SO/ Paris

Paris still features more than its share of antique-style grand hotels, so something like SO/ Paris is a welcome note of contrast. It’s set right on the Right Bank of the Seine, between Bastille and the Marais, in a structure that was, before its redevelopment, a high-rise municipal building dating back to 1966 — and which, in its present guise, retains its imposing silhouette but adds architectural features that clearly mark it as a contemporary update of the Parisian luxury-hotel tradition.

Its interiors are an even more clear statement of its status; this is modern-luxe Paris at its most forward-looking, projecting a sort of utopian optimism mixed with classic Parisian elegance. The public spaces are full of major contemporary artworks, and the rooms and suites are spacious, comfortable, and full of light, thanks to their vast windows with views over the Seine and the city’s rooftops — more than half of the units have views of the Eiffel Tower, which is less common than you might imagine.

The lavish Codage spa is supplemented by an equally intense Ô Zenhit fitness center as well as an impressive indoor pool. And in this town a proper luxury hotel is expected to bring its best restaurant game; here it’s Bonnie, a restaurant, club, and bar that occupy the building’s top two floors, offering an unparalleled view of the city and its monuments from its dining room and its wraparound terrace.