Hotel prices generally include VAT and a room tax (taxe de séjour) of between €0.50 and €1.50 per person per night. This tax is sometimes added to the bill at the end of a visit and guests are advised to check whether it is included when making a reservation. Guests are also advised to tip porters €2 for each bag and chambermaids €2 per day. 

The hotels below are grouped into four price categories:
$$$$ (over €300)
$$$ (€200 to €300)
$$ (€100 to €200)
$ (up to €100)
The prices quoted here are the lowest standard rates for a double room, including VAT and room tax but excluding breakfast, unless otherwise specified.

Le Bristol
A plush business clientele frequent Le Bristol. Here, 180 elegant rooms and 41 suites, decorated with original prints and paintings, are complemented by top-notch business facilities, including a business centre, meeting rooms and secretarial and translation services. For relaxation, there is a rooftop indoor swimming pool, a fitness room and an excellent restaurant run by top chef Eric Frechon, as well as fabulous shopping nearby in this smart arrondissement (district).

112 rue du Faubourg-St-Honoré, 8th
Tel: (01) 5343 4300.
Website: www.lebristolparis.com
Price: $$$$

Le Meridien Montparnasse
Even those with a poor sense of direction will have no problem finding this impressive skyscraper of a hotel, only a tad shorter than the Montparnasse tower. The TGV glides to within a stone's throw of this business hotel, equipped with in-room voicemail, meeting rooms for up to 2,000 delegates and secretarial services. Dining options include Montparnasse 25 restaurant and Le Justine buffet.

19 rue du Commandant-Mouchotte, 14th
Tel: (01) 4436 4436.
Website: www.lemeridien.com
Price: $$

Paris Rive Gauche Hotel and Conference Centre
This top business hotel, which boasts conference space for 2,000 delegates, as well as a fully equipped business centre with cyber lounge, simultaneous translation and catering services, is the largest 4-star convention hotel in Paris with over 700 bedrooms. Located on the left bank of the River Seine, the 18-floor hotel was built in the 1970s and is just a few minutes from Gare Montparnasse and the Latin Quarter. Each room is decorated in a contemporary style and equipped with a modem point. The hotel boasts a fitness centre on the 18th floor, which offers panoramic views over Paris.

17 boulevard Saint-Jacques, 14th
Tel: (01) 4078 7980.
Website: www.marriott.com
Price: $$

Hyatt Vendome 
This contemporary 168-room (36 suite) palace hotel enjoys a privileged position near some of France's most glamorous shops and Place Vendome. Legendary American talent Ed Tuttle was the creative brains behind the décor of perhaps the city's most stylish luxury hotel, which has been created out of five grand townhouses with perfectly executed use of marble and mahogany. The hotel also boasts one of the finest spas in the city, with a range of Western and Oriental treatments, as well as a hot tub and sauna. Other impressive touches include lavish breakfasts, oversized marble bathrooms and a year-round outdoor heated terrace ideal for those looking to enjoy an al fresco coffee. Business facilities include seven meetings rooms.

5 Rue de la Paix
Tel: (01) 5871 1234.
Website: www.hyatt.com
Price: $$$$

Ritz Paris
Situated on one of the smartest yet most intimate squares in Paris, close to the Louvre, the Ritz is the city's most celebrated hotel and is the very essence of luxury and discretion. The lobby gleams with marble, chandeliers and impressive floral arrangements from designer Djordje Varda, while the oriental carpets, soft to the touch, soak up the sound. There is a magnificent swimming pool and fitness room, as well as a recently revamped health spa. In the labyrinthine underbelly of the hotel lies the celebrated cookery school, where master chefs teach their tricks to international acolytes.

15 place Vendôme, 1st
Tel: (01) 4316 3030.
Website: www.ritzparis.com
Price: $$$$

Appi Hotel
When you say the location could not get better, expect to get a few strange looks from Parisians as this budget hotel is right in the heart of the red light district. It also happens to be close to most of the main tourist attractions and a Metro stop. The en suite doubles may have the smallest bathrooms in the city, but the bedrooms are clean with some modern art to brighten things up and views out over the human zoo below.

158 rue Saint Denis
Website: www.appi-hotel-paris.federal-hotel.com/page_en_1.html
Price: $

Hotel du Septième Art
A Hollywood theme runs through this fun and funky 22-room hotel designed with the film buff in mind and adorned with 1950s posters. The hotel is a popular media haunt in the Marais district, set in a 16th-century building. There are no mod cons, such as lifts or air conditioning, although there are original wooden beams throughout and all rooms have en-suite bathrooms.

20 rue Saint-Paul, 4th
Tel: (01) 4454 8500.
Website: www.paris-hotel-7art.com
Price: $

Relais Lafayette 
Just a short walk away from Gare du Nord, the 61-room Relais Lafayette could not be much better placed for Eurostar travellers. With RER and Metro connections from Gare du Nord, this unpretentious hotel makes an ideal base. It may be no-frills, but rooms are modern and spotlessly clean. Reception staff are friendly and helpful, dispensing maps to new arrivals, as well as information on tours. The lobby has a public access Internet terminal and Wi-Fi can be arranged in the rooms.

7 rue des Petits Hotels
Tel: (01) 4246 3300.
Website: www.lesrelaisdeparis.fr
Price: $$

Hyatt Regency Paris Madeleine 
This relaxed luxury bolthole lies right in the heart of the city's shopping district. It may be part of an international chain, but there has been a real attempt to make it feel genuinely like a boutique hotel. There are only 86 rooms and suites, all relying on classical touches and muted colours rather then glitz to make them truly luxurious. Some rooms on the higher floors have views out across the rooftops to the Eiffel Tower.

24 Boulevard Malesherbes
Tel: (01) 5527 1234.
Website: www.hyatt.com
Price: $$$

Murano Urban Resort
Opened in 2004, the Murano Urban Resort created a buzz amongst savvy visitors looking for a funky oasis in the city centre and it is still justifiably popular. As the name suggests, the aim was to create an urban resort with its own swimming pool, spa, trendy bar and a stand-alone restaurant that all tempt guests to spend a night in. Two of the nine suites have their own plunge pools and all of the 43 other rooms share an air of modern luxury with fingerprint access instead of room keys, a choice of lighting schemes and Bang & Olufsen televisions. Other neat touches include toffees laid out over the crisp white sheets at turndown, a ‘sensual eye mask for lovers' and complimentary lollipops.

13 boulevard du Temple, 3rd
Tel: (01) 4271 2000.
Website: www.muranoresort.com
Price: $$$$