Words by Johanna Harlow / Photos by Annie Barnett and Johanna Harlow
Checking in? At Enchanté Boutique Hotel, a French chateau-inspired destination in Los Altos, the rooms are anything but cookie-cutter. With themes ranging from Madame Curie, Marie Antoinette and Tour de France, each of its 19 accommodations is fitted out with distinct furniture and historic artifacts dating back centuries.
“I wasn’t competing with the Hiltons or the Marriotts,” chuckles proprietor and longtime Los Altos resident Abigail (Abby) Ahrens. Nearly a decade ago, when she made the gutsy decision to transform an empty corner lot in downtown Los Altos into a little slice of Paris, she had no prior hospitality experience. Then again, neither did Los Altos. “When this town was founded, locals were promised a bank, a mercantile and a hotel,” in the downtown area, says Abby. She breaks into a grin and jokes, “It took me over 100 years to build the hotel.”
Unlocking an upstairs suite, Abby motions to one of the room’s decorations: an intricate piece of needlepoint depicting a group of women beneath a tree. “If you stood way back, you might think it was a painting.” This is one of countless pieces from her private collection of French artifacts that now grace the walls, mantels and hallways of Enchanté. An experienced collector with 40 years of finds (many dating back to the Napoleanic era), she’s tracked down hidden gems tucked into the corners of antique shops and concealed deep in the maze-like Marché aux Puces, a huge flea market in Paris.
While she may have been new to the hotel business, Abby brought her vision to life by harnessing her decades of experience as a real estate agent and home developer with a reputation for bestowing buildings with European spirit. “I’ve always been fascinated by history and architecture,” shares Abby, who has also preserved a number of historic buildings over the years. This includes the Heritage House, a 1909 bungalow thought to be the first building in downtown Los Altos, which Abby relocated to a site in Los Altos Hills.
It’s safe to say that Abby has poured herself into Enchanté. To make this passion project a reality, she even sold her own home—a place she’d lovingly customized with a door from Provence and reclaimed windows from Paris—and moved into a suite at her new hotel.
Guests can ask about any of the property’s distinct furnishings, and Abby’s got its backstory ready to go. “Every room really does tell a story,” she says as she heads down the hall, past a row of promising doors. “We’ve started to add [something] to the website called If Rooms Could Talk.”
In the Musique de l’Opera room, framed vintage sheet music decorates the walls, while over in the racehorse-themed Cheval de Course room, a lamp has been fashioned from antique trophies. The Marie Antoinette room features a poster of the renowned lady herself above the fireplace, while blue and white china plates matching her blue dress adorn the walls. “The entire feel in the room—the colors, the four-poster bed—just feels like something she would have loved cozying up into,” reflects Abby.
Another room, dedicated to Madame Curie, celebrates the French physicist and chemist who pioneered research on radioactivity, with scientific illustrations, dried herbs and antique apothecary jars. “The idea was to make it look like a laboratory,” Abby explains. The room also boasts antique compounding scales. Abby received these from the daughter of a longtime pharmacist in Los Altos. “She explained that he had a whole room of what she considered ‘pharmacy junk,’” Abby says. But you know what they say about one man’s trash.
More treasures await downstairs in Campagne One Main, the on-site bistro. Display cases hold historic military hats (including a Napoleonic bicorn), a period belt buckle and porcelain figurines. Overhead, the exposed ceiling beams are made from 200-year-old timber.
When Abby first voiced her plan to add a restaurant to the property, people shook their heads and told her, “Hotels are about heads in beds.” But Abby, a defier of odds, went right on ahead. It now serves piping-hot plates of ratatouille, duck confit and bowls of French onion soup.
Befitting a place with artistic flair, Enchanté celebrates the arts. The hotel hosts an annual fashion show featuring luxury women’s wear from Evaro Italia that benefits the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce. Every Monday, a magician works the dining room. Local musicians perform on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (as well as some additional nights). For a season, one of Abby’s servers was a trained opera singer who serenaded guests celebrating birthdays and anniversaries.
“I have an amazing staff,” exclaims Abby. “I stole my general manager Christian from Paris, where he ran hotels for over 30 years… He speaks six languages fluently! He hears a little of the accent, and he immediately greets guests in their own language.” She says she’s also loved working with Los Altos kids looking for their first jobs. “In real estate, you don’t have a lot of employees—so I never imagined what it might be like to be responsible for 20 families’ paychecks, their rent, their car payments, the Nikes their kids want for Christmas,” Abby muses. “They have been absolutely amazing.”
HOUND HOSPITALITY The hotel and bistro are both dog-friendly and the dining room serves a special “Napawleon Menu” for visiting pups. Abby’s amiable Yorkshire terrier, Antoine, acts as a canine concierge and welcomes guests at the door.