Review: SAX Paris, Hilton LXR, France (Well Intentioned, But Too Hip For Me)

During my exotic journey to Bangkok via Paris, I spent a couple of nights in Paris, and decided to check out two different points hotels. For the first night, I booked SAX Paris, a Hilton LXR property. This 118-key property opened in mid-2025, belonging to Hilton’s portfolio of luxury, independent hotels. Given Hilton’s lack of a good luxury footprint in Paris, I figured it was worth visiting this property.

To the hotel’s credit, I found all the staff to be friendly and well intentioned, I enjoyed the breakfast at the rooftop restaurant, and I commend the hotel’s commitment to a theme… or something.

But this hotel simply isn’t for me, as it just has way too much focus on style over substance. The rooms are tiny and poorly designed, there’s not enough lighting in public spaces, there are way too many mirrors, and frankly, there’s just not much about the hotel that actually feels luxurious.

It’s a perfectly fine property, I just think it’s not priced or branded appropriately, since I’d say this otherwise feels more like a mid-range lifestyle hotel. In a separate installment, I reviewed Hotel du Louvre Paris, Hyatt Unbound Collection, which I preferred.

Booking the SAX Paris

I booked my stay at SAX Paris using a Hilton Honors free night award, which was expiring soon. As a point of comparison, if I had redeemed Hilton Honors points, the hotel would’ve cost 110,000 points for the night. Based on my valuation of 0.5 cents per Hilton point, that rate is like paying $550 per night to stay here.

If paying cash, the rate would’ve been around €600 per night. If you are going to pay cash for a stay here, I’d recommend booking through the Hilton for Luxury program, which offers extra perks, like a property credit, room upgrade, etc. Ford and his team are happy to help with these requests, and can be reached at [email protected].

SAX Paris location & history

SAX Paris is in the 7th arrondissement, on Paris’ Left Bank. It’s located near the Champ de Mars, and that also gives it nice views of the Eiffel Tower. This is a unique location among hotels belonging to the major hotel groups, as it’s in a relatively quiet area.

So I don’t have a terribly strong take on the location. Paris is a city where I love to walk everywhere, so a mile here or there doesn’t make much of a difference to me.

I think there’s one interesting thing worth pointing out about this hotel, which is that this property was initially supposed to be branded as a “standard” Hilton. Specifically, it was supposed to be known as the Hilton Paris Eiffel Tower, with an opening in 2019.

However, the hotel ended up opening six years later, and under a more premium brand. So I can’t help but feel like the “bones” of the hotel reflect what you’d expect from a more run-of-the-mill Hilton, rather than a luxury brand.

SAX Paris lobby & check-in

SAX Paris certainly has a distinctive design. I commend them for sticking to the theme, the problem is just that I don’t particularly care for the theme, and it makes me feel like I’m in some generic hip hotel in a random city, rather than in a place like Paris.

The lobby is cool but tiny, with two reception desks on the right, and two couches on the left. As you might expect, the lobby can get really busy when there are multiple people checking in or out.

The rest of the lobby has a lot of bricks, flowers, and faux candles. Again, I guess I should’ve anticipated this, but I felt like I was in some sort of a haunted house or funeral home, or something.

In order to access the elevators, you first have to take a set of stairs up a level. Again, the lighting is just really bad, and you can barely see where you’re going.

To continue on the topic of bad lighting, below are what the bathrooms look like in the lobby. Folks, I’m trying to feel like I’m enjoying a sunny day in Paris, and not like I’m in a nightclub at 2AM.

Anyway, back to the check-in experience. On the plus side, the people working at check-in were super friendly, and I was offered a drink (like a water, coffee, or champagne) upon arrival. I was checked in pretty quickly, and on account of my Hilton Honors Diamond status, I was upgraded one category, to a deluxe room. I was also informed that I’d receive complimentary breakfast on account of my status.

SAX Paris guest room

SAX Paris goes from level minus two (the wellness area) to level eight (the rooftop), and I was assigned room 612, located on the sixth floor. As mentioned above, I was in a deluxe king room, marketed as being 280 square feet (26 square meters).

As expected, the room was compact. It featured an entryway with the bathroom to the left, the rest of the room straight ahead, and some closet space to the right.

The room then boasted a king size bed (which was very plush and comfortable), with a small night stand at each side. There was a TV at the foot of the bed, which could be lowered as well, to give the room a more open feel.

On the other side of the TV was a very small dining table with two chairs, which could also double as a desk.

The minibar was back near the entrance, and included a Nespresso machine, a selection of tea, and a variety of drinks and snacks for purchase (the one bottle of still and sparkling water were complimentary).

While some rooms at SAX Paris have an Eiffel Tower view, mine didn’t. My room actually looked at very little, mostly the back side of a nearby building. Another thing I should mention is that there was really loud music until late at night (I believe coming from the hotel’s rooftop restaurant), so you may actually prefer to stay on a lower floor, if you have the choice.

The bathroom was back toward the entrance, and included double sinks (but then with virtually no counter space), a walk-in shower, and a toilet in a separate room.

