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I’ve written in the past about the general issue with hotel star ratings. Hotels can ultimately identify themselves however they’d like — while there are organizations like AAA and Forbes that award stars, personally I don’t put too much weight into those ratings. They seem to care more about whether there’s a phone next to the toilet than whether the hotel offers personalized service.
If you ask me, a hotel can technically have five stars, but still not be a luxury hotel (in the sense that it’s actually a luxury factory with 300+ rooms and very little personalization). That’s why I thought it would be interesting to take a look at France “Palace” distinction for hotels, which is one of the few government-awarded hotel rating systems out there.
In this post:
What is France’s “Palace” hotel rating system?
France is known for luxury and amazing food, and by connection, some amazing hotels. This is where France’s “Palace” distinction for hotels kicks in.
Since 2010, Atout France (France’s official tourism development agency) has been awarding certain hotels “Palace” distinction. This is a much higher honor than being a five-star hotel, as there are currently only 31 hotels in France with this distinction.
Note that a French hotel having “Palace” distinction doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s in a former palace (though several properties are). Rather it’s intended to describe just how grand these properties are.
This concept is intended to encourage hotels to be their best, all while increasing the profile of these properties on the international scene. I know many Francophiles go out of their way to stay at “Palace” properties, and for good reason.
You’ll find that hotels with “Palace” distinction heavily promote that honor, and typically put it right next to their name online.
How do hotels in France get “Palace” distinction?
How does a hotel in France earn “Palace” distinction? While the exact criteria aren’t published, here’s what we know:
- “Palace” hotels must contribute to enhancing the image of France throughout the world, and must have qualities that embody French standards of excellence; they must have good locations, architectural heritage, great design, and bespoke service
- Hotels earn “palace” Distinction in two phases — first there’s an initial investigation phase, based on objective criteria, including having certain facilities, and then there’s an evaluation phase, conducted by a panel, intended to judge things like the character of a property, the service levels, the quality of the restaurants, etc.
- When a hotel receives the “Palace” distinction, it’s valid for five years, and can then be renewed
New “Palace” distinctions were most recently awarded in late 2019, when six hotels were added, bringing the total to 31 hotels. It seems like within the next year we should get an updated list of properties, given that we’re approaching five years.
Which hotels in France have “Palace” status?
As mentioned above, currently 31 hotels in France have “Palace” distinction. I think it’s important to emphasize that if a hotel has “Palace” status, it’s probably pretty awesome. However, it’s possible for a hotel to be great without having “Palace” status.
It’s possible that a hotel is new and just hasn’t been judged yet, or it’s possible a hotel just didn’t meet one of the criteria, but is excellent nonetheless. For example, Cheval Blanc Paris and Ritz-Paris are both excellent hotels, but don’t have “Palace” distinction. I also have to imagine that Airelles Château de Versailles and Airelles Val d’Isère will likely be considered during the next phase of hotels being added.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the hotels in France with Palace status. As you’d expect, Paris is the biggest market for “Palace” hotels, as there are currently 12 properties with this distinction:
- Four Seasons George V Paris
- Hôtel Lutetia Paris
- Hôtel Plaza Athénée Paris, Dorchester Collection
- La Réserve Paris
- Le Bristol Paris, Oetker Collection
- Le Meurice Paris, Dorchester Collection
- Mandarin Oriental Paris
- Park Hyatt Paris
- Peninsula Paris
- Raffles Le Royal Monceau Paris
- Rosewood Hôtel de Crillon Paris
- Shangri-La Paris
The next biggest market for “Palace” hotels is the South of France, and in particular the Côte d’Azur, as there are currently 12 properties with this distinction, though they’re more spread out than in Paris:
- Airelles Gordes, La Bastide
- Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de La Messardière
- Château Saint-Martin & Spa Vence, Oetker Collection
- Cheval Blanc Saint-Tropez
- Four Seasons Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat
- Hôtel Byblos Saint-Tropez
- Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Rock Antibes, Oetker Collection
- Hôtel du Palais Biarritz, Hyatt Unbound Collection
- La Réserve Ramatuelle
- Les Prés d’Eugénie Maison Guérard Eugénie-les-Bains, Relais & Chateaux
- Les Sources de Caudalie Bordeaux
- Villa La Coste Aix-en-Provence
The next biggest market for “Palace” hotels is in ski destinations, as there are currently six properties with this distinction, five of which are in Courchevel:
- Cheval Blanc Courchevel
- Hôtel Barrière Les Neiges Courchevel
- Hôtel Royal Evian Evian-les-Bains
- L’Apogée Courchevel, Oetker Collection
- Les Airelles Courchevel
- Le K2 Palace Courchevel
The last hotel with “Palace” distinction is the only one that isn’t in Metropolitan France:
As you’ll notice, there are two points hotels with “Palace” distinction, and both belong to Hyatt — they include the Park Hyatt Paris and Hôtel du Palais Biarritz. I’ve stayed at both, and it’s a treat to have them bookable with points.
Hôtel du Palais Biarritz is an incredibly impressive building and property, though I’d say the service and amenities aren’t quite up to the same level as those of other “Palace” properties. It’s still absolutely worth a visit, though, in my opinion.
