Sax Paris, LXR Hotels & Resorts

Character and identity

Tucked into the residential 7th arrondissement a short stroll from the Eiffel Tower, Sax Paris occupies the 1899 neo-Gothic building that once housed the Ségur telephone exchange. The 118-room conversion plays its historic bones against contemporary interventions: Murano chandeliers by Christian Pellizzari, digital art from Drop The Spoon, and an Arik Levvy sculpture at the garden entrance. Le Sax handles all-day French cooking under street-art-inspired ceiling frescoes, Kinugawa Rive Gauche delivers Franco-Japanese plates from a rooftop with 360-degree city views, and the Galerie cocktail bar runs on Baccarat chandeliers and red velvet. The register is boutique-chic rather than grand-palace.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The real draw here is the combination of a heated outdoor pool, a leafy garden, and a rooftop Eiffel Tower view, a trio almost no other Paris hotel can match. Spend up for a King Deluxe with Terrace, or a suite with a soaking tub framing the avenue. Best in warmer months when the pool and Le Jardin Sax come into their own.