Toiletries were in reusable, hotel branded containers, and I found the scent to be pleasant.

Around an hour after checking in, I was brought a welcome amenity, consisting of a couple of madeleines and two bottles of juice.

Later in the evening, turndown service was provided, and I have to give the hotel credit for the quality of that, as it included a cushy floor mat next to the bed, and even some chocolates.

I don’t mean to be overly negative about the room, but this design just isn’t for me. What annoyed me wasn’t the small size of the room, but how incredibly poorly it was designed. It was like all the design choices were made purely based on aesthetics rather than functionality.

For example, I found it impossible to read the lighting switches (and my vision isn’t bad), I found the number of mirrors used throughout the property to be disorienting, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such poorly designed bathroom sinks. I have nothing against non-generic rooms and some cool mood lighting, but it can’t be used in a way where it feels like it just masks effort otherwise, and that’s very much how the room made me feel.

SAX Paris spa & gym

On level minus two, SAX Paris has its wellness area. This includes a small spa with two treatment rooms, though there’s not much to the complex beyond that. I didn’t get any treatments, but the option is there.

On this level you’ll also find the 24/7 gym.

While the gym lacks natural light, it’s otherwise solid, with an impressive variety of both cardio and strength training equipment. I also liked how the gym had an espresso machine and even some energy bars.

You’ll also find a sauna and steam room on level minus two, which is open daily from 7AM until 9PM.

SAX Paris courtyard & pool

Probably the most identifiable feature of SAX Paris is the courtyard area, located on the lobby level. It’s called The Garden (well, Le Jardin de SAX), and it’s a place where you can get food and drinks from the main restaurant and bar area.

Now, this space also has a small heated pool (it’s 29 degrees Celsius or 85 degrees Fahrenheit ) and a jacuzzi. I guess this is a cute concept, but I couldn’t help but chuckle. Could you imagine actually using the pool if the dining tables right up against it were occupied? Since I wasn’t visiting in summer, the outdoor space was entirely empty, but otherwise it might be a different story…

SAX Paris restaurants & bars

When it comes to dining at SAX Paris, there are a couple of main venues, so let’s go over them.

First there’s SAX, which is essentially the all-day dining restaurant, bar, and lounge, on the lobby level, serving what you’d expect to find at a Paris hotel. This is open daily from 10:30AM until 11:45PM. Much like the rest of the hotel, the decor is quite something, and on multiple occasions I had to remind myself that these weren’t Halloween decorations.

I worked from SAX for a bit in the afternoon, and came here for a latte, which was served with a couple of cute chocolates.

Later in the evening I met a friend for drinks at the hotel, and ordered a negroni, which was excellent, and was served with nuts and olives. While I was initially going to go out to eat, I ended up just ordering a club sandwich, as exhaustion got the best of me.

Then SAX Paris has Kinugawa as its signature restaurant. This is a small chain with Japanese inspired cuisine, with locations across France (and also in Dubai). This is quite the destination restaurant for the hotel, and is popular with non-guests as well. I didn’t go here for dinner, but this is where breakfast is served as well (between 7AM and 10:30AM), which is a treat.

It’s a gorgeous restaurant, no doubt, so how nice that breakfast can be enjoyed here.

There were two breakfast options — for €32 you could have just the buffet, and for €45 you can also add an extra dish. The Hilton Honors Diamond breakfast included the full option.

The breakfast quality was phenomenal, with a huge selection of fruits, veggies, yogurt, cereal, cold cuts, cheese, pastries, and much more.

There was also a station with freshly made crepes, waffles, and pancakes, plus a hot chooclate machine.

To drink, I ordered a cappuccino, which was barista made, and perfectly prepared.

I also ordered an avocado toast with a poached egg. Yummy!

Later as the sun rose, I could appreciate the nice views of the Eiffel Tower from up here!

SAX Paris service

I found staff at SAX Paris to be friendly across the board. I wouldn’t say service felt very high touch or that it gave strong luxury hotel vibes, but I can’t fault any employee I interacted with. The staff were definitely on the young side, but what they lacked in experience they made up for in enthusiasm.

Bottom line

SAX Paris was supposed to mark a new chapter of luxury for Hilton in Paris, given that it’s a city where the hotel giant’s portfolio doesn’t shine. While SAX Paris is a perfectly pleasant place to stay, it disappointed me, and the hotel isn’t for me.

On the plus side, the staff were friendly, the rooftop restaurant is nice, and the breakfast is good. However, other than that, I wasn’t impressed. The most basic issue is a “me” problem — I hate the design of this place, when I can’t figure out which light switches are for what, am worried I’m going to run into glass, etc. But beyond that, I feel like this is more of a mid-range lifestyle property that’s sort of masquerading as luxury. Then again, that describes a lot of hotels nowadays.

I apologize for being so critical, but again, it’s nothing against the hotel. It’s just not for me, but maybe it’s for you.

What’s your take on SAX Paris, Hilton LXR?