The 49 Best Hotels in Paris
The hotels of Paris encourage lingering. Whether you’re in the City of Light for business or pleasure, there’s a hotel here to suit your style, mood, and budget—and to tempt you to stay longer. They occupy every kind of space, from repurposed historic mansions to barges on the Seine river, everywhere from the beating heart of the city to up-and-coming neighborhoods. And just when you think there couldn’t possibly be another new hotel to enhance the experience, one comes along to the Paris landscape alongside tried-and-true institutions to make a lasting impression. No matter what you’re looking for in this trip, our list of Paris's best hotels has you covered. Feel like you can’t choose only one? That’s reason enough to return.
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveler journalist who knows the destination and has visited that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider properties across price points that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination, keeping design, location, service, and sustainability credentials top of mind. This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
Read our complete Paris travel guide here.
All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Ludovic Balay/Hôtel Dame Des Arts ParishotelHôtel Dame des Arts
$$$ |
Hot List 2023 
Readers' Choice Awards 2023The Quartier Latin is, of course, a famously artsy part of Paris—one with strong cinematic associations. But you needn’t have stumbled out of a screening room at the nearby Le Champo rubbing your eyes with one hand and clutching an issue of Cahiers du Cinéma in the other to appreciate what designer Raphael Navot has done with Hôtel Dame Des Arts. It’s all about the interplay between curved and straight lines, hard and soft textures, glossy and matte surfaces—you’ll inhale its essence the moment you step inside. Style-wise, the 109 rooms are similarly got-up in a way that is at once spartan and spoiling, chic and subdued. The in-house restaurant serves up elevated contemporary Mexican cuisine with fusion of French, Mexican, and Japanese flavors, while the 360-degree views from the rooftop bar alone are a reason to book. If your faith in Paris is flagging—which does happen but seldom lasts—a visit to the rooftop of Hôtel Dame des Arts will restore it.
Jérôme GallandhotelHôtel Madame Rêve
$$$ | Hot List 2022Located on a discreet corner near Les Halles in what was once Paris’s only 24-hour post office, Madame Rêve Hotel is where well-heeled guests spend the night in stylish rooms with monument views, or at the hotel’s 10,000-square-foot rooftop and restaurant, primed for peak summer socializing. This is as central Paris as you can get: Walk south a mere four blocks to the Seine and the newly reopened La Samaritaine department store; east to the spectacular Bourse de la Commerce Pinault Collection and Les Halles; west to Palais Royale and the Louvre. Essentially, you can’t sneeze without bumping into 1,000 years of Paris history and culture. The pedestrian thoroughfare rue Montorgueil is also nearby for all your artisanal desires, be it a box of chocolates from À la Mère de Famille or a specialty pastry from Fou de Patisserie. Guests here range from tattooed fashion designers to white-haired entrepreneurs in pink Saint Laurent sneakers. The 82 rooms give off Bond-meets-Balmain vibes, with onyx desks and tables, tan leather chairs, and sumptuous linens—and, if you choose wisely, views of the Eiffel Tower. Enjoy a sexy, dimly lit dinner at La Plume, a Franco-Japanese offering that’s definitely the property’s pride and joy.
Vincent LerouxhotelRitz Paris
$$$ |
Gold List 2018, 2020, 2024 Hot List 2017 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023César Ritz opened this limestone bastion of French hospitality in 1898 and, in the course of running it, he and his wife, Marie Louise, who would take over the business, flipped the industry on its head. It was the first hotel in Paris with telephones, the first to offer private baths, and the first to install electricity throughout the property. It was also one of the first places in town where women could come without chaperones and meet friends for five o’clock tea. From the start, The Ritz Paris has been a Grand Siècle-style hotel with a modern soul and, much as in 1898, change is afoot. It’s said that when he was too ill to dine out, Marcel Proust had chicken and potatoes sent over from The Ritz Paris—now those hallowed kitchens are home to their first female head chef, Eugénie Béziat. Chef Béziat was born in Gabon to French parents and spent her childhood in Africa, so the flagship restaurant, Espadon, features dishes such as chicken yassa, a Senegalese speciality, and barbecued lobster with cassava semolina. Meanwhile, down a warmly lit hall is Bar Hemingway, named for the American novelist who scrimped for a cocktail a week at The Ritz. Last spring, longtime head bartender Colin Field (inventor of the Clean Dirty Martini, served with an ice cube of olive juice) stepped aside, and his protégé Anne-Sophie Prestail, has come in from the wings. From $2,163. —Jo Rodgers
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Ludwig FavrehotelMolitor
$$Paris is a city of pools—in fact, it's home to 38 public swimming spots—but none have the history of the Molitor. The bikini debuted here, and they say the water is so clear you can make your morning coffee with it. After a $100 million investment, the Molitor has been resurrected as the city's latest cool hangout. This is like staying at a beach club in the least likely of cities, where you'll meet an artsy, bon-vivant bunch looking to escape the summer heat. Perhaps the most transformative addition of all is the new hotel, most of whose 124 rooms have pool-facing portholes for prime people-watching. The mostly neutral colors (browns and creams) and modern design scheme of the interior offsets the pop-y yellows blues and whites of the pool area.Its lobby is a mélange of styles: industrial exposed ceiling, Art Deco furniture, and a graffiti-splattered Rolls-Royce—perfect to set the scene for a place that's used to making history.
