It was a rather difficult task to choose a hotel in Paris. I wanted to be centrally located so that we could see most of the sites It was a rather difficult task to choose a hotel in Paris. Centrally located, so that we could see most of the sites on our first-time visitors’ list. Quiet, if possible. I didn’t need amenities like a health club or even an on-site restaurant. What I wanted was a comfortable room where we could recharge from a long day of sightseeing and get ready for another. I found that, and so much more, at Hotel San Regis.
Hotel San Regis is located in the 8th arrondissement, just steps from the Dior Galerie and the Grand Palais. Nestled between the Seine and the Champs-Élysées, everything in central Paris was within a 25-minute walk. The only exceptions were the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen flea market and Montmartre, which called for a taxi.
It was also a relief to be located somewhere that wasn’t surrounded by restaurants or clubs, but felt like a real neighborhood. The evenings were quiet, and in the mornings we strolled a half block to Le Grand Palais, our neighborhood café, for breakfast. You could dream for a few days that you actually lived in this beautiful city.
What drew me most to Hotel San Regis was its history. This is where Harper’s Bazaar Editor-in-Chief Carmel Snow stayed when she pronounced Dior’s newest collection the “New Look” in 1947. Many famous photographers stayed or visited in collaboration with the publication. Among them was Richard Avedon, who used the hotel as a backdrop for shooting the fashion of the day. Avedon has always been a favorite of mine, ever since I first saw Funny Face with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire — a film on which he served as “Special Visual Consultant” and the inspiration for Astaire’s character, Dick Avery. This area was the center of fashion, and the perfect place to stay while in Paris. A short stroll up Avenue Montaigne from the hotel, and you’ll find yourself among the shops of the world’s most famous designers.
The hotel’s story began in 1857, when it was built as a private residence commissioned by Edmond Petit. Edmond was the son of Desiré Petit, whose furnishing fabric company was founded two years later, in 1859. By 1872, father and son had joined forces to found Maison Edmond Petit, a high-end furnishing fabric design house that still exists today. The property changed hands in 1923, when restaurateur Simon André Terrail acquired it and converted it into a luxury hotel. In the 1950s, Terrail sold another of his properties, the grand Hôtel George V, and brought many of its luxurious furnishings to the San Regis. Decades later, in 1984, the property was purchased by its current owner, Elie Georges, who undertook extensive renovations.
The hotel’s current style reflects the sensibilities of Georges’s daughters, Sarah and Zeina Georges, whose attention to comfort and detail is extraordinary. The rooms are dressed in luxurious fabric and wallpaper, with serene, elegant color schemes. Our spacious Junior Suite was beautifully detailed with a plush blue velvet sofa, soft bedding in soft grey-blue tones, and a velvet bedroom bench — I’m honestly puzzled why more hotels don’t include one. It’s such a nice touch to be able to lay out your clothes, stow your bag, and sit down to put on your shoes. Overhead, a stunning crystal chandelier hangs from the expansive, high ceiling, and a walk-in closet is conveniently built into the suite. The bathroom was gorgeous black-and-white marble, stocked with Diptyque amenities. At bedtime, we were presented with drinking water and a lavender-scented spray to ease us to sleep.
Upon arrival, we were greeted with a number of in-suite treats: a bottle of wine, macarons, financiers, and a bag of black truffle chips. I never got the chance to try the chips before they were gone, but based on everything else, I have no doubt they were delicious. My daughter and I shared the macarons and financier, and I can attest that those were wonderful.
The on-site restaurant, Les Confidences, lived up to its reputation. I ordered the steak, rare, with the Dauphine potatoes; Allison ordered the pork with black truffle risotto. The buttery potatoes were delicious on their own, but couldn’t be beaten once topped with mascarpone and Petrossian caviar.
I have to add that the service at Hotel San Regis was exceptional — the staff was consistently helpful and courteous, offering assistance at every turn. I had a bit of a rough start worth mentioning. We arrived seamlessly from the airport with the hotel’s driver, and once inside, I set down my tote and realized I couldn’t find my wallet. After a frantic search, the staff calmly let me know my credit card was already on file and not to worry. It was a stressful moment, and their composure put my mind at ease immediately. (I later discovered, via the AirTag tucked inside, that my wallet was safely sitting in my SUV back at O’Hare Airport in Chicago — so I simply learned to pay with my phone for the rest of the trip.) That kind of attentive, reassuring service defined our entire stay, and the staff accommodated every request without hesitation, including a slightly unusual one: freezing our butter the night before we departed. More on that later.
By the time we left, Hotel San Regis had become more than just a place to stay — it felt like a small, elegant window into the Paris we’d always imagined. If you’re looking for a hotel with genuine history, quiet charm, and service that makes you feel taken care of at every turn, I can’t recommend it enough.