Meanwhile I love the Park Hyatt Paris as a points property, but it’s not in the same league as many of Paris’ other top hotels, and I think it’s time the property undergo a refresh. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this hotel lose its “Palace” distinction during the next review phase.
I should also mention that Raffles Le Royal Monceau Paris does belong to Accor Live Limitless, but Accor doesn’t have a traditional loyalty program, as points can just be redeemed for vouchers toward hotel stays. So I don’t consider that useful in the same way.
Bottom line
France is one of the only countries to have an official distinction for the country’s top hotels, in the form of “Palace” status. There are currently 31 of these properties, and they’re most heavily concentrated in Paris, Courchevel, and Saint-Tropez. Furthermore, French hotel brands like Airelles and Cheval Blanc are also heavily featured.
You can expect that “Palace” properties have a great sense of place, amazing dining, and good French service. For those into miles & points, the Park Hyatt Paris and Hôtel du Palais Biarritz are two of these properties that you can book with points.
If you’ve stayed at a French “Palace” property, what was your experience like?
Looks like you have done Good research! Good Report, Hence, the reason I like you better than the Card peddling TPG!
I stayed at Le Source de Caudalie in Bordeaux. The JW Marriott in Bogota was ten times nicer.
I wanted to laugh out loud when I read that Park Hyatt Paris is on the list. Even over 10 years ago, that property had more basic service failures for me than any full-service hotel anywhere in Europe where I’ve paid €100+ per person for lunch.
There are a lot of truly palatial type hotels in France that have at least as high or higher standards of service than the Park Hyatt, but often...
I wanted to laugh out loud when I read that Park Hyatt Paris is on the list. Even over 10 years ago, that property had more basic service failures for me than any full-service hotel anywhere in Europe where I’ve paid €100+ per person for lunch.
There are a lot of truly palatial type hotels in France that have at least as high or higher standards of service than the Park Hyatt, but often times these places are primarily in demand for their visual opulence inside public areas of the hotel or on the hotel grounds and then the rooms are sort of a case of you get what you paid for but no more. The service level still tends to be very good, but don’t expect too much for the money since the prices are high because of the demand and the need to pay for the shared public plant/grounds and service level whether you use them to the fullest or not — and even then you’re probably going to have to pay more to get more without getting an extraordinary value proposition, especially at peak vacation times of the year.
Yes, the PH Place Vendome is not worthy. It did not make the Michelin key list, even as a one-key hotel.
While some properties on the list are truly great -- George V and Le Crillon -- the designation loses all credibility with me with the inclusion of the Paris Mandarin Oriental on the list. It is an expensive hotel but it is not a luxury hotel. Across the board, its execution of service cannot be characterized as luxury. It fails. On the flip side, how is it that the Ritz Paris is absent?
PS - My comments are based on first-hand experience and not reviews by others.
While the George V may have been "truly great" in years past, my last three stays there in 2023/2024 were underwhelming. Service was more 'miss' than 'hit', and the rooms are showing a bit too much patina for my taste. Combine that with the gaggle of gawkers that never seems to end, and I'm looking for a new Paris home.
I remember posting about this ages ago when Ben last wrote about it. Ritz is not on it because at the time of the last voting, it had fairly recently reopened after a lengthy closure due to renovations (and I think a fire, IIRC). The closure was long enough that it was considered a "new" hotel for all intents and purposes. It will almost certainly be added to the list again at the next voting.
People need to be aware that the "Palace" distinction doesn't guarantee that it is going to be a great hotel with perfect service and updated rooms. Several of these hotels have seen recent renovations but in the past when I have looked at some the reviews a lot of time mentioned that the hotel was resting on it's past laurels and past reputation and were in desperate need of renovations. It's like everything else YMMV...
People need to be aware that the "Palace" distinction doesn't guarantee that it is going to be a great hotel with perfect service and updated rooms. Several of these hotels have seen recent renovations but in the past when I have looked at some the reviews a lot of time mentioned that the hotel was resting on it's past laurels and past reputation and were in desperate need of renovations. It's like everything else YMMV and I know you have reviewed a couple of the properties and were not so happy with some of them. I honestly was surprised by your review of the Hôtel du Palais Biarritz since that was one that I had looked at before and the reviews certainly led one to believe it was banking on it's historical reputation.
What about the new Michelin keys rating for Hotels?
There are 24 "3 keys" hotels in France and I find the selection also good
About 10 or so years ago, Michelin guides became "pay to play." Michelin asks for a price from tourism boards -- even local tourism boards -- for inclusion. When the racket first rolled out, in small towns that refused to pay, restaurants dropped a star or fell off the list completely. I am aware of one case in which (the equivalent of) US$2 million was demanded of a town. The French government investigated but I heard of no consequences.
Thanks Ben. Isnt the Waldorf Astoria a palace as well?
@ Narsu -- It's not, though I can understand the confusion. It's called Trianon Palace, because that's the name of the building housing the hotel, rather than it being a hotel with Palace distinction.