Paris

From the editors of Condé Nast Traveler:

Near the Trocadero in the buttoned-up 16th arrondissement, the Shangri-La occupies an elegant 1896 limestone mansion. Originally built as the residence of Roland Bonaparte (a grand-nephew), its public rooms retain regal grandeur—sky-high ceilings, ormolu and wedding cake moldings—that define Paris's "palace" hotels. The Shangri-La scrupulously follows all of the codes of the Grand Hotel Experience, from the liveried doormen to the firmament of crystal chandeliers. The first Asian feint in this Shangri-La is the welcome tea poured during in-room check-in, but hints at what is to come: Shang Palace, a Cantonese restaurant, set to open in July 2011, with a brigade of chefs from China. There's also L'Abeille, an haute-cuisine French table, and La Bauhinia, a formal international restaurant. Interior designer Pierre Yves Rochon played it safe by channeling the Napoleonic pedigree of the property, kitting out most of the rooms in a classical French "la vie en beige" (and pale blue and celadon). Compact standard rooms have well-considered details—a bronze panel on the leather-topped escritoire conceals outlets and switches, the minibar station has an electric tea kettle and espresso machine. The service also hints at the slightly indeterminate identity of these lavish new lodgings—Asian staff mete out kid-glove hospitality, while the friendly young local hires seem slightly overawed by the opulence. —2011 Hot List

Which room to book: An Eiffel room with views of the Seine and the tower is worth the extra euros.

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