Best Hotels in Paris: Palace Hotels, Boutiques & Value Stays

Paris hotels are among the world's most coveted — from the "Palace" designation reserved for only a handful of exceptional properties to charming deux étoiles on the Left Bank that feel like staying in a private apartment. The Palace hotels — Ritz, Le Meurice, Hôtel de Crillon, The Peninsula, Le Bristol, Four Seasons George V — represent the zenith of hospitality globally. Each has invested hundreds of millions in recent renovations while preserving their Belle Époque architecture and legendarily discreet service. For a more intimate Left Bank experience, the Hôtel de Nesle and Hôtel des Grandes Écoles offer the quintessential Latin Quarter pension feel. Boutique hotels in the Marais — including Hotel du Petit Moulin, a converted mustard shop designed by Christian Lacroix — offer design-forward stays. Saint-Germain-des-Prés has the greatest concentration of three-star character hotels: L'Hôtel, where Oscar Wilde died ("dying beyond my means"), remains a pilgrimage for literary travellers. For value, the 10th and 11th arrondissements near Canal Saint-Martin have excellent mid-range options in the city's most vibrant neighbourhoods. Paris hotels invariably add breakfast charges — check whether to book it.