat CineMama cinema in the basement, a tribute to the building’s original use, and there’s plentiful public space besides — the main restaurant, decorated with greenery, is an Argentine grill with an Occitan accent, while the bar features table football, DJ sets, live music, and festive cocktails. The finest space, however, just might be the rooftop, serving wine and tapas under striped umbrellas with a far-ranging view of the Ville Rose.