Courtesy Small Luxury Hotels of the WorldhotelLe Pavillon de la Reine
$$ | Gold List 2018 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019The Marais neighborhood’s Place de Vosges has often been called one of the most beautiful squares in the world, so it’s a good thing that this family-owned hotel’s ivy-covered, 17th-century façade fits right in. The insides are pretty photo-worthy, too: past the extensive private garden courtyard—a fairytale come to life when all lit up—the interiors by Didier Benderli of Kérylos Interiors mix Old World touches like original antiques, marble fireplace mantles, and richly-colored oil portraits of aristocratic faces with contemporary-styled furnishings and clean lines, resulting in a vibe that’s both plush and un-fussy. Take note: The 56 rooms and suites each feature a different style and décor, so be sure to ask in advance if you prefer antique over modern, or vice-versa.
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Jérôme GallandhotelInterContinental Paris Le Grand
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018The ornate, Beaux-Arts frame of the InterContinental Paris Le Grand has been around since 1862, when the building was first inaugurated as Le Grand Hotel. Since then, its reputation for grandeur, along with its prime location—just across the avenue from the gilded Palais Garnier, home to the Paris Opera—has made it a magnet for international royalty (Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra, King Edward VII of England) and regular, if well-heeled, folk alike. But it's the buttoned-up Café de la Paix, housed on the ground floor of the hotel, that should shimmy to the top of your to-do list: Not only is the foie gras first-rate, but if you sit out on the terrasse long enough, you might start to soak in the genius of Émile Zola or Guy de Maupassant, just a few of its former patrons.
Courtesy Hôtel Providence/Photo by Benoît LinerohotelHôtel Providence
$ | Hot List 2016 Readers' Choice Awards 2016, 2018This place is made for falling in love—with Paris, above all. Hidden away on a side street in the ever-evolving 10th arrondisement, this 19th-century townhouse has been impeccably crafted under the direction of Pierre Moussie, known for his upscale bistros, including the nearby Chez Jeannette. Bespoke doesn’t begin to cover it: every finish, fabric, and fixture has been hand-picked from a mix of contemporary, vintage, and flea-market finds, resulting in a atmosphere that’s at once refined and playful.
Jerome GallandhotelPavillon Faubourg Saint Germain
$$In the beating heart of historic literary Paris, this retro-chic five-star on the left bank cleverly plays up the writers and philosophers who have spent time both in the Saint-Germain neighborhood and the hotel’s previous incarnation. Books published by Gallimard, whose headquarters are a short walk away, abound in cozy lounges, from the moody library to the fireplace salon, and in guest rooms, setting an artistic tone throughout the hotel. All 47 rooms and suites feel like little apartments, each with Haussmanian high ceilings, crown moldings, plush 70s-style furnishings, parquet floors, curvaceous angles and decorative pieces (mirrors, pillows, bedspreads, wall lights, and more) and a slightly different color palette. Keeping with the retro-chic aesthetic, double basins in the bathroom are set within a custom-designed wood and brushed brass cabinet while the Terrazzo floor shifts nicely from the Chevron floors. Of course, the most spectacular of the rooms is the top-floor (aptly-named) Joyce Suite—nearly 753 square feet of space with exposed wood beams, two bathrooms, and unobstructed views over the rooftops of Paris.
Matthieu SalvainghotelSaint James Paris
$$ | Hot List 2022 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019Set in a neoclassical former private residence and surrounded by a sizable structural garden, Paris’s only château-hotel underwent a radical decorative transformation last year—courtesy of Laura Gonzalez, who made it feel like a one-of-a-kind Parisian home once again. The 50 rooms and suites are perfect examples of Gonzalez’s maximalist design style: Think nature-inspired wallpapers, ornate moldings, and plush fabrics in mixed colors and textures. The wellness program also got a total reboot and was relaunched in 2021 as a three-room Guerlain spa, with large vaulted spaces, a stone staircase, and an aesthetic reminiscent of Greco-Roman thermal baths. Rooms from $620. —Lindsey Tramuta
Ludovic BalayhotelHotel Rochechouart
$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2022The carefree spirit of the roaring twenties lives on in this affordable and eminently fun eight-story Art Deco relic, with well-designed rooms, an elegant brasserie popular with locals, and a nightclub to keep the action going until late. The 106 rooms were given an autumnal, woody touch with burl wood headboards, curved armchairs or sofas, retro tiled bathrooms and alabaster suspension lamps, thoughtfully whisk guests to another time. The Sacré Coeur looms large from northern-facing room windows (and in some cases, balconies) but is accessible to all from the rooftop lounge bar. Be aware, if you don’t splurge on a suite, rooms will be compact in true Parisian style. The old-world brasserie on the ground-floor is destination among Parisians that has plush banquettes, soaring ceilings, and comforting Parisian classics like chicken liver pâté and roasted pork belly with crisp frites.
