Hotel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel

Commissioned by Louis XV and watching over Place de la Concorde since 1758, the Crillon carries more French history in its stones than most museums. Its multi-year restoration threaded contemporary craft through the listed salons: marble halls now open onto intimate lounges, a leafy interior courtyard, and corridors where commissioned art sits comfortably beside gilded boiserie.

Rooms marry Parisian classicism with modern ease—herringbone-influenced detailing, tailored fabrics, deep marble baths—while the Grands Appartements, including suites designed with the house of Lagerfeld's late couturier, rank among the city's most extraordinary. Service has recovered the old house's assurance under Rosewood, formal in the French register yet noticeably younger in spirit than its palace-hotel peers.

The subterranean swimming pool, lined in shimmering mosaic, is a destination in itself, as are the intimate spa and the barber-and-blowout salons. Dining runs from refined gastronomy overlooking the Concorde to a buzzing brasserie and courtyard tea. With the Tuileries, Faubourg Saint-Honoré and the Seine on the doorstep, this is Right Bank Paris at its most complete.