SAX Paris – a telephone exchange turned Left Bank address

On Avenue de Saxe, a stone's throw from the Champ-de-Mars, a switchboard building that once routed the telephone calls of the Left Bank has become SAX Paris, LXR Hotels & Resorts – Hilton's first luxury address in the heart of the French capital. The 118-room hotel occupies a landmark dating back to 1899, formerly home to the Ségur telephone exchange, reworked with zebra-striped marble, cognac leather and sculptural lighting in place of switchboards. It is a debut on two fronts: the first LXR property in France, and the first Hilton luxury hotel inside central Paris. The MICHELIN Guide gives it One Key, recognising a hotel that trades on real architectural bones rather than invented heritage – a mirror-lined gallery for a lobby, a walled garden with a heated pool, and a two-storey Japanese rooftop with the Iron Lady filling the window.

01The house

SAX Paris occupies a landmark 1899 building, formerly home to the Ségur telephone exchange, reimagined within a neo-Gothic façade on Avenue de Saxe. The project was owned and developed by Compagnie de Phalsbourg, the French real estate company founded by Philippe Journo, which has also built Soho House's Paris outpost and the Iconic complex in Nice.

Inside, the hotel's design studio, led by Karine Journo, reinterprets Left Bank sophistication through a modern lens, bringing together artists, decorators and designers. Guests arrive not through a conventional lobby but into The Galerie, a mirror-lined social hub adorned with 200 mirrors and Baccarat chandeliers, used as both cocktail lounge and informal art installation. Contemporary pieces recur throughout the building: Arik Levy's crystal sculpture Rockstone stands at the entrance to the garden, while a ceiling mural by street artist Sto references the building's historic République Française insignia, and Murano glass chandeliers by Christian Pellizzari punctuate the public rooms.

02Rooms and suites

The 118 rooms and suites run from the 24 sqm SAX Queen and Premium rooms through Deluxe rooms (26 sqm, some with private terraces) to Prestige rooms at 37 sqm. Suites widen the scale considerably: a 38 sqm Junior Suite and Deluxe Junior Suite, a 40 sqm Winter Garden Suite, a 50 sqm Prestige Junior Suite and an 80 sqm Signature Suite, the largest category in the house.

Insider tip

Near Sèvres-Lecourbe and Duroc métro stations; Le Bon Marché and Musée d'Orsay are a short walk away.

Materials run to delicate marble, clean lines and noble finishes throughout, with neutral colours, marble bathrooms and wood panelling defining the overall look. Three signature suites – the Studio, the Winter Garden Suite and the Signature Suite – come with their own in-room cocktail stations, and minibars across the hotel are stocked with treats from Le Bon Marché's La Grande Épicerie de Paris. Many rooms open onto the inner courtyard or Avenue de Saxe, and connecting configurations are available for families travelling together.

03Where to eat

Breakfast is served on the hotel's seventh floor, with panoramic views of the Eiffel Tower, from 7am to 10.30am. For lunch and dinner, Le SAX restaurant and bar serves seasonal cooking through the day in a setting the hotel describes as elegant and festive, open from 10am to 11pm. Its kitchen is overseen by executive chef David Maroleau, who has previously led Michelin-starred restaurants before taking charge of SAX's all-day menu.

The signature address, though, sits two storeys up: Kinugawa Rive Gauche, the Franco-Japanese dining concept that has brought its established Paris following to the hotel's rooftop. The kitchen works sashimi, creative makis and binchotan-grilled fish into a setting that trades on Parisian refinement as much as Japanese technique, with the rooftop terrace offering panoramic views over the Eiffel Tower and the city's rooftops for lunch, sunset drinks or dinner.

04The bar

Kinugawa's rooftop cocktail bar reworks Parisian classics with Japanese ingredients such as yuzu and shiso, served against one of the more theatrical skylines available to a hotel bar in the city. Downstairs, The Galerie doubles as the house's late-afternoon and evening lounge, its 200 mirrors and Baccarat chandeliers turning a drink into something closer to sitting inside an art piece.

05Spa and pool

The Fitness & Spa SAX Le Club combines Technogym equipment, a sauna, a steam room, hammam and two treatment rooms available by appointment. The gym runs around the clock, while the spa and pool keep more conventional hours, open from 7.30am to 10pm.

Beyond the Galerie, Le Jardin is the hotel's hidden retreat: a Riviera-styled walled garden designed around a raised, marble-clad outdoor pool heated to 29°C year-round, with a jacuzzi alongside for unwinding after a day on the Left Bank. Tapas and private lunches are served in the garden too, making it as much a dining address as a wellness one.

06The neighbourhood

SAX Paris sits in the 7th arrondissement, the district of hôtels particuliers, ministries and the Musée d'Orsay, within easy reach of the Champ-de-Mars and the Eiffel Tower itself. The hotel is close to the Sèvres-Lecourbe and Duroc métro stations, putting Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Jardin du Luxembourg and Le Bon Marché department store within a short walk or a brief ride.

It is a quieter corner of central Paris than the grand boulevards further north, residential by day and increasingly animated by evening around the hotel's own restaurants and rooftop.

07Making the most of a stay

SAX leans into its Left Bank address with a roster of curated experiences. Le SAX Boat takes guests along the Seine, with the captain acting as butler for the duration of the cruise. Those wanting more altitude can book a private tour of the Eiffel Tower with unaccompanied admission and access to areas closed to the public, limited to six people and bookable between four months and fifteen days ahead.

For shopping, the hotel arranges a Personal Shopper experience through Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, covering fashion, beauty, watches and jewellery with private lounges for fittings and refreshments. At the far end of extravagance, SAX can also arrange a private jet from Le Bourget for a day trip to Venice, Gstaad or Saint-Tropez, returning guests to the hotel by evening.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.