Grand Hôtel du Palais Royal

Sometimes the name pretty much says it all. On one level that’s true of the Grand Hôtel du Palais Royal, which isn’t shy about pointing out that it’s the only luxury hotel near the Palais Royal — in fact it overlooks the royal gardens, and is thus mere yards from the Louvre and the Tuileries as well. But on another level, the words “grand hotel” don’t quite paint the picture they once did.

This one happens to feature 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.

59 rooms and 22 suites isn’t a lot, by grand-hotel standards, and it’s always a good sign — it means not just that the rooms themselves are given space to spread out, but also that the entire operation keeps to a manageable scale, and personalized service is a matter of course. Here even the least impressive rooms are comfortably sized, gorgeously fitted out, highly functional, and come with very worthwhile views; move up at all and you’ll treat yourself to a separate dressing room or living room, a private balcony, a view of the Palais Royal itself, or some combination of all the above.

And along with the rooms come all the other trappings of a proper Parisian grand hotel: a spa, a fitness center, and a restaurant, Café 52 Paris 1er, which opens onto the courtyard. All in all, it’s an instant classic: this hotel would be extraordinary even if it were set in some dull financial district — set here, adjacent to the Palais Royal, it’s verging on the sublime.