Sofitel Paris Arc de Triomphe

Business travelers and tourists alike frequent this hotel, which is set in the high-end luxury shopping district surrounding the Arc de Triomphe. Beyond the hotel’s 19th century exterior there is a contemporary interior, designed by French designer Andrée Putman. Paintings by Putman are interspersed throughout the hotel; the lobby is a replica of her personal work space, and features a photo-studio light, coffee tables laden with design books, dark blue walls lined with checkered tapestry, and slate-gray leather couches rife with throw pillows. The overall atmosphere is refined and fashionable, with more character than your typical chain property (although not as luxe as one would expect from a five-star hotel -- which is how the Sofitel bills itself).

Situated on a street corner, the hotel is tucked slightly away from the major pedestrian area that is the shopping district surrounding the Arc de Triomphe. The stores there tend towards luxury shopping, though there has been a recent influx of mid-level commerce in the area. The Metro stop Charles de Gaulle-Etoile is a seven-minute walk from the front door. The hotel can arrange for airport transportation if given advance notice. The main tourist areas around Notre Dame are about a 40-minute walk, or 30-minute metro ride, away.

Ultramodern electronics are plentiful here in the form of pod espresso machines, LED reading lamps, musical alarm clocks, and recessed lighting panels. The rooms are outfitted in light-colored, neutral textiles: white comforters, linen-hued and pale brown couches, and taupe carpeting. The furniture and bed tend towards the pillowy and slightly overstuffed, for an overall effect of somatic comfort. All rooms feature an espresso machine, a large, flat-screen TV (either wall-mounted or freestanding), a mini-fridge, a magnifying mirror, and a mosaic-tiled walk-in shower with a seating area and botanical toiletries. Larger rooms have a separate tub in the bathroom.

A small fitness center with free weights, a resistance band machine, a nautilus machine, a treadmill, and a few other items fit snugly into a long narrow hallway carpeted in lime green and set with contemporary design prints. A meeting room with a large conference table, as well as a business center with two computers, a tablet, and a pair of printers, is fashionably outfitted with contemporary prints and pleasing lighting. In-room spa services are also available, as are babysitting on request, dry cleaning, and parking. There is an on-site restaurant and bar, where a nice breakfast buffet is served.