Jerome GallandhotelKimpton St Honoré
$$In the shadow of the Palais Garnier, the hotel immediately draws onlookers with its preserved Belle Epoque façade, trimmed with turquoise metal, embellished with stylized floral patterns, marble panels, copper and wrought iron balconies, and arched bay windows that once housed product displays when it was a department store (more on that below). On the inside, soaring volumes and historic decorative touches serve as chic eye candy. This is the first Kimpton property in France and sets a high design bar in a listed Art Deco building on the historic Boulevard des Capucines. Much of the historic (former department store) interior remains intact; the imposing spiral stairway, interior balconies, mezzanine-level alcoves and monumental period elevators. But the design scheme throughout, led by local design darling Charles Zana, elegantly updates the Art Deco style of 1930s luxury hotels through French artisans to contribute to the Parisian pied-à-terre esthetic. Perhaps the most un-Parisian place in the building is the 190 seat Montecito restaurant designed by Humbert & Poyet that channels Palm Springs insouciance; the main dining room is built around a patio with a photo-worthy green wall, and furnishings pop in a refreshing seaside color palette. The Cali-inspired menu has dishes you’re not likely to find at other Parisian hotels such as fish tacos, crab cakes, and Huevos Rancheros for breakfast.
François HalardhotelChâteau Voltaire
$$$Previously the administrative headquarters for Zadig & Voltaire spanning three buildings from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, the hotel is fashion designer Thierry Gillier’s first foray into the hotel industry. He tapped the right talents to bring his interpretation of Parisian elegance and hospitality to life, including the designers behind Festen Architecture known for skillfully updating historic spaces and designing hotels that feel more like private residences (such as Les Roches Rouges and Le Pigalle). There’s no standard room given that the property is composed of three different buildings from three different periods. But some details are shared, from fringed velvet furnishings, nature-inspired rugs, seashell light fixtures (which nod to the 16th century ornamentation on the hotel’s listed façade), bespoke headboards, solid oak wall lights, manor-style woodwork, and a soft, earthy color palette. The minibar is a compelling decorative touch on its own, set inside a dedicated cupboard and features an array of local, gourmet snacks, antiqued wine and cocktail glasses, and an anniversary edition of the 1935 Illy espresso machine for your morning and afternoon coffees.
Courtesy Grand Hôtel du Palais RoyalhotelGrand Hôtel du Palais Royal
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023The Palais Royal Gardens are many people's favorite place in Paris. Their number two? The Grand Hôtel du Palais Royal, the only one in the area with views over the gardens. The 57 rooms and 11 suites, Pierre-Yves Rochon-designed confections of light greens, powdery pinks, velvet, leather, and silk, are managed more like they're part of a family-owned boutique property; really, it feels like a series of apartments, complete with elegant, understated design schemes, and just enough space to feel like you're at home. It's affordable luxury in one of the very best locations in the city. Another happy surprise is Le Lulli Restaurant, a fine dining option set in a beautiful, garden-inspired dining room.
Marianne Majerus/Le Bristol ParishotelLe Bristol Paris
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Yes, Le Bristol is grand—the polished marble, the Louis XVI armchairs, the boiserie-paneled walls—but it has never felt cold or stuffy. I tend to go for Paris Fashion Week, and any sense of froideur is eliminated with one stroke of Fa-raon, the fluffy white Burmese cat and unofficial hotel mascot (he’s since had a son and heir, called Socrate)—usually draped over the concierge’s desk. Le Bristol has had a stylish insouciance ever since it opened on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in 1925, and it held on to its gilded soul after a six-year facelift that was unveiled in 2018 by its owners, the Oetker Collection. Suites are about chandeliers, Pierre Frey fabrics, and a very pure devotion to comfort overlooking the wonderfully serene enclosed garden by Arabella Lennox-Boyd, with its geometric lawns, fountains, and osmanthus topiaries. Eric Fréchon’s macaroni with black truffle and duck foie gras at three-Michelin-starred Epicure is a thing of wonder, as is Café Antonia, where the fashion crowd all seem to order the green bean, artichoke, and hazelnut salad. The spa by La Prairie does possibly the best massage in Paris.
Courtesy Hôtel LutetiahotelHôtel Lutetia
$$$ | Gold List 2020 Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023When this landmark hotel on Paris’s bohemian Left Bank was unveiled in 1910 it became an instant hangout for Hemingway and Joyce, then Matisse and Camus. Last summer, its glass doors reopened after a spectacular four-year restoration by French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who also designed the Mandarin Oriental across the Seine. Determined to honor Lutetia’s glamour, Wilmotte cut the room count down to 184 and enlarged the 47 suites, adding Hermès silk throw pillows, Art Deco-style pieces by Poltrona Frau and Statuario marble in the bathrooms; the bigger rooms have balconies with views of the Eiffel Tower. Yet in keeping with Lutetia’s social legacy, special attention was given to the public spaces. The famous bar that lured in the luminaries is now Joséphine—named for Baker, also a regular—with a menu that includes Champagne-topped vodka cocktails and croque caviar toasted sandwiches. Star chef Gérald Passédat dishes up marinated langoustines and oysters soaked in aloe vera at Brasserie Lutetia, while exquisite millefeuille is served inside the sun-flooded Saint Germain salon just as in Hemingway’s day, but now under a graffiti-colored glass roof by conceptual artist Fabrice Hyber. With Paris’s hotel scene skewing more boutique by the minute, Lutetia’s masterful restoration reminds us that this has always been a grande dame city at its core.
