I need help selecting a “central” location for a Paris hotel in December.

Our priorities for this trip are seeing the department store Christmas windows/interior decorations and nice dinners.

What arrondissement would you stay in? If you have specific hotel recommendations, that’s appreciated, too.

Thanks

I know! I know!

We loved this hotel!
https://www.hotelsaintpetersbourg.com/

I chose it to be close to the windows (for my friend). It's 450 m (less than 3 blocks) from Galieres Lafayette.

We stayed in Paris at the beginning and end of our Christmas river cruise.

We also stayed at the Hotel de Seine in the 6th. The 6th is still my favorite area and the location would not be better for restaurants, markets, shops, etc.

https://www.hoteldeseine.com/en/

I really liked both hotel and both locations.

My favorite hotel in Paris is also in the 6th -
https://www.hotelabbayeparis.com/en

One option that is close to Galleries Lafayette and Printemps is Intercontinental Paris-Le Grand on rue Scribe. It’s beautiful and the cafe overlooks Opera Garnier. We still stop in at the bar if we are in that area. Another option, not as close but a smaller boutique hotel is San Regis on rue Jean Gougon.

Thank you. I will check out those suggestions.

I would not choose a location close to the department stores.
First, because the area is going to very busy during the day and quite dead when the stores close.
Second, because public transport is excellent in Paris, especially to go to that area as it is some kind of hub (Auber, St Lazare, Havre Caumartin...).

Actually, for December trips to Paris, we usually stay close to the Bon Marche which has cool decorations inside and out. The area is lively day and night without being a mob scene. And the neighborhood stores also have their own decorations.

Hotel recommendations: we tried a new hotel on the Blvd Raspail for two trips in June and July of this year. https://www.miirohotels.com/legrandhotelcayre It was absolutely terrific. We had a very comfortable room with tree-lined views of the boulevards Raspail and Saint Germain. The hotel even has its own well-regarded restaurant and cocktail bar; we ate there our first night (if you're jet-lagged from a long flight, this is a choice that lets you have a good meal and then simply head up the elevator to your room to crash and get some sleep).

The hotel had been under the K&K umbrella for years and was a writer's hangout. It was taken over by the Miro group not long ago and they did an excellent remodel. They are also remodeling a K&K hotel in Vienna that we hope to try next year.

I head back to Paris on Friday and am trying a different hotel as the Cayre didn't have availability for the room category I wanted. Will be my first stay there. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for the additional info.