Paris hotels hosted a record number of 15.68 million guests in 2012 as the city of light drew 29 million tourists despite Europe's crisis, the city's tourism office said Thursday. A rise in foreigners staying 23.9 million hotel room nights helped compensate for a decline in French tourists to 13 million room nights.

The number of Americans visiting rose 12 percent to four million room nights to remain the top foreign tourist contingent.

British tourists came in second, followed by Italians, Germans, and Japanese.