Courtesy Mandarin OrientalhotelMandarin Oriental, Paris
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023Transport yourself out of Paris with this high-gloss hotel, where the past—charming, though it is—doesn't trump the present. You might call it another elegance; but it makes sense that this would be the case at a Mandarin, where the codes for 'luxury' are different, where guests and staff alike swear by impeccable service from start to finish; stylish modern decor; and high-class dining and spa options. The unapologetically modern Thierry Marx overseeing Sur Mesure and Camélia is another way to bridge the divide: having him on board is a clear nod to the local culture and culinary prowess, but his inventiveness and diverse culinary background matches the hotel's contemporary spirit. Another feature that sets Mandarin apart? The to-go Cake Shop located at the entrance to Camélia, one of the only properties in Paris that has this on offer.
Courtesy Le RochhotelLe Roch Hotel & Spa
$$$Reflecting its surrounding area—where the Tuileries gardens, Place Vendôme and iconic Colette boutique mingle with residential buildings and neighborhood schools and churches—Le Roch tempers high design and haute cuisine with a relaxed, unassuming vibe. The first hotel project for designer Sarah Lavoine, known for her Parisian boutiques and lifestyle product collections, the tucked-away hotel opened in 2016 (pronounced “la rock”) and nails the home-away-from-home feel
Vincent LerouxhotelHôtel Le Grand Mazarin
$$$Le Grand Mazarin is the fourth in a budding collection of high-profile properties from Maisons Pariente, which includes Crillon-le-Brave in Provence, Le Coucou in Méribel and Lou Pinet in Saint-Tropez, and the first urban hotel for the group. Atmospheric could suitably describe all of the group’s hotels but Le Grand Mazarin is the most eclectic and maximalist of them all—a result of the Swedish designer Martin Brudnizki’s singular touch. And while it would be fair to assume the hotel’s name or location were somehow inspired by Louis XIV's famous minister, Cardinal Mazarin, the connection is related instead to a feature of his time—the literary salons that proliferated during the 17th century and saw the era’s greatest thinkers, performers, and artists gather in lavish locales to dialogue and indulge. It’s hard to beat chef Assaf Granit’s award-winning team when it comes to food and wine, and a Wes Anderson meets Alice in Wonderland literary-salon vibe is most apparent in each of the 50 guest rooms and 11 suites; some of which boast private balconies with views of the BHV/Marais and the neighborhood.
Courtesy BrachhotelBrach
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2021The staid 16th (arrondissement) hasn’t exactly drawn visitors over the years. So it’s a testament to the cool factor of Evok Hotels that it can take a former mail-sorting facility in this bourgeois, residential district and make it le talk of Paris. After a four-year renovation overseen by designer Philippe Starck, the resulting hotel is as much about a lifestyle as it is a place to crash. For one thing, the buzzing restaurant draws fashionable locals from breakfast until the early hours with its patisserie, plates to share, and potent drinks. A terrace bar lures the pretty people, as does the rooftop vegetable garden, which doubles as a place to picnic and take in views of the city. The subterranean fitness club channels a ’30s boxing gym and had a wait list the minute it opened. Even the swimming pool booms with a killer sound system. The party continues in the rooms, each with its own mini concept store (the minibar is so 2018), stocked with pre-made cocktails by the Avantgarde Spirits Company. The design smacks of Starck’s typical sassy eclecticism: walls covered in rich rosewood and leather, African masks and Maasai-style beadwork, and potted cacti next to the bathroom sinks hewn from unfinished blocks of marble. Who knew that the 16th, of all places, would become the city’s next hip address?
Photo by Romain Ricard/Courtesy Hôtel PanachehotelHôtel Panache
$ | Hot List 2017This boutique charmer, set in a triangle-shaped 19th-century building at the intersection of two bustling streets. Designer Dorothée Meilichzon has crafted the lobby restaurant and lounge with lots of—dare we say it?—panache, with light from the oversized windows shining on mosaic floors, cushy navy and rust velvet seating, and book shelves that seem to glow from within.
The Peninsula ParishotelThe Peninsula Paris
$$$ | Hot List 2015 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022After sitting empty for decades, a former 1908 hotel has been transformed into the first Parisian outpost for the Hong Kong-based Peninsula brand—and one of Paris’s newest Palace-grade hotels. Four years of work by a stable of skilled artisans has resulted in airy, refined public spaces, where a muted cream palette is accented by restored original wood, decorative stone work, and 40,000 pieces of gold leaf. And with five in-house dining venues, you hardly have the venture out: Standouts include LiLi, serving Cantonese cuisine (including a range of dim sum); the sixth-floor L’Oiseau Blanc, an indoor/outdoor French restaurant themed around the early days of aviation; and Le Bar Kleber, where original 1908 oak paneling, oversized mirrors, and terrace views set a sexy scene for cocktails.
hotelLe Meurice, Dorchester Collection
$$$ | Gold List 2020, 2023 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Ageless Le Meurice has always been tolerant of experimentation and eccentricity. No wonder it was Salvador Dalí’s favorite. Most of its suites, including the penthouse, Belle Étoile, have been redone in silk and velvet. Set just off the Tuileries Garden, the iconic spot—considered one of the first luxury hotels in the world when it opened in 1815—has a long history with the art world, from hosting Picasso's wedding dinner to, most famously, serving as the Persistence of Memory painter's Parisian home for over three decades. When renovating the Dorchester Collection hotel in 2016, father-daughter design duo Philippe and Ara Starck looked to Dalí for whimsical inspiration, so you'll now find classic elements like stately columns, marble-topped tables, and copper-rimmed mirrors balanced by original Eero Saarinen Tulip chairs and portraits of 18th-century personalities traced on the backs of leather seats. If you value location, are interested in design, and appreciate service that puts a premium on privacy, Le Meurice is worth the splurge.
