One street off the Champs-Élysées, and practically right next door to the president’s palace, La Réserve occupies a stately, subdued 19th-century Haussmannian structure. Its interiors, however, are exquisitely designed by Jacques Garcia, whose typically romantic style is at its most refined here. The rooms and suites are as lavish as they come, large by any standard but positively palatial for Paris, and they’re equipped with every imaginable luxury.

Normally the palace hotels are held up as the standard for Parisian hospitality, but a hotel that’s as luxurious as any of them, while containing a mere eleven rooms and suites, is operating on a whole different level. Any one of the suites is of virtually presidential status, and the rooms, while measurably smaller, lack for nothing in terms of comfort — at all levels you’ll find stunning marble baths, custom-made furniture by Promemoria, and handmade mattresses from Vispring.

For many decades it was in a class of its own at the top of the luxury-hotel world, a world it played a major role in creating. And while these days it’s far from the only hotel of its kind, a 21st-century renovation has returned it to the glory of its early days, and — in spirit, at least — it’s once again worthy of legendary guests like Chopin, Proust, and Coco Chanel.

Something like the Saint James, almost a country-style château, surrounded by a wall and garden, is vanishingly rare— especially in Paris. It’s fresh off a thorough renovation by Laura Gonzalez, who has updated its unique interiors for a new decade; return visitors will find it subtler and more sophisticated than before, but no less expressive.

The most well-mannered of the Paris grand hotels is Le Bristol Paris, named after an English lord and a bishop. It is also by far the most reserved. Rather appropriately, it’s where Newland Archer stays in that final, heartbreaking scene in Edith Wharton's Age of Innocence, when he goes to see Madame Olenska and, at the last minute, holds back. There is something about Le Bristol that inspires both romance and restraint.

With just 72 rooms and suites, Cheval Blanc Paris operates on a boutique scale, even as it ascends to grand-hotel heights of luxury — the most extravagant suite spans two levels and contains its own swimming pool. Highlights include the Dior Spa and a vast indoor infinity pool, as well as four restaurants by an all-star team of highly decorated chefs.

Combining eighteenth-century elegance and Art Deco cool, this Belle Epoque hotel may be a classic but it is no museum. Even in its youth, in the 1930s, the Plaza Athénée was equal parts classical French style and contemporary hipster hangout — the likes of Josephine Baker and Rudolph Valentino could be seen among the patrons of the hotel bar.

Four Seasons Hotel George V is central to the world of Parisian palace hotels, a genre, in fact, that it played some role in establishing. The location, on the border of the 8th’s ultra-luxe Golden Triangle, can quite rightly be called iconic, surrounded as it is by the biggest names in fashion. And the visual experience is quintessentially Parisian twice over — the architecture and interiors are a harmonious marriage of the hotel’s original Art Deco style and a thorough Louis XV restoration.

In the case of Le Meurice, the nickname “the hotel of kings” is not an aspiration, but a straightforward statement of fact. Since its 1835 opening it’s hosted a long list of luminaries, from heads of state like Queen Victoria and King George VI to Picasso, Dalí, and Coco Chanel.

The hotel is new, but of course, the historic setting is not — this is Paris, after all. The look merges classic Parisian sophistication with a modern edge: picture a minimalist lobby lined with Carrara marble, floor-to-ceiling windows framed by heavy drapery, dark wood paneling, the rooms’ original moulding set off by walls painted a cool shade of slate gray.

Its distinctive silhouette is an artifact of the era, just when Art Nouveau was giving way to Art Deco. And while the renovation has certainly been sensitive to its history — of particular note are the ceilings, especially Bar Josephine’s fresco and the restaurant’s glass roof — it’s also brought the Lutetia up to 21st-century standard, adding a subterranean spa and swimming pool and a contemporary re-interpretation of the century-old style for the new guest room interiors.

This is the fantasy version of a stylish Parisian mansion, making its home in what was once the European Consulate, on the rue de Lille, a block from the Rive Gauche. Its 29 rooms are all subtly different, full of unique antiques and artworks, and suffused with an elegance that’s certain to appeal to the fashion and media insiders who are likely to make up the hotel’s core audience.

The Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel has been more or less synonymous with Parisian luxury hospitality since 1909, when this 18th-century neoclassical palace first opened its doors to the paying public. It’s always been in the public eye, thanks to its privileged position on the Place de la Concorde, the backdrop to so many of this city’s defining events, and thanks to the fact that it’s remained for all these years as perhaps the quintessential Parisian luxury hotel.

The day the newly renovated Le Royal Monceau opened its doors was the day we had to stop saying most of the things we’ve been saying about Parisian grand hotels all these years. No longer is it sensible to say that Paris, when it comes to luxury hotels, is entirely a conservative town — not now that Le Royal Monceau has been redesigned from top to bottom by none other than Philippe Starck.

