Paris, France · Palace Hotel · ★★★★★
Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris
Philippe Starck's palace playground. 37 Avenue Hoche, 8th arrondissement.
Philippe Starck's palace playground. 37 Avenue Hoche, 8th arrondissement.
"A palace that remembers it should also be fun. Philippe Starck brought irreverence to Avenue Hoche and Raffles brought the service. The combination is surprisingly hard to beat."
The Royal Monceau opened in 1928 and spent the better part of a century as a reliable Parisian palace — respected, distinguished, slightly predictable. Then Raffles acquired it, Philippe Starck redesigned it, and something genuinely interesting emerged on Avenue Hoche. The result is a hotel that takes luxury seriously without taking itself too seriously, which in Paris is more unusual than it should be.
Starck's 2010 redesign gave the hotel's 149 rooms and suites a sculptural warmth uncommon in palace hotels — curved forms, precious materials, warm tones, and the occasional knowing wink toward the surreal. The Forties and Fifties references are handled with enough restraint that they feel elegiac rather than nostalgic. Rooms are not the largest in this tier of Paris hotels, but the attention to finish is impeccable, and the butler-service culture that Raffles brings means requests are handled before they become inconveniences.
The dining programme is among the most varied of any Paris palace. Matsuhisa Paris brings Chef Nobu Matsuhisa's Japanese-Peruvian fusion to the 8th arrondissement with full commitment — the black cod miso alone justifies the reservation. Il Carpaccio, conceived with the Da Vittorio family, handles Italian with similar seriousness. Le Bar Long remains one of the better hotel bars in Paris for people who want their cocktail with a dose of visual theatre.
The spa is the hotel's signature achievement. The Clarins Spa covers 1,500 square metres and centres on a 23-metre swimming pool bathed in natural light — an extraordinary feat given the constraints of a Haussmann building. The treatment menu runs to integrative wellness and Clarins signature protocols. The gym matches the standard of the spa, which is not always the case at hotels that lead with one and neglect the other.
The location deserves consideration. Avenue Hoche is one of the twelve spokes radiating from the Arc de Triomphe, which places you five minutes from the Champs-Élysées, ten from the Palais Royal, and fifteen from most of what makes Paris worth the flight. The Arc de Triomphe at dusk, viewed from the bottom of the avenue, remains one of the more indelible images in European city life.
The Royal Monceau is the best business hotel in Paris that also happens to be a palace. The meeting facilities, executive floor infrastructure, and proximity to the Champs-Élysées business corridor make it genuinely functional. Matsuhisa works for dinner with clients who appreciate food. The bar has the right atmosphere for deal-closing conversations. WiFi is fast throughout.
For couples who want their anniversary hotel to have genuine personality — not just grandeur — the Royal Monceau delivers. The Starck rooms feel current, the spa makes for a genuinely shared experience, and Il Carpaccio's private dining room can be arranged for couples who want a table entirely to themselves. Book one of the upper-floor suites with the Arc de Triomphe in the far distance at night.
The Royal Monceau makes an excellent honeymoon hotel for couples who find the traditional palace formula slightly suffocating. The Starck aesthetic gives the hotel energy without sacrificing comfort. Raffles' honeymoon programme includes champagne, turndown ceremony, and the spa welcome that sets the right tone from arrival. The hotel's position — central but not on a square where every tourist in Paris is also standing — gives it a sense of privacy that Place Vendôme cannot offer.
Rates shown are approximate. Verify at time of booking.
The King's Suite
Monthly. No noise.