Photo by Yolanda EdwardshotelRelais Christine
$$ | Gold List 2018 Readers' Choice Awards 2018Slip away from the lively cafés and chic boutiques of Saint-Germain-de-Prés, head down a quiet side street and through a leafy passageway and you’ll find one of Paris’s best-kept hotel secrets—and the regulars are inclined to keep it that way. Opened in 1979 in a 17th-century former private mansion (that itself was built on the vestiges of the 13th century Saint-Denis College of the Grands-Augustins Abbey), the hotel marries classic French design with contemporary materials and a fresh look dreamed up by designer Laura Gonzalez. If you want a memorable morning meal, you can have your coffee and croissant beneath the building’s vaulted cellar which doubles as the intimate breakfast room.
Paul BowyerhotelHotel Bachaumont
$After three years of renovations, the former Grand Hotel Bachaumont—which checked out its last guests in the ’70s—has been transformed into an Art Deco dream that’s as much a hit with locals as visitors. Designed by Dorothée Meilichzon, who’s also envisioned several of Paris’s recent boutique hotel projects, the breezy spaces are accented by black-and-white geometric tiles, marble floors, and sculptural furniture.
Courtesy Rosewood HotelshotelHôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023 Hot List 2018 Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Like the Ritz, Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel is a case study in how to stay relevant in the 21st century. But while the Ritz carried on in the same splendid fashion as always, the Crillon blasted off in search of something new. The result is a fascinating postmodern triumph. In the end, the refurb took four years and the hotel reopened in 2017 under the Rosewood brand. The best of what was the best of the Crillon has been thoughtfully preserved, while the best of what is new (the bar, the barbershop, L’Ecrin restaurant, and the stupendous suites by Karl Lagerfeld) is gobsmacking in its boldness and daring. After a day out on the town, relax in the Les Ambassadeurs lounge, which draws see-and-be-seen Parisians with live music and a selection of over 100 Champagnes, or in the new spa, with its indoor heated pool and treatments inspired by the beauty secrets of French grandmothers and great-grandmothers. The Crillon has long been a sentimental favorite among the French. It's a splurge, but fans of French history and style or hotel junkies with a running list of global icons to check in to won't be disappointed.
Benoît LinerohotelHotel Les Deux Gares
$ | Hot List 2021It’s hard to imagine that a single corner of the French capital has been left unexplored by hoteliers over the past decade. But, as proven by Adrien Gloaguen’s latest spot in unsung Little India, there are still overlooked pockets to be happened upon. When he first visited the site, then a glum two-star number, and saw the skyline views over the train tracks linking two of the city’s main stations, he knew that he could make something special of it—and that the right person for the job would be British wunderkind Luke Edward Hall. The interior designer’s first hotel project is full of joy, with nods to the past everywhere but also contemporary excitement. The Haussmann-style corner building is awash with bold color combinations, which is what drew the creative crowd who booked out the place even before it opened. “It’s my own, very personal and playful take on Parisian style,” says Hall. French antiques sit next to mid-century lamps; checkerboard contrasts with leopard print, and there are seventies geometric carpets alongside Art-Deco details. Edward Hall also transformed the tired bar across the street into the Café Les Deux Gares. The bistro already has a following of locals and food writers who feast on a lunch menu of plates, such as succulent pork loin with beetroot, washed down with natural wines. It takes a bold move to persuade savvy travelers to loiter near the stations, but the duo behind this hotel have cracked it.
Benoit LinerohotelMonsieur George Hotel & Spa
$$ | Hot List 2020Greek magnate Umbert Saltiel religiously went to Blake’s Hotel in London, Anouska’s Hempel’s first hotel, which she opened in 1978, every week for years on end. When it came to transforming his own latest hotel, in a handsome Hausmann building in Paris just a beat from the Champs-Élysées, he wanted no one else. His son, Nicolas, tracked down the onetime Bond Girl-turned-designer, otherwise known as Lady Weinberg, and convinced her to take on the project. And as ever, she doesn’t do things by half. Her exacting attention to detail is obvious everywhere—"If you’re alive, you have to try and be the best," she says—in a riot of jade, emerald, and forest green, black lacquered paint, chevron tiles, and marble, and so many mirrors your perspective shifts as you move. A small but cleverly constructed space, the 46 rooms are spread over six floors. Décor is a mishmash of Anoushka’s travels. Moroccan in essence, offset with Indian lanterns and ikat prints from Romania; moody and sultry. Lady Weinberg is so obsessed with lighting, she added a Perspex filter to light bulbs by the bed to achieve the perfect soft glow. In the basement, cult Parisian yoga and wellness club Le Tigre doles out soothing massages, while restaurant Galanya looks to Asia with yellowtail sashimi, prawn ravioli, beef tataki, and cod with Japanese mushrooms cooked with precision. Much like the entire hotel, nothing is an accident or left to chance; it’s an orchestra of taste, all conducted by Lady Weinberg herself. It’s an opulent addition to the Parisian scene.
