Hotels take a lot of liberties with how they market themselves, and the categories they put themselves into (”five-star,” ”boutique,” etc.). While it has geographic limitations, arguably the most prestigious ”official” hotel distinction in the world is that of ”Palace” status in France.
Continue reading: French “Palace” Hotel Status Updates: Four Losers, Six Winners, A Surprise
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Ben, we had a very recent meeting with the Ritz Paris team and we asked about the Palace designation. They actively do not want it (for a few reasons) and said they recently turned it down. I would be surprised to see them on the new list.
@ pstm91 -- I appreciate your thoughts. I'm not doubting what you're saying, but that's obviously an odd explanation. Any clue why a hotel wouldn't want such distinction? Not saying it's the case here, but that sounds like a statement you'd expect from a company that was judged but was found ineligible for an award ("we didn't want it anyway!").
Presumably there are consequences to receiving the distinction such as having to commit to certain staffing levels or being charged a higher city tourism tax.
@ François -- In the context of hotels mostly retailing for $2K+ per night, that's fair/accurate...
I’ve stayed at Cheval Blanc Paris; it is one of the best hotels in the world. It deserves this distinction, for sure. Plénitude deserves its 3 stars, too.
I’ve also stayed at Park Hyatt Paris (using points!), and am a fan of their restaurant PUR’, but it is no palace. Likewise, Hyatt Unbound should be removed from the list; what a joke!
This is a big blow to Hyatt, which lacks a real true luxury brand. As a reminder a palace designation isn’t necessarily about a renovation or lack thereof. It’s about a hotel having the required amenities and operating standard. The chains struggle to compete at this level because they are constantly cutting costs.
The Mandarin in Paris has absolutely ROTTEN service. All aspects of its operations. Same for the NYC property. They are expensive properties but they're not true luxury properties. Never again. How did Hyatt Paris get on the list in the first place?
Americans are a significant share of Palace guests (around 25%), but they are followed by French (20%), UK/Switzerland/Germany/Italy (25% together), and Middle East (15%)... China and Brazil remain below 5%.
Yeah, Hyatt was ‘golden-child’ while Marriott was Bonvoying us, but they, too, will soon be on the sh*t-list, because of this pending major devaluation… (sure, fine, some nice new PH in KUL, and a few gens in Europe, and I’ve got a sweet spot for Ventana Big Sur, but…)
At least IHG has Six Senses, some of which truly are exceptional. Zil Pasyon in Seychelles, Mahlolo Island in Fiji… they got good stuff.
Really? It’s been a few years (2022), but the MO at Columbus Circle in NYC seemed fine to me. Great views of Central Park. Amazing spa. How did they ‘wrong’ you?
We were just as surprised to hear them say it. I wish I could give you specifics but they all they told us is that they had turned down in the past and do not have interest in obtaining it. They were quite clear. It will be interesting to see when the update is released.
My impression has been MO generally over-expanding, and that service has been suffering in general at the brand for a couple of years now. Their re-design of the hotel Lutetia was unimpressive, although I've never stayed at the original MO Paris.
If I can't smoke in the room, I don't care how many French accolades a place has. I'd rather be in a Motel 6.
It wasn't any single thing. It was the service across the board on nearly a dozen stays.
Hyatt fully deserves this since they have screwed their customers and mostly allowed their hotels to have declining standards. Buh bye.
The Ritz already has its reputation and actually needs this less than the Palaces need the Ritz.
I would not be surprised to learn they consider Palaces to be beneath them.
In this kind of game it's the worst "palace" that benefits from the aura of the better ones, not the other way around.
None of the IHG hotels are at the palace level. Not even the Intercontinental Le Grand in Paris, which is one of the oldest hotels. Even Hyatt's best Park Hyatt properties are at best a Fairmont or JW Marriott.
None of the IHG hotels are at the palace level. Not even the Intercontinental Le Grand in Paris, which is one of the oldest hotels. Even Hyatt's best Park Hyatt properties are at best a Fairmont or JW Marriott.
Wow me too. Which was shocking considering the other properties MO has are excellent
I am in no way shocked by the proposed downgrades and I remain sceptical that any property would refuse the designation. The 'Palace' distinction should be carefully curated and reviewed to retain the cachet that it demands.
I'm not surprised by the PH Vendome downgrade. I have spent countless nights there, and always wondered why it had the palace label. The lobby/bar/reception areas are a time warp to the 90s, although they renovated Pur very nicely. The rooms are also quite dated, although to be fair they are keeping them in great condition. And service is by no means palace level, except from a few senior employees (their senior guest managers are fantastic but other than that it's a crapshoot). I hope this gives them some motivation to take things to the next level, because I developed a relationship with some of their staff over the years so I obviously have a soft spot for it.
Funnily enough, there's a documentary on Youtube from 2004, unrelated to the hotel but part of it is filmed in it, and it looks exactly the same as today.
It was probably the older part of that hotel that kept if off of the list. The newer part is fine.
This is a HUGE blow to Hyatt. And a blow to Marriott and Bulgari. Just shows that the big chains can't operate true luxury hotels.
Sorry. Miswrote. A blow to Hyatt and a huge assist to Marriott because no honest observer would say the Bulgari is a palace.
I stayed at the Martinez last December and the closet was just plain stupid. It was so small that the bar did not go horizontal, it went front to back and the closet was not that deep. We were able to hang maybe 5 items.
They really failed to get the distinction the first time, there is a court decision from 2013 against Atout France that is publicly available if you search it on Google. "Tribunal de grande instance de Paris, 21 juin 2013, 2011/16712" So they decided not to participate anymore.
If four hotels lost the status and you list all four, it doesn't "include" the following, they are the following!
I've recently stayed at the Fouquet and the Park Hyatt in Paris and I'll take Park Hyatt ovver Fouquet every day of the year!
Beautiful hotels. I did not know of the Airelles group. I think my family and I are very interested and attempting to book a two week winter holiday at Courchevel after seeing your review. By the way, I do not know if you have visited the Amangiri Camp Sarika, but if not, please do. Lovely property and I think you would enjoy. The owner is a close acquaintance and that’s how we ended up there. The caretakers are very attentive and remember us every time my wife and I visit. I am sure they maintain notes but the continuity is very welcoming. I was referred to your blog very recently by my son and must admit that the hotel reviews are very informative and useful. Cordial greetings from Manila.