Of the five hotels in this guide, Shangri-La Paris is the youngest as a hotel and the most domestic in feeling. It was built in 1896 as the private residence of Prince Roland Bonaparte, grand-nephew of Napoleon I, and several of its rooms — the Salon Chinois, the former dining room, the grand staircase — are protected by the French State as Monuments Historiques.
The view, and why it matters
Avenue d'Iéna climbs from the Seine towards the Arc de Triomphe on the Right Bank, directly opposite the Eiffel Tower across the river. The consequence is unusual: roughly half of the hotel's 100 rooms face the tower head-on, most with a balcony or French window. No other Paris palace comes close on this measure. At 21:00 each evening, when the tower begins its hourly sparkle, the effect from a bathtub on the fifth floor is difficult to describe and impossible to forget.
Rooms and suites
Just 100 keys, including 41 suites, make this the most intimate house here. Pierre-Yves Rochon's interiors work in a French Empire register — bee motifs, silvered mirrors, pale grey and gold — with discreet Asian accents: a lacquer tray, a celadon vase, a tea set placed at turndown. Bathrooms are generous, and the Eiffel-facing categories are worth the surcharge without qualification.
- Deluxe Room — 32–38 m², courtyard or city aspect.
- Deluxe Eiffel Room — 36–42 m², direct tower view, French balcony.
- Prestige Suite — 60–80 m², separate salon, tower outlook.
- Suite Chinoise / Suite Impériale — 100–250 m², terrace, listed interiors.
Dining
Shang Palace was the first Chinese restaurant in France to receive a MICHELIN star, serving Cantonese cuisine in a room of jade screens and Peking-glass chandeliers. La Bauhinia, under a Belle Époque glass cupola, handles breakfast and all-day French-Asian dining; its Sunday brunch is one of the better-kept secrets of the 16th. Le Bar Botaniste takes Prince Roland's own interest in botany as its theme, building cocktails around distillations, herbs and infusions.
Ask for a table on the terrace of La Bauhinia in late spring: the tower is framed exactly between the courtyard's plane trees.
Spa, pool and quiet
Chi, The Spa occupies a calm lower-level suite of treatment rooms with a 16-metre indoor swimming pool lit in soft amber, a sauna, steam room and 24-hour fitness studio. Because the hotel has only 100 rooms, the pool is frequently empty — a rarity in Paris.
Key facilities at a glance
| Facility | Detail | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | Shang Palace, La Bauhinia | One MICHELIN star (Cantonese) |
| Bars | Le Bar Botaniste | Botanical cocktail programme |
| Spa | Chi, The Spa | Asian-influenced treatment protocols |
| Pool | 16 m indoor | Rarely crowded |
| Views | ≈ 50% of rooms face the Eiffel Tower | Best ratio in Paris |
| Heritage | Classified Monument Historique | Listed salons and staircase |
| Location | 16th arrondissement | Trocadéro 8 min, Champs-Élysées 12 min on foot |
Pricing and value
Entry rates begin near €1,250, the lowest of the five, with Eiffel-view categories adding roughly €350–€600 per night. Suites start around €3,200. In the shoulder months of November and early March, an Eiffel-view room here can cost less than a courtyard room at the Ritz.
Strengths
- Unbeatable Eiffel Tower views from around half the rooms
- Smallest and quietest of the five — only 100 keys
- Indoor pool and spa that are genuinely uncrowded
- Listed Bonaparte interiors with real historical substance
- Lowest lead-in rate in this guide
Considerations
- The 16th is residential — fewer restaurants at the doorstep
- Not formally awarded the Palace distinction
- Non-view rooms feel comparatively ordinary for the price
- Further from the Louvre and Place Vendôme than the 1st-arrondissement houses
Our verdict
If your image of Paris is the Eiffel Tower seen from your own window at nightfall, book here and book an Eiffel category. Shangri-La trades a little of the social theatre of the George V and the Plaza for something rarer among grand hotels: calm.