Courtesy Cour des VosgeshotelCour des Vosges
$$$ | Hot List 2020On the Monopoly board of Paris, there could be no address smarter than the Place des Vosges in the Marais. It’s the city’s oldest and prettiest square: Louis XIII and Anne of Austria celebrated their engagement here in 1612; it was the site of trysts and duels during the 17th and 18th centuries; and in 1832 the great writer Victor Hugo moved into number six, overlooking the pleached lime trees and fountain-punctuated lawns. Across at number 19, the heavy unmarked door doesn’t give any clue that it conceals one of Paris’s most intriguing new arrivals. Cour des Vosges takes the now familiar home-as-hotel set-up and elevates it gloriously but discreetly. It marks a clear departure for Evok Hôtels, whose other haunts (Sinner, Brach) are more showy and dramatic. The ultra-private, Roman-style bath on the lower level is open day and night, while four-poster beds with panels that close to shut out daylight and mini-bars loaded with pastries make this a rare Parisian bolthole that encourages lazing about.
Courtesy Shangri-LahotelShangri-La Paris
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023In 1891, Prince Roland Bonaparte—grand-nephew to Napoleon—chose a prime setting near the Seine River to build an opulent palace, complete with an elaborate carved façade, a vaulted ceiling emblazoned with zodiac symbols, and a dramatic "Stairway of Honor" made from brass and forged steel. The cultured prince hosted many a lively gathering at his palace—a tradition of hospitality that was revived in 2010, with the opening of the Shangri-La Paris. Following a meticulous restoration, the landmark features a dome-topped marble entryway, original wood floors, stained glass windows, and hand-carved mahogany panels—plus that famous staircase. It's not just pretty, either: A favorite destination dining spot for locals, the hotel houses Shang Palace, the first Chinese restaurant in France to receive a Michelin star, and La Bauhinia, which serves an elegant East-meets-West menu (including a popular afternoon tea) under the central glass cupola.
Courtesy RaffleshotelLe Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023Beginning with the blood-red awning and lamps adorning the classic façade, it’s clear there’s a little mischief at the heart of this sophisticated lady. Originally opened in 1928, the hotel that’s hosted everyone from Winston Churchill to Michael Jackson underwent an extensive re-do in the mid-2000s, during which master designer Phillipe Starck brought in a playful, contemporary flair and a focus on art. (You can even get a guided tour of the hotel's private collection.) Standouts include a 99-seat, state-of-the-art movie theater, an art gallery and library, and a Matsuhisa outpost from Chef Nobu, which serves up Peruvian-Japanese cuisine.
Photo by Céline DemouxhotelOFF Paris Seine
$Paris's first boat hotel puts you right on the Seine for a truly unique perspective. Designed by Parisian nautical architect Gérard Ronzatti, and constructed in Normandy, the purpose-built barge (one of the largest docked on the river) evokes an over-sized catamaran wrapped in glass and steel. The hub is the sleek bar/lounge, which stretches from the main deck up to the U-shaped upper level where, in good weather, locals and guests gather around the plunge pool for cocktails, tapas, and selfies on inflatable gold swans.
Gaelle Le BoulicauthotelSO/ Paris
$$$If you’re after jaw-dropping views of the city, big on design, and don’t mind making an under-the-radar neighborhood your home base, this is a playful and comfortable new contender in Paris's sea of design properties. The hotel shares the site with an art gallery, several restaurants, a trendy youth hostel, a bakery, and residences. If the area is on the map today it is first and foremost because of the hotel and its fashion-forward crowd that piles into Bonnie, the oh-so-sceney restaurant-bar-nightclub on the top two floors, run separately by the Paris Society group. It’s here where hotel and restaurant guests can access 360-degree views and the Olafur Eliasson site-specific mirrored work The Seeing City. Each of the 162 rooms and suites are spread out between the 8th and 14th floors and are categorized by the views they offer—but river views are where you should allocate your budget if you can. All rooms have a colorful palette with shimmering earth tones, warm wood, ceramics, and thoughtful details like coffee tables, a spirits cabinet, Bluetooth speakers in the shape of a bulldog, and a minibar stocked with locally-sourced snacks.
Courtesy Four SeasonshotelFour Seasons Hotel George V, Paris
$$$ | Gold List 2018 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023Originally opened in 1928, in a prime location in the ever-so-chic eighth, this hotel is a true Paris icon—but from the moment you enter, it’s clear all is not as traditional as it might seem. The entryway is grand and gilded, the staff deferential and efficient (and always greeting you by name), but flashes of modern style and edgy attitude save the place from seeming staid. This is also the first hotel in Europe to feature five Michelin stars under one roof—garnered here by three distinct restaurants like fine dining Le Cinq, where French classics are reinterpreted using lighter ingredients and techniques. Fortunately, all restaurants are accented by prime vintages from the hotel’s legendary, 50,000 bottle-strong cellar, whose position 45-feet underground helped it survive the bombings of World War II.
