Luxury Parisian Hotels Compared

Luxury Parisian Hotels Compared

The opulence and downright luxury of some of Paris’ 5 star hotels are hard to put into words. Visiting the facilities is a far better way to understand just how deep the attention to detail has gone in the creation of some of these buildings.

World class designers, top of the range furniture and infallible hospitality are the names of the game.

These hotels are fit for royalty. So much so that guests sometimes find it hard to leave even to sightsee around the city.

Le Meurice – by Le Meurice – Sourced from their website

Pari’s most luxurious hotels are situated around different arrondissements, instead of congregating around just one. You’ll be able to stay right by the Eiffel Tower, or instead at the foot Montmartre hill if you so desire.

Since so much of Parisian sightseeing is done on foot, location is important. Before selecting your favorite luxury hotel make sure you’ve isolated all the sights you’d like to see while in town and try stay at the hotel in closest proximity for great walking excursions.

The free guided walking tours across the city are the best way to get from A to B. You’ll see them going through the city center at all hours of the day.

Shangri-La in Paris – by Shangri-La – Sourced from their website

Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris

25 Avenue Montaigne

I’ve never stayed at the Plaza Athenee (a girl can dream) but I do enjoy coming here to simply admire the aesthetic of the hotel.

The hotel is in a higher end part of town just a short walk from the famous Champs-Élysées. You’ll see the exterior a mile away, with its gorgeous cream colored facade and bright red flower boxes. Undoubtably the most beautiful “typical Parisian” luxury hotel this side of the Seine.

Hotel Plaza Athenee – by Hotel Plaza Athenee – Sourced from their website

What you really want to see is the central courtyard once inside the hotel. Floor to ceiling greenery with red canopies darting out from each of the rooms. Like something out of a fairy tale!

In fact, the hotel is so whimsical it has caught the attention of Hollywood producers a number of times. If you’ve ever watched Sex & the City or The Devil Wears Prada you’ll see glimpses of the Plaza Athenee.

The hotel bar is simply called Le Bar and is a beautiful space open to the public every day of the week. It’s a great excuse to enter the hotel if you aren’t already staying there!

Nearest sites: Arc de Triomphe, Seine River, Champs-Élysées shopping

Hotel Plaza Athenee – by Hotel Plaza Athenee – Sourced from their website

Ritz Hotel in Paris

15 Place Vendôme

Years ago, in 1898, Swiss hotelier César Ritz teamed up with a French chef named Auguste Escoffier. It was their mission to create one of the most luxurious hotels in the world right here in Paris — and they did just that.

Ritz Hotel Paris – by Ritz Hotel – Sourced from their website

The Ritz is a masterpiece. Over the years it has been home to kings and queens from all over Europe, artists and traveling performers take up the suites year round and the hospitality is world class.

Distinctive to Paris, there is even a Coco Chanel suite names after the icon herself who loved nothing more than a weekend at the Ritz.

The Ritz is a short walk from the Place Vendôme; arguably a public square as beautiful as the hotel itself. I love the view of the setting sun bouncing off of the plaza buildings in the late afternoon.

Ritz Hotel Breakfast Room – by Ritz Hotel – Sourced from their website

The breakfast room in the Ritz is part of their most recent four year-long renovations. It resembles somewhat of an old greenhouse as guests dine on Japanese-style breakfast under the French sky every morning.

Nearest sites: Place Vendôme, Tuileries Garden, Louvre Museum

Le Meurice in Paris

228 Rue de Rivoli

Not far from the Ritz is another opulent masterpiece of a hotel: Le Meurice Paris.

Let’s start with the fact that this 18th century building served as Salvador Dali’s permanent home for over three decades during his life in Paris. When it came time to renovate the hotel into what it is today, designers looked to the legacy of the artists for inspiration.

Le Meurice – by Le Meurice – Sourced from their website

Interiors fit for royals with a slight taste of Dali’s wonder world here and there. The hotel sits just off of the Tuileries Gardens in the 1st arrondissement; you are quite literally within walking distance of every notable attraction in the city center .

The Pompadour Suite is the one to try and book, especially in the winter time as it has its own grand fireplace inside.

Everything in this hotel is bespoke and one of a kind. From the chandeliers to the cabinets, mirrors to the floor boards — you’ll not find anything mimicked or repeated across suites.

Nearest sites: Tuileries Garden, Louvre Museum, Seine River, Orangerie Museum

Le Meurice – by Le Meurice – Sourced from their website

Shangri-La in Paris

10 Avenue d’Iéna

Our next luxury hotel is the place to be if you value once in a lifetime views and experiences. It’s widely known that Shangri-La boasts one of the best views of the Eiffel Tower in all of Paris.

Shangri-La in Paris – by Shangri-La – Sourced from their website

The rooftop terrace gives patrons front row tickets to the historic Bastille Day fireworks display each year. Even if you aren’t in town during this event, watching the Eiffel Tower twinkle by night is worthwhile year round.

The hotel is the epitome of opulence; it was, after all, commissioned in 1891 by the grand-nephew of Napoleon. The prince demanded prime location right by the Seine River, marble floors, stained glass windows and everything in between.

Shangri-La is where you go to relax. Their state of the art spa facilities bring in visitors daily even if they are not staying at the hotel.

Nearest sites: Trocadéro Gardens, Paris Aquarium, Palais de Chaillot, Pont de l’Alma

Shangri-La in Paris – by Shangri-La – Sourced from their website

Luxury living and Paris go together like breakfast and croissants. The royal history of the city has filtered through to the hotels that are now frequented by people from all around the world.

Leave your choice of which luxury hotel down to the area you most prefer within the city center!