Paris 1st: 142 applications and nearly 36,000 m² converted to hotel-type accommodation in the heart of the Louvre

The first arrondissement of Paris, stretching from the Louvre to Les Halles via the Palais-Royal, is one of the areas with the highest density of conversions to hotel-type accommodation (hébergement hôtelier). According to the Sitadel database, 142 planning permit applications have created hotel-type accommodation floor space through a change of destination there since 2013.

These operations represent 35,915 m² of converted floor space, including 7,098 m² of floor space actually created. Over the whole period, the projects declare 131 rooms. It should be noted that many applications do not state the number of rooms at the time of filing: the real operating figure is therefore structurally higher than what the database shows.

As a reminder, these figures exclude cancelled applications. In the 1st, 17 applications were cancelled and are not counted in the totals above — a useful reminder that not every intention comes to fruition, particularly in an arrondissement where land is in short supply.

To locate a specific address or check the permits near a property, the observatory of conversions in the 1st arrondissement allows searches by street.

The picture of origins is unequivocal: hotels in the 1st are built first and foremost on former office and retail spaces, rarely on housing.

• Offices: 94 applications. This is by far the dominant origin. The office stock in the historic centre, often poorly suited to contemporary standards, is being converted into accommodation where hotel demand remains very strong all year round.
• Retail: 38 applications. Ground-floor units, business premises and retail spaces are the second source feeding the hotel stock.
• Housing: just 5 applications. The conversion of housing into hotel-type accommodation remains marginal, which is consistent with Parisian regulations that protect residential use.

This breakdown matters for owners: the pool of conversion potential lies overwhelmingly in commercial and business property, not in residential. A vacant office or retail unit in the 1st is, in this respect, an asset whose value can be substantially re-rated through a well-managed change of destination.

If you own premises that could be converted, our dedicated page on change of destination to a hotel sets out the steps, from the feasibility study to filing the permit.

What sets the 1st apart is not only the volume, it is the location. The conversions are concentrated at addresses where land is the scarcest and most expensive in France. The recent operations illustrate this:

• 8 rue Villedo: 1,528 m² of former offices, an application now completed (May 2026). It is the largest recent operation in the arrondissement, a stone's throw from the Palais-Royal.
• 3 rue de Castiglione: 361 m² from retail premises, also completed, on one of the most prestigious routes between the Place Vendôme and the Tuileries.
• 35 rue des Bourdonnais: 381 m² of offices, authorised, in the Les Halles area.
• 16 rue des Pyramides (181 m²) and 130 rue de Rivoli (152 m²): two more modest office conversions, authorised in 2025, along major tourist thoroughfares.

These examples reveal the market's logic: often compact floor spaces, highly valuable, on streets with international renown. The 1st does not manufacture mass hotel volume; it manufactures rare locations, the condition for upscale hotel positioning.

Also worth noting, at 2-4 rue de Rohan, an application whose origin is already "hotel-type accommodation": a sign that the arrondissement also sees restructuring operations on its existing stock, and not only conversions.

The phenomenon is not a frozen legacy from the past. Since 2024, 8 new applications have been registered in the 1st. In an arrondissement where the building stock is almost entirely occupied and where every square metre trades at a premium, this flow testifies to an undiminished appetite for conversion.

Several recent operations are, moreover, already at the "Completed" stage, such as rue Villedo and rue de Castiglione, while others remain at the "Authorised" stage, meaning pending or under way. This gap between authorisation and completion is normal: a hotel conversion in a historic building in central Paris involves heritage and technical constraints that lengthen timescales.

For an investor, this sustained pace has a twofold reading. On the one hand, it confirms the robustness of hotel demand in the hyper-centre. On the other, it is a reminder that competition for the rare convertible assets is fierce, and that an operation must be legally secured from the outset to avoid joining the list of 17 cancelled applications.

For those who own a property in the 1st — or are looking to invest there — this data points to a clear strategy.

Do you own offices or a vacant retail unit? You are in the asset category that feeds more than 90% of the arrondissement's conversions (94 office applications + 38 retail out of 142). A change of destination study can reveal significant value-creation potential, with hotel-type accommodation offering yields and asset values in this area that are rarely matched elsewhere.

Already operating a short-term rental? Parisian regulations remain strict for short-term rental (meublé de tourisme) use. Moving to a permanent hotel-type accommodation status means escaping the quotas and compensation requirements that weigh on conventional short-term rental. Our guide to letting in Paris reviews the applicable frameworks.

Considering buying or selling an operable asset? The scarcity of land in the 1st makes it a niche market where expert guidance is decisive. To explore the arrondissement's potential, see our page dedicated to the 1st arrondissement, and to understand the conversion process, our hotel-type accommodation service.

The figures in this article come from the Sitadel database (SDES, Ministry for Ecological Transition), which records planning permits. We isolate applications creating hotel-type accommodation floor space through change of destination (conversion), since 2013. The totals presented (142 applications, 35,915 m² converted, 7,098 m² created, 131 rooms) relate to authorised applications excluding cancellations; the 17 cancelled applications are mentioned separately and excluded from the totals. Data vintage: 2026-09. The number of rooms is often not stated at filing and understates the real supply.