Courtesy Generator ParishotelGenerator Paris
$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2022From the moment you check in at the colorfully-painted reception, under the bright lights of the movie theater marquee-style sign above, Generator makes you feel like a guest at a long-running party. Envisioned as the next generation of hostels, the brand celebrates unique design, engaging experiences, and locally-sourced food, while offering a range of room styles and prices.
Alexandre TabastehotelCheval Blanc Paris
$$$ | Hot List 2022 Readers' Choice Awards 2022, 2023Skip the sleepy districts that house so many of Paris’s plush hotels, and book a private perch with a bird’s eye view of the river and La Samaritaine as your fashion-forward neighbor. From a sophisticated suburban crowd to the Bobo’s of the right bank, every type of Parisian rubs shoulders with jet-setting guests in the convivial seventh-floor Art Deco brasserie meets cocktail bar, Le Tout-Paris. It’s the place to be seen before you escape to the subterranean spa or your room with a view. Almost every one of the 72 elegant, beige and gold-hued rooms, 46 of which are suites, overlook the Seine. The best spot from which to enjoy the hotel’s idyllic position is from a sunlit winter garden suite; this private perch offers views from Notre-Dame Cathedral to the Eiffel Tower, as well as a glimpse into day-to-day life in the French capital, the famous bouquinistes (or booksellers), and romantic promenades. Tucked away below ground, the brightly lit spa designed like a modern living room is helmed by another member of the LVMH équipe and star of both Parisian couture and beauty: Christian Dior.
Courtesy Hôtel RécamierhotelHôtel Récamier
$$ | Gold List 2018Under the supervision of a passionate owner, a run-down two-star hotel was in 2009 revived into this sophisticated Left Bank inn that evokes the apartment of a well-traveled art and history buff. Accented by the hotel’s signature scent, the interiors by Jean-Louis Deniot are contemporary and bright, warmed by reclaimed wood tables, metallic sculptures, and original artwork and unique objets sourced from around the world.
Courtesy Leading Hotels of the WorldhotelHôtel Lancaster
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018The creative spirit of former residents like Marlene Dietrich, Grace Kelly, and Greta Garbo imbue the spaces of this elegant spot, which began in the 1880s as the residence of a Spanish aristocrat, and was enlarged into a hotel in the Roaring ‘20s. The private home feel lingers, with antique accents, original detailing, and portraits by 1930s Russian artist Boris Pastoukhoff (another former resident) balanced by comfy, contemporary furnishings.
Kristen PelouhotelJ.K. Place Paris
$$$ | Hot List 2020Could this be designer Michele Bönan’s finest hour? The Florentine interiors guru has always gone the extra mile in his work for Italian-Israeli hotelier Ori Kafri’s J.K. Place stable, which launched in 2003 with the much-imitated J.K. Place Firenze. J.K. Place Paris, opened in 2020, is the group’s first hotel outside Italy and a 29-room conversion of a maison particulier located among the galleries and government offices of Paris’s Latin Quarter. For the interiors, Bönan raided antiques shops and flea markets for post-Cubist canvases, African chairs, and discarded sketches for old Hermès collections. Spread over three interconnected buildings and five floors, the handsome rooms come with perks that help to soften the muscular rates, including bathrooms so big you could take your morning coffee in them. Downstairs, the glass-roofed Casa Tua restaurant serves up good Northern Italian food, while a small but serviceable spa pool invites lazy lengths before negronis at the bar. There’s also a gym stocked with Technogym equipment and two rooms for spa and beauty treatments, but the real sell may be that the owner of the building loans out his own bateau-mouche riverboat—which even has a cinema—for private Seine cruises.
Courtesy Dorchester Collection/©Eric LaignelhotelHôtel Plaza Athénée, Dorchester Collection
$$$ | Gold List 2018 Hot List 2015 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023Don't let the aura of sedate elegance fool you: there's always been a playfulness at the heart of this grande dame. Opened in 1913, with its signature red awnings facing the stately Avenue Montaigne, the Plaza Athénée has long had ties to the fashion world, from the days when Christian Dior named collections after the hotel, to its appearance in fashion-themed favorites like Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada. Decor-wise, that translates to classic, chandelier-heavy public spaces that give way to contemporary flashes, like the futuristic, chrome-covered banquettes of an Alain Ducasse restaurant, and the blue velvet-covered ceiling of Le Bar; and guest-wise, it means you're likely to spot some fashion editors and design house execs circling the lobby.
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Courtesy Maison SouquethotelMaison Souquet
$$'Arabian Nights' meet Napoleon III at this heady hideaway envisioned by French designer extraordinaire, Jacques Garcia. Drawing inspiration from the building’s early-1900’s stint as a maison close (upscale brothel) frequented by well-to-do pleasure seekers, Garcia has kept the exterior understated—just look for the two red lanterns—then decked the interiors out in reams of lush velvet, Moorish tiles, antique furnishings, and oil paintings of women in seductive poses.
