Paris’ best boutique hotels, from timeless icons to luxe hidden gems

Best new and revamped Paris boutique hotel

Tucked into Paris’ Little Tokyo, Hôtel Hana is a 26-room retreat that blends Japanese restraint with Belle Époque detailing. Designed by Laura Gonzalez and Olivier Leone, the interiors mix iroko wood, washi textures, and Pierre Frey fabrics with soft lighting and lacquered furniture.

The restaurant, Hanabi, was conceived by Shirley Garrier of The Social Food, with chef Roberto Sanchez in the kitchen – expect French ingredients filtered through a Japanese lens, from camembert tempura with yuzu jam to udon with langoustine tartare.

Reasons to stay:

• Indulge in kobido facials and reiki-inspired treatments at the petite basement spa
• Footsteps away from izakayas, sushi bars and karaoke spots on rue Sainte-Anne
• A tranquil haven in the heart of Paris

Best boutique hotel

Creative hub meets boutique stay at this bold new addition to Batignolles. With 58 rooms, two restaurants, a semi-Olympic pool and a rooftop bar that doubles as a venue for film screenings and yoga, it feels more like a cultural centre than a hotel.

Roman & Williams’ interiors bring warmth and texture to the raw architecture – velvet sofas, sculptural wood, soft lighting. It feels more like a small-scale cultural nerve centre than a traditional hotel, with a focus on events, collaboration and wellbeing.

Reasons to stay:

• Rooftop bar hosting cinema screenings and yoga
• Semi-Olympic pool for serious swimmers
• Well placed for relaxed local cafés, contemporary galleries and leafy walks through Parc Martin Luther King

Best boutique hotel for a romantic escape

Best for: a more intimate sojourn

How charming it is to check into a tiny, perfectly tailored pied-a-terre with only 18 rooms, at the intersection of three of the city’s most fascinating neighbourhoods: the Haut-Marais, Canal St Martin and Beaubourg.

The interiors at this boutique bolthole are filled with fashionable flea market finds, curated by owner Pierre Moussie and his stylish wife Elodie, and everything feels louche and moody and a little bit 1970s, in the best possible way. Each room contains a fully stocked bar so you can stir up a Boulevardier to sip besides your Montmartre rooftop views.

Reasons to stay:

• The concierge service is legendary, ready to custom-design your perfect Parisian day out
• You’re surrounded by restaurants but the in-house one is reliably excellent
• There’s always Parisian party of some kind happening somewhere in this lively and eclectic neighbourhood

Best boutique hotel for location and skyline views

Why we love: luxury with a boutique flair

Occupying a precision-renovated 1950s building in the Latin Quarter, Hôtel Dame des Arts radiates Nouvelle Vague chic. The ground-floor lobby, with its charming, multilingual young reception staff and views of a leafy interior garden past the curved banquettes of signature restaurant Pimpan sets the mood – a deft blend of modernity and the neighbourhood’s arty history that’s echoed in the 109 Raphael Navot-designed rooms and suites overhead.

The 360-degree views from the Rooftop Bar, a checklist of greatest hits from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame, are astounding as is the attention to detail in everything from breakfast pastries to original art and Diptyche toiletries.

Reasons to stay:

• The remarkably well-connected concierge ensures a tourist trap-free stay
• An almost comically beautiful gym and adjoining sauna mean you can even sweat in style
• All rooms above the 5th Floor have slim outdoor terraces for full Parisian immersion

More boutique hotels in Paris

Best for: mid-century modernists

The graphic mid-century art of American artist Norman Ives is the inspiration for this 29-room and 8-suite charmer, which sits just a little way north of the Champs-Élysées.

The art blends abstract with modern with Bauhaus, and although it doesn’t have the grand frills and furbelows of many French hotels, it all still feels distinctly Parisian. Pretty Juliet balconies in the junior suites offer postcard Paris views, including Eiffel Tower glimpses.

Reasons to stay:

• Restaurant Thiou is led by Thai chef Apiradee Thirakomen, who was responsible for bringing the classic Thai dish crying tiger beef to the city and has created an upscale Thai menu using top-quality French ingredients
• Most of the rooms have oversized windows, maximising light and views
• The Sky Suite has its own transparent dome over the master bed, perfect for stargazing

Best for: design lovers and creative travellers

Swedish designer Martin Brudnizki took care of the interiors but La Fantaisie’s fundamental spirit is pure Parisienne joie de vivre. The decor is a maximalist fantasy, as the name suggests; all tumbles of florals and candy stripes, overflowing bookshelves and riotous botanicals. Colour and delightful chaos are everywhere from the lushly landscaped interior garden to the 63 rooms and 10 suites. Located in the artsy 9th Arrondissement just below Montmartre, it’s the perfect base for the creative traveller.

Reasons to stay:

• The cafe opens onto the street for maximum ambience
• The Spa is dappled in peach, buttercup and mint tones and features a hammam, sauna and ice fountains
• History and art buffs will make a beeline for the Musée de la Vie Romantique, while Paris classic Le Bon Georges is a short stroll away