France is home to some of the world’s finest hotels. So luxurious, in fact, that five-star is simply not an adequate description. Welcome to the world of “Palace” hotels.
The “Palace” distinction was established in 2010 by the French ministry of tourism to recognise the most exceptional hotels across the country. According to Adam Oubuih, chief executive of tourism agency Atout France, the award “identifies and honours hotels offering an extraordinary hospitality experience, especially establishments that embody excellence in service and the French art of living in all its forms”.
“It represents an official category, regulated by the state, with its own specific criteria, deeply rooted in the French culture of refinement and excellence.”
The list has just been updated for the first time since 2019. During a ceremony in Paris on June 2, it was revealed that 27 hotels have retained their status, four have lost it, and six have been named “Palaces” for the first time.
Below, we explain the criteria for the award and reveal the winners and losers of the latest shake-up.
The criteria
Hotels who apply for the distinction must meet a number of requirements, including already being a five-star hotel, which comes with its own strict checklist of 241 mandatory points. In addition, the hotel must have been open for at least 24 months.
Other criteria include having a multilingual team, a spa or swimming pool, a concierge service and rooms that are at least 26 square metres, which is a luxury in itself in Paris. The committee also looks for a “minimum range of products at breakfast” and a good number of suites.
The application is first reviewed by Atout France, which checks that eligibility is all in order, before the distinction is bestowed or denied – or worse, removed – by the Palace Commission, a 10-person panel of experts from a range of backgrounds such as hospitality executives, architects, travel advisors and luxury travel editors, who carry out the role on a voluntary basis.
Two members of the panel visit each hotel to assess it for excellence across various areas, such as location, architecture, facilities and gastronomic offering, which probably explains why so many “Palaces” are also home to Michelin-starred restaurants.
There is a certain “je ne sais quoi” to the process, with the hotel’s historical significance, character and how it contributes to France’s global luxury image all playing a harder-to-define role in the selection.
Indeed, according to Aurélie Martin, the manager of Le Bristol, which retained its title: “What truly defines a ‘Palace’ is something far less tangible – the ability to create emotion.”
The snubs
With such demanding requirements, it’s no surprise that some hotels have failed to make the grade. Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme and Mandarin Oriental Paris both dropped off the list in the capital.
The closure of the latter’s two Michelin-starred restaurant, Sur Mesure, in 2023 could have been a contributing factor. And neither has particularly notable architecture or as fresh décor as some ultra-luxury Parisian hotels. The Mandarin Oriental group can console itself with the fact that the Lutetia, which it recently took over, remains a “Palace”.
In the south, Hotel Byblos in Saint Tropez and Biarritz’s Hôtel du Palais have both been stripped of their titles. The Palais’s loss is somewhat surprising given its extensive refurb four years ago and rich history – it was originally built by Napoleon III as a summer escape for his wife Eugénie.
A fabulous location, historic setting and beautiful interiors might give a hotel a head start, but they are not enough on their own. Hôtel du Cap‑Eden‑Roc, which retained its status, has even developed its own exclusive “Palace training” to help ensure it keeps its distinction. The training takes staff through a full day’s programme before they start at the hotel, where they are schooled on Palace principles and expectations.
Hôtel Barrière Le Fouquet’s Paris will be one of those celebrating. The hotel opened in 2006 but has spent the last two years prepping and preening itself to palatial levels, including extensive renovations and investing in staff and service levels, in the hope of achieving the coveted distinction, which is already held by its sister address, Fouquet’s Courchevel.
“We felt the hotel had reached a level of maturity where its identity, standards, and vision were fully aligned with what the Palace distinction represents,” says Julien Gardin, the general manager, “Applying this year was therefore a natural step, reflecting both the work accomplished and our ambition for the future.”
As will Bulgari Paris, which after only opening in December 2021 has already achieved palace status. It joins existing honourees Peninsula Paris and Shangri-La Paris in showing that you don’t have to be French born-and-bred to uphold French excellence.
Cheval Blanc Paris is another winner in the capital. Three of its six hotels, or “maisons” as it prefers to call them, have already been awarded, including the only “Palace” hotel in France’s overseas territories, Cheval Blanc Saint-Barth. The hotel has arguably some of the best views in Paris, with rooms facing the Seine offering a panorama of Notre Dame to the left and the Eiffel Tower to the right.
Beyond the capital, Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa will also be celebrating. Its admission into the exclusive club was likely aided by its all-Junior-suite accommodation, Michelin-starred restaurant and bumper-sized spa. Hotel Martinez in Cannes and Four Seasons Megève are the other new entries.
Any notable absences?
One top address always missing from the announcement, however, is the Ritz Paris. Despite arguably being the most palatial of them all (even the taps here are elevated from everyday to water pouring from ritzy gold swans) and a sure-fire contender (spa, tick, gastronomy, tick, history, tick, you get the idea) has never made an appearance. Probably because it doesn’t have to. The Ritz Paris confidently stands in a category all of its own.
Another surprise is that Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle didn’t make it on to the list. It is, after all, set in the grounds of an actual palace and three other Airelles properties are already classified as “Palaces”. However, the hotel has not revealed whether or not it applied for the honour.
Elsewhere, the main concentration of winners is in Courchevel, France’s swankiest ski resort, which is home to five “Palace” properties.
The rest are mainly scattered across the equally fancy Côte d’Azur, including Les Airelles Château de la Messardière in Saint-Tropez, one of the key filming locations for The White Lotus season four.
The spread means you can easily swap your winter palace for a summer one without having to lower your standards to a mere five-star again.
The full list
- Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel, Paris
- Le Bristol, Paris
- Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris
- Le Meurice, Dorchester Collection, Paris
- Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Dorchester Collection, Paris
- Le Royal Monceau Raffles. Paris
- Shangri-La Paris
- La Réserve Paris Hôtel and Spa
- The Peninsula, Paris
- Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris
- Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, Épernay
- Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, a Four Seasons Hotel, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Côte d’Azur
- La Réserve Ramatuelle Hôtel Spa and Villas, Ramatuelle
- Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de La Messardière
- Hôtel Royal Evian, Evian-les-Bains
- Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes, Côte d’Azur
- Airelles Gordes, La Bastide, Provence
- Les Sources de Caudalie, Bordeaux, Martillac, Gironde
- Les Prés d’Eugénie, Eugénie-les-Bains, Landes
- Cheval Blanc St-Barth
- Cheval Blanc Saint-Tropez
- Villa La Coste, Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade, Provence
- Château Saint-Martin & Spa, Vence, Côte d’Azur
- Les Airelles, Courchevel
- Cheval Blanc Courchevel
- Hôtel Barrière Les Neiges, Courchevel
- L’Apogée Courchevel
- Le K2 Palace, Courchevel
- Cheval Blanc Paris
- Bulgari Paris
- Hôtel Barrière Le Fouquet’s Paris
- Four Seasons Megève
- Hotel Martinez Cannes