Hotel Astor Saint-Honoré Paris

Founded in 1907 by Englishman Lord Astor, the hotel underwent a British Regency renovation in 1996 (upholstered chairs with tall wooden legs, ornate nonworking fireplaces). But not to worry: the 128-room hotel still has the typical French features—a glamorous lobby and small-but-well-appointed rooms with patterned carpets and striped furniture in pearl gray, sea green, sky blue, and lilac (plus Wi-Fi and satellite TV). An in-house restaurant serves classic dishes like beef filet with white-truffle cream and John Dory with asparagus, and the bar’s whiskey menu references the hotel’s English roots. The property’s Right Bank location is its trump card: Hotel Astor Saint-Honoré is a short distance from major central attractions, from the Place de la Madeleines to the Opéra, the Louvre, and the Champs-Élysées.