Hôtel Cheval Blanc Paris

The hotel occupies the Sauvage building of La Samaritaine, a department store the MICHELIN Guide describes as iconic. LVMH acquired the building in 2001; it reopened in 2021 after sixteen years of renovation, and the hotel opened that September. LVMH owns the hotel, which takes its name from Cheval Blanc, the group's hotel brand, and Paris was the fifth house to open under that name. Édouard François was the building architect, while Peter Marino took charge of the interiors.

Art runs through the house, which the hotel calls a living gallery of loaned works and carefully chosen pieces, shown in public and private spaces alike. Artists represented include Florian and Michael Quistrebert, Georges Mathieu, Vik Muniz and Sonia Delaunay, while Philippe Anthonioz and Laurence Montano made light fittings. The staircase railing was commissioned from Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, and outside, the façade carries Jean-Michel Othoniel's sculpture 'Les fleurs de la passion' (2024).

Marino staged the house as a collection of artworks, made-to-measure pieces and curiosities picked up here and there, and Guillaume Henry designed the staff uniforms. In 2025 the hotel ranked 21st in the World's 50 Best Hotels, and in October 2026 the MICHELIN Guide listed it with Three MICHELIN Keys, described as 'An extraordinary stay'.

The address, 8 Quai du Louvre, puts the hotel on the Seine in the 1st arrondissement, with the Louvre on one side and the Marais on the other. It faces the Île de la Cité and the Conciergerie, and its outlook extends over the Pont-Neuf to Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The area is served by Métro line 7 at Pont Neuf station.

Height shapes the view. The hotel points out that what a room or suite looks out on depends on the floor allocated, a detail worth raising when booking. The river is part of the stay as well: among its signature services, the hotel lists a twilight outing along the Seine aboard a private boat, with a captain revealing some of the city's best-kept secrets on the way.

The Chambre Deluxe, designed by Peter Marino, measures 45 m² and sleeps up to three. Large windows open onto Haussmann buildings and golden façades, and the marble bathroom, open to the room, has a bathtub and a steam shower. A separate dressing area and a desk complete it, and it can connect with a Suite Seine or the Suite Notre-Dame, an arrangement the hotel suggests for families or friends. Among the other deluxe rooms, the Chambre Deluxe Louvre looks onto the Louvre colonnade, the Chambre Deluxe Parisienne has a side view of the Seine, and the Chambre Deluxe Pont Neuf, also for up to three, faces Parisian façades.

The Chambre Deluxe Balcon, also 45 m² and also by Marino, is planned for two. Its private balcony looks over the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower in the distance. The design mixes geometric lines, refined materials and Art Deco inspiration, with a reading corner, desk, separate dressing area and a bathroom with bathtub and steam shower. Toiletries carry the hotel's signature fragrances, Parisian Chic Poudré and Parisian Chic Boisé, created by François Demachy, formerly the nose of Dior, and the room can connect with a Chambre Deluxe Louvre or the Suite Eiffel.

Both junior suites measure 55 m² and sleep up to three, each with a beauty bar, desk, separate dressing area and marble bathroom with bathtub and steam shower. The Junior Suite Seine adds a winter garden overlooking the river and an Art Deco-inspired interior of noble materials. The Junior Suite Balcon, on the sixth floor facing the Seine, has a lounge area and a private balcony over the river, with panoramic views that take in Notre-Dame, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower; its decor pairs Art Deco and contemporary influences in soft, warm tones.

Among the suites, the Suite Seine has a separate living room and dining room. The Suite Notre-Dame and the Suite Eiffel add private balconies, the first facing the Seine and the towers of Notre-Dame, the second the Eiffel Tower. For larger parties, Suite Ravel has three bedrooms and Suite Quintessence four; together they form L'Appartement, with seven.

Arnaud Donckele, named cook of the year for 2020 by Gault&Millau, is chef of the hotel's restaurants. A Normandy native, he puts the sauce first at Plénitude, the gastronomic restaurant: in the hotel's words, the dishes are tuned to the sauces, not the other way round. Plénitude has held three Michelin stars since 2022 and opens from Tuesday to Saturday, from 19:30.

In October 2026 the hotel listed two Michelin stars for Hakuba, its Japanese restaurant, which serves dinner from Tuesday to Saturday from 18:30, and one for Le Tout-Paris. Billed as the hotel's rooftop, Le Tout-Paris pairs a brasserie with a cocktail bar, and its outdoor terrace, with planted corners for the evening, has Notre-Dame and the Eiffel Tower in view. Langosteria brings Italian cooking, with dinner every evening from 18:00 to 23:00 and lunch from Wednesday to Sunday, 12:00–15:00.

The hotel's signature services include a generous à la carte breakfast for two, built on French classics and international flavours, and Le Tout-Paris serves breakfast to hotel guests from 07:00: brioche fresh from the oven, pastries to share, house-made hot chocolate, regional dairy, seasonal fruit, eggs, charcuterie and salmon. Carte Blanche, the in-room dining service, sets meals at a table laid in the room or, where there is one, in the winter garden.

Guests have access to the Dior Spa Cheval Blanc, with Dior treatment rooms, a sauna, a hammam, a fitness room and a 30-metre pool; the spa is open daily from 10:00 to 20:00. The infinity pool, lined with handmade mosaics by Michael Mayer, faces a virtual fresco by Oyoram, and hotel guests can swim daily from 06:30 to 22:00. The sauna, hammam and snow shower are open to hotel guests over the same hours, and a Rossano Ferretti hair salon completes the offering.

Facing the pool, the fitness studio is open to hotel guests 24 hours a day, with Technogym equipment, Peloton and Rogue bikes, and a personalised app for long-term training programmes guided by the hotel's coaches. A private coaching room covers cardio, boxing, cross training and yoga, and workouts can be projected on a large screen. Coaches are available daily from 07:00 to 22:00, with private sessions by appointment.

Service rests on a dedicated team of butlers devoted to personalised attention, and the Chambre Deluxe, the Chambre Deluxe Balcon and both junior suites come with a butler on call 24 hours a day. For celebrations with family or friends, Le Tout-Paris has a discreet alcove, and the restaurant can be privatised in whole or in part for events.

Families have Le Carrousel, a children's club designed by the navigator Maud Fontenoy, where a dedicated team runs varied activities every day. On Sundays, Le Tout-Paris serves a lunch in the spirit of a family Sunday meal, and each month its executive chef, William Béquin, brings hearty, bourgeois and traditional signature dishes to the fore under Arnaud Donckele's eye.