The 32 Best Boutique Hotels in Paris

Our pick for history is Relais Christine Paris. The townhouse stands on the ruins of an Augustinian monastery founded in 1231 under Louis IX; its 13th-century vaults now house the Guerlain spa. In 1979 a pair of siblings opened a boutique hotel here, and the interiors are by Laura Gonzalez. Le Pavillon de la Reine Paris is named after Anne of Austria, who lived in the wing facing today’s Place des Vosges in the 17th century; the square was inaugurated in 1612 as Place Royale.Le Pavillon de la Reine Paris · Le MaraisLiterature runs through Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The three houses of Pavillon Faubourg Saint Germain date back to 1642; at number 1, James Joyce finished “Ulysses” in 1921, and in the vaulted cellar of number 3, where the spa is today, Léo Ferré made his debut at the Quod Libet cabaret. In the cellar bar of Hotel Pont Royal Paris, a hotel since 1923, Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Romain Gary were regulars. And Hotel Bel Ami Paris takes its name from Maupassant’s “Bel-Ami”, said to have been printed in this building in 1885.Château des Fleurs Paris · Champs-ÉlyséesBelle Époque and Art Deco: Château des Fleurs Paris occupies a 1910 townhouse near the Arc de Triomphe, which Quintana Partners furnished in a neo-Art Nouveau style inspired by Horta and Mackintosh, as a tribute to Parisian ballroom culture. Hyatt Paris Madeleine was built in 1860 as a banking family’s mansion; in 1927 it gained four floors and a glass-and-iron roof inspired by Gustave Eiffel’s workshops. The Art Deco factory of Hôtel Paris Bastille Boutet, with its ocher mosaics, was built by Achille Champy in 1926 for the timber merchant Maison Boutet.

Contemporary signatures: architect Thomas Vidalenc designed Norman Hotel Paris as a tribute to American graphic designer Norman Ives and his vivid work of the 1950s and 60s. At Hotel Dame des Arts Paris, Raphael Navot fitted a 1950s building almost entirely with bespoke furniture. Parisian designer Sarah Lavoine styled Le Roch Hotel Paris like small Parisian apartments. And Hotel Balzac Paris, on the site of Honoré de Balzac’s former home, was redesigned by Festen Architecture in 2024 in the style of the 1930s and 40s.

Michelin Keys: Eight hotels in this selection hold one Michelin Key each, among them Grand Hôtel du Palais Royal Paris, Relais Christine Paris, Château des Fleurs Paris and Le Pavillon de la Reine Paris. Michelin Keys recognize hotels, not restaurants. Grand Hôtel du Palais Royal Paris also holds four stars in the Forbes Travel Guide.

Truly small is Hotel Splendide Royal Paris: the 1897 townhouse, later owned by Pierre Cardin, has just twelve suites on six floors, furnished with an Italian touch. At Maison Barrière Vendôme Paris, each of the 26 units is dedicated to a woman who shaped Paris, from Simone de Beauvoir to Joséphine Baker. Many apartments have their own kitchen, a private chef comes on request, and check-in takes place right in your suite.Hotel Splendide Royal Paris · 8th ArrondissementHôtel L’Hotel Paris on Rue des Beaux-Arts, where Oscar Wilde lived until his death in 1900, has only 20 rooms. Jacques Garcia designed each one individually, a spiral staircase winds up six floors, and the hammam pool in the vaulted cellar is yours alone when you book ahead, included in the room rate. At Relais Christine Paris, 21 of the 48 rooms are suites, two garden suites have their own garden terrace, and an honesty bar awaits in the salons with fireplaces.Hotel San Regis ParisSeveral hotels are family-run. Hotel San Regis Paris, an 1857 townhouse and a hotel since 1923, has belonged to the Georges family since 1984 and is run today by the daughters Sarah and Zeina; many of the antiques came from the George V in the 1950s. The Temimi family has run Le Belmont Paris since 1972, now in the third generation, and at Majestic Hotel Champs-Elysées Paris, run by the family group Les Hôtels Baverez, more than half of the rooms and suites have a kitchenette.

Personal service takes many forms in Paris. At Fauchon L’Hôtel Paris, a gourmet bar stocked with Fauchon products, refilled free of charge every day, replaces the minibar; 21 of the 54 rooms are suites. Le Pigalle Paris does without a classic front desk: its 40 rooms are furnished like a Parisian friend’s apartment, with vinyl, books and flea-market finds, and room service is available around the clock.