When a big-league luxury-hotel concern like Peninsula sets up shop in Paris, you can safely expect an impressive result. Let’s start with the building, a 19th-century looker at N° 19 Avenue Kléber, roughly midway between the Arc de Triomphe and the Trocadéro. Hand-restored by 20 expert stonemasons, it’s pure Haussmann from the neoclassical ornaments on the ground-floor façade to the trademark mansard roofing.

It takes a lot to break into the top tier of Parisian hotels, but the impossibly ultra-luxe Bulgari Hotel Paris immediately became the first choice of quite a few high-end travelers. Antonio Citterio’s Milanese modernism looks perfectly at home here, as does Il Ristorante - Niko Romito, another Milanese transplant, whose namesake chef has earned a handful of MICHELIN stars across multiple establishments.

This chateau-styled boutique hotel is blessed with a remarkable location, on the Place des Vosges, in the Marais, in the heart of historic Paris. It is housed in an eighteenth-century mansion, and the décor is full-tilt historical — no stark modernism on display, and nothing that could reasonably be called “minimal.” Instead one finds tapestries, oak beams, luxurious fabric wall coverings, striped period furniture, even reproduction oil paintings.

Interested observers of the boutique-hotel world have witnessed several evolutions of Philippe Starck’s hospitality-design career, and Brach Paris finds him in yet another mood — this hotel, in Paris’s 16th, makes an unlikely sort of glamour from the materials of the 1970s, to suit the building’s vintage. This means glossy wood paneling, leather, metal, vibrant patterns in earthy colors, and mirrors more or less everywhere.

It’s rare in any city, and especially in Paris, that a new hotel immediately becomes an instant classic. In the case of Le Burgundy, however, it’s not at all out of the question. Though more modest in size than some of the big-name grand hotels — the Burgundy is just 59 rooms — it’s scarcely any less luxurious, and its location is ideal for both cultural and commercial purposes, close by not only to many of the major sights but to some of the planet’s finest high-end shopping as well.

In its edgiest incarnation it played host to the likes of Bowie, Jagger and Warhol. A young Philippe Starck was responsible for its far-out décor, and while it was shut down for structural work it became a venue for pop-up shows by underground street artists. It’s quite a legacy, and its new owner, Jean-Pierre Marois, is the filmmaking son of the man who owned it during its glory years — so he’s got a real interest in making sure it’s true to its conception.

If you know its sister hotel in Barcelona, then you’ll know what to expect from the Hotel Pulitzer Paris: a sharp-looking blend of early 20th-century glamour and contemporary boutique hotel design, at a scale that allows it to be both lively and intimate without erring too far in either direction. The location, in the Opéra district of the 9th arrondissement, places it within easy reach of much of the best of Paris.

It features a design by none other than Pierre-Yves Rochon, who draws from a sober palette and a wide range of historical influences to deliver a look that’s utterly contemporary. This Grand Hôtel feels like the current last word in luxury hospitality design, and sums up the high-end Paris of today in much the same way the great grand hotels of centuries past were perfect summations of their own historical moments.

The ultra-chic Château Voltaire is named not for the Enlightenment philosopher but for the fashion brand Zadig & Voltaire, for which hotelier Thierry Gillier is better known. For this venture, Mr. Gillier enlisted creative director Franck Durand and the Parisian architecture studio Festen to translate his aesthetic into a hospitality language, and the resulting hotel is every bit as stylish as its star-studded genealogy would suggest.

The colors are as vibrant as the inspiration suggests, and the spaces are endlessly inventive — the owners are also the architects, which makes for the kind of stylistic daring that results in a distinctive visual identity. Meanwhile the rooms come with kitchenettes and in some cases freestanding bathtubs and/or private terraces; perhaps not palace-hotel territory, but extra comforts are always welcome in Parisian boutique hospitality.

Hôtel Providence Paris’s location, where the 10th meets the 3rd, is one of Paris’s emerging hotspots, closer to Canal Saint Martin and the upper Marais than to any of the typical tourist destinations — it’s largely uncharted territory for hotels, and there’s no better feeling for a boutique hotelier than breaking new ground.

A 13th-century abbey converted into a small and charmingly traditional boutique hotel would be special enough, were it located somewhere far out in the French countryside; in the heart of Paris’s Latin Quarter, however, it’s truly extraordinary. This is the Relais Christine, hidden away in a quiet cobbled courtyard in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, close by to the Louvre and Notre Dame, and a short walk from the banks of the Seine.

Grands Boulevards makes its home in a freestanding house, or hôtel particulier, that dates back to the days of the Revolution. It’s a rarity in this busy corner of Paris, and it’s hidden from the street, accessible only via a concealed passageway. This means not just the frisson of being in on a secret, but it means a measure of peace and quiet, too — this hotel knows how to party, but it also knows how to get a good night’s sleep.

