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This 245-room hotel that dates from 1928 comes as close as any in Paris to getting a solid A. The handsome lobby is decorated with gorgeous arrangements by American-in-Paris floral designer Jeff Leatham, and check-in is all smiles and kid gloves. Smiles and kid gloves sum up this place, too, since the service, a hybrid of courtly old-world charm and North American efficiency, is outstanding. Rooms are spacious and impeccably maintained; the health club, spa and pool are top-notch; and Le Cinq is one of the great restaurants in Paris. The slightly generic French decor of the guest rooms lacks originality and romance—when the hotel was renovated, the furnishings were auctioned off and most were replaced with reproductions—and the location off the Champs-Élysées is less exciting than centre ville or the Left Bank, but this is definitely the address for anyone who wants a nearly flawless luxury experience in Paris. Rooms from $995.

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Of all the grand hotels in Paris, the Crillon is the most ineffably French, occupying a landmarked 18th-century palace on the Place de la Concorde. Doormen in livery usher you into an impressive reception area with a black-and-white marble harlequin-tiled floor, and service is cordial if reserved. What happens after you’ve checked in depends very much on which kind of room you’ve booked: the standard doubles are lacking for space and underwhelming in decor and amenities, so it’s worth upgrading to a junior suite if you want the full-bore Crillon experience. Though it lacks a pool and has only a small spa, the hotel does have a premier restaurant—the two-star Les Ambassadeurs, where Jean-François Piège creates ethereal contemporary haute cuisine that is then served in the magnificent dining room. The appointment of Sylvain Ercoli as the new general manager of the Crillon—he was the GM of the Martinez in Cannes, and most recently at Claridge’s in London—augurs well for this property. Rooms from $947.

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With a swanky location on the Rue du Faubourg St.-Honoré, Le Bristol offers outstanding old-school service and rooms that feel like guest rooms in the Beverly Hills house of a friend with really good if slightly unimaginative taste. It also has one of the most dramatic swimming pools in Paris, a teak-decked dipper with stunning views of the city; plus a spa by Anne Sémonin, a top Parisian beauty therapist. Popular with politicians, high-powered executives and celebrities who honestly don’t want their pictures in the paper, the hotel exudes an atmosphere of old money and good manners. Superb chef in Eric Fréchon presides over an elegant oval oak-paneled dining room in winter and a garden room overlooking an interior courtyard in warm weather. A major expansion of the hotel will add twenty-three rooms, four suites and a two-level grill restaurant and a lounge-bar this fall. Rooms from $967.

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Of all the palace hotels in Paris, the Plaza Athénée is the most fashion forward, which makes sense in view of its location on the plush Avenue Montaigne, home to luxurious shops, including the flagship Christian Dior boutique. The area has a real la vie en rose atmosphere, too, which makes it popular with the likes of shopping queens like Carrie Bradshaw (the final episode of Sex and the City was filmed here) as well as the beau monde from every corner of the planet, especially the Middle East and most recently Russia. It’s definitely not a family hotel, but better for singles or couples. The trump card is Alain Ducasse’s three-star restaurant and the louche lounge-bar, where they serve ever-inventive cocktails. Standard rooms are comfortable, though they don’t have the deep-dish luxury found (at comparable rates) at the Meurice, George V, the Ritz and the Bristol, and on my last stay there, I was profoundly underwhelmed by the service, which was snooty from check-in to checkout. Rooms from $960.

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The last time I was at the Ritz, I was amazed at how poorly maintained my room was—a plasterwork repair to a window molding remained unpainted and there were nicks in the paintwork on every wall—yet when I settled in and ordered from room service—onion soup and a chef salad; it costs and arm and a leg, but they make the best chef salad in Paris—lunch arrived less than fifteen minutes later and was delicious. Service was equally prompt and courteous at check-in and when I had trouble getting my Internet connection to work, I spent the afternoon at the glamorous hotel pool. It was a treat to stop by the Hemingway bar later for an expertly mixed nightcap by the wonderful English bartender Colin Field, and by the time I checked out the following day, I did so with real regret. Although friends who stayed recently complained about cool service (and a failed request for a babysitter), this legendary hotel still casts quite a spell, and the location on the Place Vendôme couldn’t be better, as the Louvre and many of the city’s top shops are within walking distance. Avoid the Cambon wing when you book and keep in mind that this is one place in Paris where you’re expected to dress for the occasion—service can be condescending to anyone wearing jeans or running shoes. L’Espadon, the main restaurant, has a dazzling dark horse chef in Michel Roth, and the on-site cooking school offers terrific day courses. Rooms from $968.

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Belonging to the Dorchester group, this grande dame got a top-to-bottom makeover a few years back, so behind its opulent trappings—think major gilt trip with loads of marble and crystal chandeliers—it’s technically as up-to-date as the George V. Where the two part company is that the Meurice doesn’t have the same level of service. It’s an excellent hotel to be sure, but my last stay left me with an “Is that all there is?” feeling. The restaurant, Le Meurice, where big-league talent Yannick Alléno just won a third Michelin star, is spectacular, however, as is the Caudalíe spa, and the hotel’s Belle Étoile suite, which occupies the entire seventh floor, has incredible views of the Tuileries. The location, between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde, is ideal, and the hotel is particularly child-friendly (they also cater to people traveling with pets). Rooms from $988.

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