Best Paris Hotels

The iconic Ritz Paris has welcomed all manner of luminaries in its nearly 12 decades on Place Vendôme: Proust, Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Cole Porter all passed through its wrought-iron gates, and Coco Chanel made her home here for more than 30 years. Now, the hotel has emerged from a four-year, $450 million revamp, achieving that delicate balance between Old World elegance and contemporary comforts. Throughout, things simply look refreshed: Silk wall coverings shimmer, and the original boiserie glows. The first change you’ll notice is in the reception area, now transformed into a lofty, light-flooded space with 18-foot ceilings. With nearly a million mosaic tiles, the neoclassical swimming pool still looks like a Hollywood set piece; it’s now joined by the world’s first Chanel spa. We love the new patio restaurant, with its sliding roof and heated floors, and the clubby Salon Proust is the perfect spot for afternoon tea beside a roaring fire. Thankfully, the hotel didn’t mess with its most beloved haunt. Legendary barman Colin Peter Field is back at Bar Hemingway, mixing classic cocktails (like his impeccable Sidecar, left) and signature inventions such as the Serendipity (Champagne, Calvados, sugar, clarified apple juice and fresh mint). We’ll raise a glass to that. Rooms from $1,100 per night; ritzparis.com.

The founders of the Experimental Cocktail Club, an influential bar with outposts in London and New York, chose this once-seedy neighborhood for their first hotel. Minibars are stocked with all the ingredients and tools to make the bartenders’ recipe of the day. Doubles from $215; grandpigalle.com.

The 18th-century-style interior has been fastidiously updated over the past six years. The chef has earned three Michelin stars with dishes like foie gras and oysters in black tea broth. Doubles from $1,250; lebristolparis.com.

This 1920s swimming club fell into disrepair after closing in 1989, but reopened last year as one of Paris’s coolest new boutique hotels. The Yannick Alléno–curated bistro is a draw, but the main perks are the two massive pools, especially the one outdoors, which is open year-round. Doubles from $250; mgallery.com.

The Peninsula’s first European property offers airport transfers in a vintage Rolls-Royce. Its restaurant, LiLi, offers authentic dim sum and whole suckling pig. Doubles from $1,400; peninsula.com.

This hotel recently underwent a $200 million face-lift. In the silver dining room of Alain Ducasse’s restaurant, a new menu focuses on seafood dishes like blue lobster with preserved clementines. Doubles from $1,140; dorchestercollection.com.