A new hotel by one of the original boutique hoteliers, Monsieur George is the work of Anouska Hempel, and proof that her approach is timeless, beyond trends and fashions. It’s set in a beautiful Haussmannian building just off the Champs-Élysées, surrounded by high-end shopping and classic Parisian architecture — but nothing to prepare you for the sumptuousness of its interiors, which display a richness of detail that shames the vast majority of design hotels.

As you’d expect from a combination of the Roaring Twenties and the Golden Triangle, the Grand Powers is luxe indeed, its thoroughly re-imagined interiors living up to the Haussmannian grandeur of the building’s façade. There’s a touch of Art Deco, a bit of British and Italian influence, and more than a dash of contemporary design, but overall the impression is as classic as it gets — some rooms have balconies, and some have views of the Eiffel Tower.

Just off the Champs-Élysées, and not much farther from the Arc de Triomphe, Château des Fleurs occupies an elegant 1910 building and aims to be nothing less than an homage to the glamour of Paris a century ago. Its interiors succeed in feeling both inimitably unique and perfectly emblematic of their setting, inspired by the Belle Époque but unmistakably contemporary in their interpretation. A spa by Omnisens is supplemented by a plunge pool and sauna.

Paris’s Norman Hôtel is named not for Normandy but for the mid-century American artist and designer Norman Ives — and its interiors, in keeping with its namesake’s inspiration, are a tribute to modernist art and design, and to the Paris of the 1960s. It’s set close to the upper end of the Champs-Elysées, but it’s the farthest thing from busy — with just 37 rooms it’s properly boutique-sized.

L’hôtel Balzac n’a pas volé son nom : non seulement l’établissement se dresse à quelques pas des Champs-Élysées dans la rue rendant hommage à l’écrivain, mais le bâtiment a en outre été construit sur le site même de son dernier lieu de résidence. Dans ce boutique-hôtel feutré, tout est remarquable sans être osentatoire, des chambres minimalistes au spa Ikoi.

SAX Paris, une impressionnante bâtisse aux lumières sculpturales, mêle marbre précieux et cuir chaleureux, la sophistication toute Rive Gauche. Enfin, dans un style plus discret, les Inspecteurs ont également récompensé la Villa-des-Prés, nouvel établissement du quartier Saint-Germain. Avec ses 34 chambres qui conjuguent douceur et Art déco, et ses suites avec vues sur la Tour Eiffel et le Sacré Cœur, il sera difficile de quitter cet établissement façon appartement cosy.

One of the First Arrondissement’s great landmarks, the grand Haussmannian edifice that was the Louvre Post Office, a few blocks up from the museum, closed in 2015. But Paris loves its classic buildings, and after a very thorough restoration under the direction of founder and art director Laurent Taïeb and designer Andrée Putman, this one is back in business, this time as the spectacular Madame Rêve.

It takes an all-star team to make an impression in the Parisian luxury boutique hotel scene, and there’s no better way to describe the minds behind La Fantaisie. Designer Martin Brudnizki is well known from London to New York and beyond for his hospitality work but this is his first hotel in Paris. The location, in Faubourg Montmartre, could hardly be more auspicious, and the interior really is a fantasy, inspired by the neighborhood’s classic gardens.

Soho House has a knack for finding buildings with character, but they’ve outdone themselves with Soho House Paris. This 19th-century apartment building in Pigalle, the former red-light district turned nightlife playground, is distinctive enough on its own terms — but it turns out it was once inhabited by the family of the writer, artist, and filmmaker Jean Cocteau.

Something of a sequel to Pigalle’s highly regarded Maison Souquet is Maison Proust, a luxury boutique hotel designed by the same Jacques Garcia as a tribute to the world of one of France’s most beloved literary figures. Like its sister, it’s the farthest thing from minimalist — it’s richly colored, richly textured, and full of objects and artworks related to its namesake. It’s intimate in size — a mere 23 suites — each one named for a Proustian personage, and all both handsome and plush.

The only thing Far Eastern about the place is the name; though it’s a recent restoration, the Shangri-La plays the part of grande dame to a tee. The building was formerly the residence of one Roland Bonaparte, whose surname provides all the biography you need — from there the choice of 19th-century Paris as a stylistic inspiration was an entirely natural one.

Minimalist luxury never really caught on in Paris anyway, but even here, the riotously colorful Le Grand Mazarin stands apart — this 61-room luxury boutique hotel in the Marais is a favorite of the fashion and design crowds, largely thanks to the maximalist machinations of designer Martin Brudnizki. The location is an impressive one, right around the corner from the Hôtel de Ville and the Seine, and the hotel itself is an integral part of the neighborhood’s social life thanks to its restaurant.

De style discret, la Villa-des-Prés est un nouvel établissement du quartier Saint-Germain. Avec ses 34 chambres qui conjuguent douceur et Art déco, et ses suites avec vues sur la Tour Eiffel et le Sacré Cœur, il sera difficile de quitter cet établissement façon appartement cosy.