Amy MurellhotelL'Hôtel
$$The spirit of Oscar Wilde—or, at least, his love of decadence—lives on at the smallest five-star hotel in Paris. Housed in a 19th-century building (built on what was once the site of Queen Margot’s “pavilion of love”), the intimate hotel was for decades a popular hideaway for solace-seeking celebs, from Wilde (who lived at the hotel until his death) to, later, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, and Jim Morrison.
Karel Balas/Courtesy Hôtel des Grands BoulevardhotelHôtel des Grands Boulevards
$$ | Hot List 2018The third hotel from Paris’s charmingly raffish Experimental Group, who opened the cheeky Grand Pigalle and London’s perky Henrietta after establishing cocktail bars around the world, may be the most irresistible yet. The Hôtel des Grands Boulevards is tucked away in the 2nd Arrondissement, one of the most diverse and dynamic parts of the city. It’s where to find ornate theaters and arcades as well as whimsical textile workshops, and a healthily quirky dose of les flaneurs moving between them all. Staying at this converted 18th-century townhouse places guests properly amongst the muck, and with three bars and restaurants from which to watch the daily life unfold with an elderflower cocktail in hand, naturally. Interior designer Dorothee Meilichzon took her cues from the neighborhood when decking out the 50 rooms with textures, shapes, and colors. Petite guestrooms have luscious greens, blues, and pinks; against this palette the plump all-white beds seem like fluffy, cozy clouds. Tiny wooden stools near windows with ball-gown length drapes create the atmosphere of a Parisian parlor. Though when the bustle of the 2nd all gets a little too much, the ideal escape is on the rooftop, where gin joint The Shed serves a mean vodka with lemongrass to young locals who will no doubt be dressed better than yourself. Paris rarely feels as fun as it does from the inside of a hotel run by a bunch of bartenders.
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Courtesy Hôtel du Petit MoulinhotelHôtel du Petit Moulin
$Don't get confused by the vintage boulangerie signage: you're in the right place. Set in two connected 17th-century buildings—one the former home of one of Paris's first bakeries—the Hôtel du Petit Moulin feels like an insider's secret that's hiding in plain sight. The four-star charmer as been decked-out by fashion designer Christian Lacroix, so from the reception (located in the ersatz bakery) to the 17 rooms, the decor is bold, eclectic, and bursting with personality.
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Paul BowyerhotelMob Hotel
$Taking inspiration from Paris’s largest flea market, located about a 10-minute walk away, the eclectic Mob Hotel is awash in boho chic and bursting with creative energy. The experience starts at reception, which doubles as a shop stocking everything from snacks and stylish accessories to the odd guitar, and continues out to the backyard, where the restaurant’s terrace overlooks a garden that hosts al fresco movies in the summer, and turns into an ice skating rink in the winter.
Courtesy La Réserve ParishotelLa Réserve Paris - Hotel and Spa
$$$ | Gold List 2018, 2019, 2020 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023La Réserve owner Michel Reybier had great success with his Geneva and Ramatuelle outposts. Yet there was general astonishment when, in 2015, La Réserve Paris sashayed into town, teaching the city’s grandes dames new tricks. It's the most beloved address in the French capital for fashion editors and the go-to for regular visitors to the city who want to feel like they’re staying in a private mansion, with just 40 rooms in a fine hôtel particulier designed by Baron Haussmann for Napoleon III’s half-brother the Duc de Morny in 1854. Its position, on a quiet, tree-lined street moments from the Place de la Concorde, is propitious. Then you cross the threshold and—ka-boom!—it’s an explosion of color and texture in the best way imaginable. There’s brocade taffeta, velvet drapes and silk wallpapers in the richest shades of emerald and ruby. No crevice has gone ungilded. This is somewhere you'll want to come back to time and again.
hotelHôtel Raphael
$$Family-owned and operated since 1925 (it's now watched over by the fourth generation), this boutique five-star's intimate take on luxury has garnered it a legion of regulars, including a fair share of boldface names. Though the vibe is discreet, the public spaces are hardly subtle: Oriental rugs, trompe l’oeil walls, rich wood paneling, and antiques and artwork from the family’s collection.
Jefferson Lellouche & Guilhem TouzeryhotelHôtel Particulier Montmartre
$$Down a quiet cobblestoned street, past an unmarked gate, through the second door of a 19th-century mansion, and you’re home. Once the residence of people with last names like Rothschild and Hermès, this refuge has been transformed by Oscar Comtet, a young entrepreneur with a dynamic vision and keen eye, into the ultimate private hideaway.
Courtesy Chouchou HôtelhotelChouchou Hôtel
$$In the heart of the Opera district, just blocks from the Palais Garnier and other historic performance arts venues, as well as the iconic Galeries Lafayette department store, Chouchou aims to be both a gathering spot for locals and a place of respite for travelers. Named for a French term of endearment, Chouchou opened in fall 2020—a launch that was delayed just a few months due to the pandemic. The 63 rooms are divided into five categories, from single to suite, and vary in size and shape, but all have a thoughtful design full of eye-catching details, from parquet floors and lush textiles to bold splashes of color. Views are either of the courtyard or street (a few even look out at the Opera), and some categories come with balconies.
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