What’s New in Paris for 2018

With Valentine’s Day nearly here and wedding season just around the corner, booking a last-minute trip or honeymoon to the quintessential city for romance is sure to score your clients points with their special someone.

Paris always dazzles with its gorgeous architecture, iconic museums and that inexplicable joie de vivre, but 2018 brings a host of new hotels, restaurants and attractions to explore.

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Hotel Openings

Tucked away behind the Folies Bergeres in the popular 9th arrondissement, the newly opened 45-room five-star boutique Hotel Parister combines modern design, a curated wellness program and epicurean delights into a chic enclave.

My duplex room was located in the courtyard area and featured a loft-style setup with a bedroom on top and a living room and spa bathroom (including my own hammam) on the lower level. The décor was mid-century modern done in neutrals with splashes of deep jewel-toned accessories.

I personally loved the old-school record player and selection of vinyl.

Wellness is a key feature of the hotel, with its program of yoga and sport classes created by a Parisian wellness company. Guests can also enjoy the indoor pool or rent one of the hotel’s bikes. The breakfast buffet is the best I enjoyed on my trip, featuring pastries, yogurts, granolas and meats sourced from local purveyors. For clients sensitive to noise, make sure to request a room away from the courtyard.

Opened last September, the four-star Hotel National Des Arts Et Métiers is a design-forward, eco-friendly hotel situated between the Marais and Montorgueil quartier. The 66-room property is housed in a traditional Haussmannian building with all the guestrooms centered around an internal courtyard. Rooms feature modern décor done in grey neutral tones with pops of color coming from throws, chairs and artwork. All rooms feature terrazzo-clad bathrooms.

The hotel is also becoming known for its strong mixology program and Italian restaurant.

Opened slightly before the Hotel National, the Hotel Bachaumont is its sister property, also located in the Montorgueil district. The four-star, 50-room property features rooms individually designed by Dorothée Meilichzon in an art deco style.

Other new and upcoming hotel openings include:

—Eiffel Blomet Hotel, Open Now

The first Curio Collection hotel in Paris will open with a photography theme in early 2018

—Hotel Lutetia in mid-2018

—Brach Paris in Spring 2018

—Hotel de Berri, June 2018

The first Autograph Collection Hotel in the city opens during late 2018 in the former Pentemont Abbey in the 7th arrondissement.

READ MORE: 5 Things You Must Experience When Visiting Paris

Restaurant Openings

Closed for six months in 2017, the iconic Le Fouquet’s on the Champs-Elysées reopened with a new look and fresh menu in the brasserie. The sumptuous décor in red, black and wood paneling gives the restaurant both an elegant look and cozy feel. The walls are adorned with stars of art and film—from the legendary Edith Piaf to celebrities of today who still flock to Le Fouquet.

Chef Pierre Gagnaire has created a menu of classic bistro fare with some more modern, lighter touches. My dining companion went for the traditional including French onion soup and beef tartare, while I enjoyed a poached shrimp starter followed by grilled salmon steak with turnips and green quinoa with curry. The service at Fouquet’s is standout for not being standoffish.

Our waitress was extremely friendly and attentive, even letting us sample three wines before picking a bottle.

Located in the new Le Roch Hotel & Spa in the 1st Arrondissement, the hotel’s signature restaurant has a powerhouse behind its kitchen. The restaurant was concepted by chef Arnaud Faye—a two-star Michelin chef in the South of France—and skillfully executed by Chef Rémy Bérerd, who cut his culinary chops working at l’Atelier Joel Robuchon and La Tour d’Argent.

The restaurant is as stylishly designed as the rest of the boutique hotel—done in blacks, teals and mustard—and sets a perfect ambiance for a romantic dinner. The menu changes weekly and features dishes like Coral lentils and spelt risotto with crunchy and foaming celery candied kumquat, which my date ordered. Or there are the a la plancha scallops with leeks and salsify on a candied lemon foam that I enjoyed.

Other new restaurants include:

—Spoon by Alain Ducasse

—Etoile du Nord by Thierry Max

—Pouchkine

—Metal Café by Guy Savoy, opening in 2018

—Mama F, Europe’s largest restaurant when it opens during early 2018

READ MORE: How to Enjoy Paris with Kids for Less

New Attractions

Paris is a city with no shortage of great museums, and 2018 sees the opening of two new offerings.

In spring 2018, the foundation Lafayette Anticipations debuts an art and exhibition space devoted to contemporary art in the Marais district. The first exhibition by American artist Lutz Bacher., Atelier des Lumières, a new immersive digital museum, opens in a former foundry in the 11th arrondissement.

Paris’s established museums are hosting several major exhibitions during 2018, including Eugene Delacroix at the Louvre, Picasso blue and pink at the Musee d’Orsay, Mary Cassatt at Musee Jacquemart André, Joan Miro at the Grand Palais and Cubism at the Pompidou.

New York’s MoMA and Foundation Louis Vuitton have collaborated for the first MoMA exhibition in France. "Being Modern: MoMA in Paris" will be exhibited at Foundation Louis Vuitton through March 2018 featuring Max Beckmann, Alexander Calder, Paul Cezanne, Marcel Duchamp, Walker Evans and more.

Teatre La Scala, a French music hall from 1874, will reopen in March 2018 after a full renovation as a 550-seat theater with a restaurant. The opening performance is "Scala" by multi-disciplinary movement artist Yoann Bourgeois.

Paris is the quintessential fashion capital, and 2018 will see its famous Galeries Lafayette department store open an outpost on the Champs-Elysées. The 150 boutiques at the Forum des Halles just remodeled, and a branch of Eataly is also slated to open. What's more, Le Louvre des Antiquaires adds 30 luxury boutiques and four major retailers.

With all the new things to see and experience in the City of Lights, coupled with the must-do visitor attractions, there’s never been a better time to fall in love with Paris.