Review: Le Bristol Paris, Oetker Collection (French Palace Hotel)

Once again, you've missed an opportunity to explain what palace hotels are and also explain the rigid French hotel rating/classification system. All palace hotels are five-star hotels, but not all five-star hotels are palace hotels.

That aside, I'm a little disappointed in the bathrooms. I think the bathroom fixtures look cheap and fairly generic, at least compared to the rest of the hotel decor. I'm also surprised there isn't one of those fancy Toto toilets. At least in the suites. There doesn't even appear to be a heated towel rack, which is fairly common in Europe.

I'm also not a fan of the half-bedspread and decorative pillows on the beds. The pillows for sure are never washed in-between every guest's stay.

I have stayed there (in a regular room) a number of times and it definitely is my favorite hotel that I have stayed in. Can't wait to go back.

It's explained perfectly well, if you click the link the the article.

No point in him explaining it again.

Small typo: "like steeping into a museum" instead of "stepping".

I mean, he links to a separate post he wrote a while ago about Palace hotels that explains what they are...

Excellent review as usual.

Le Jardin Français seems to be a nice place indeed.

Thanks Ben.

Wait, is that an actual Marc Chagall, or a print? It has to be a print, right?

@ ZFVflyer -- Fixed, thank you!

@ PaulG -- That's a great question. I think it might not be a print, or would that be too crazy?
https://www.oetkercollection.com/hotels/le-bristol-paris/the-hotel/opera-gallery/

“Drinks and snacks for purchase”? In a €25,000/night room. I would have walked out right there.

@ FNT Delta Diamond -- As mentioned by others, I linked to a post explaining it. My reviews are thousands of words long, so if I can link to another post about something, I figure that's best for everyone.

Depending on the device, the links don't always stand out. And you often link to so much that the casual reader tunes out hyperlinks.

I do not think you would be able to get that insured. But if it was legt, then it definitely feels like the appropriate accessory to a suite that is as big as the Parisian apartment of the Peugeot or ELF CEO...

I’m sure that all opinions here are your own. Though I have to think that at this point hotels know you’re coming and that does affect the treatment you receive.

If you have a foreign government coming after you in a public way, any decent hotel with half a mind would know who Ford is and who he travels with.

The suite where you stayed does look great, but the other rooms seem extremely bland. There's timeless then there's 'I've just recreated the bedroom of my greatgrandfather who was the assistant manager of the Montpellier branch of Crédit Commercial de France back in the 1930s'.

Le Avacado Toast - Le Yum!! 🙂

I appreciate you also getting walkthroughs of some of the more basic rooms. That's a gorgeous hotel and I'd love to stay there some day. The bigger issue might just be getting to Paris, considering there's a lot of other places higher on my list. Also, is that a bottle of Diplomatico Reserva in the minibar? If so, it's nice to see a hotel where rum isn't a total afterthought.

Always been curious about that hotel, and even if I will never be able to stay there, that was a good read! Definitely not crazy about the decor and the uber old school/formal vibes that seem to be the theme. Also found it absolutely hilarious that they charge for the mini bar in a 25,000 euros a night room!
As a points person the only palace I regularly stay at in Paris is the Park Hyatt, which seem far less refined than this. Also regarding the tipping, it's not at all expected in France, but I believe they do it in a lot of high end hotels because a majority of their clientele is American so I guess they adjusted to that market...

The majority of clientele is far from American in Paris Top hotels...

The Oetker family has a well-documented Nazi past, and the origin of their wealth has always been tied to that. The Oetker Collection has made a great effort to clean up and obfuscate online references to that history, including wiping their Wikipedia page of that section. On one hand maybe it's unfair to blame the current generation for the transgressions of their ancestors. On the other hand, it's part of their history and they shouldn't be allowed to hide it.

Absolutely. It's outrageous that, after paying €25,000/night, you get charged extra for a bag of chips and a bottle of juice.

I would have loved to see the price list.

Of course there are many Americans, but clearly not the majority. Thats true.

Funny you say they should not be able to hide their history when you try to hide yours, Anonymous?

I'm basing this on what friends who work at 2 of these places told me, so of course it's not just Americans but it is a significant part of the clientele (I assume there's some variance in terms of brands though).

I don't care. Nobody does. The War has been over for 80 years. Nobody came out smelling like roses. If you don't want to stay at their hotels, don't, but let me ask you this - when you travel, do you check to ensure you aren't using hotels and airlines that are either partially or wholly-owned entities of sovereign wealth funds from dictatorial, theocratic countries that suppress human rights and effectively built their glittering kingdoms with slave labor? That project a public image as negotiators and peace-makers while giving shelter to wanted terrorists and their billions of ill-gotten dollars? A family of fusty old Teutonic billionaires kinda pales by comparison.

Epicure no longer has 3 Michelin stars; it lost them when Eric Frechon left as chef. Will see what happens when the next Paris guide comes out at the end of March.

Maybe I’m just being a hater, but the terrace views don’t seem that amazing? Some of the other palace hotels have much better Eiffel views.

I just can't get down with the design of the public spaces and room design other than the Honeymoon Suite; looks like grandma's house. I've stayed at a couple palaces in Paris that have more modern design so it is certainly possible.

I do like the hotel porn aspect of the Honeymoon Suite but this review would be a lot more useful if you reviewed rooms your readers would actually be booking.

Will be staying at this property in few months time. Can’t wait to compare it to The Ritz and Cheval Blanc. My guess is Le Bristol is catered to more understated old money whereas Ritz crowd is perhaps more middle easterner with lots of money and Cheval Blanc is new money with younger crowd.

American and Middle Eastern tourists make up a huge percentage of guests at Palace hotels

I’ve only heard good things about this hotel, but can’t get one the “grandmothers sitting room” decor.

La Reserve does old school a lot better

Don't think this is nearly as nice as Cheval Blanc or La Reserve, but that's just my taste.

I absolutely love the reviews of the non-points hotels. Excellent review, Ben. I'm grateful.

I think the bathroom fixtures look cheap and fairly generic, at least compared to the rest of the hotel decor. I'm also surprised there isn't one of those fancy Toto toilets. At least in the suites. There doesn't even appear to be a heated towel rack, which is fairly common in Europe.

I'm also not a fan of the half-bedspread and decorative pillows on the beds. The pillows for sure are never washed in-between every guest's stay.

Rooms starting at €2000?! Das ist unmoglich was my reaction!
Yes never stay at the Meurice where they want you to leave big tips. Bristol is very classy. I thought they had a cat?

I have stayed at this property many times over twenty years and whilst I understand the comments with regard to the decor, one needs to experience the hotel in the context of the building as a whole and in no way does it feel like it has been decorated by a grand parent. It is elegant, stylish and timeless but it is not modern and faddish like so many other Palace hotels and I can assure those who are judging the bathroom fixtures by photo alone that they are incredibly high quality.

The joy of this hotel are the people who work there - scratch beneath the tuxedoed surface and they will do anything (well, perhaps not everything) for a guest. Once the formality is dispensed with, I have always found them to be engaging and absolutely gorgeous from the mysterious appearance of a glass of champagne whilst waiting in the hallway for a missing husband, to the most incredible New Year's Eve in the lobby complete with magnums of champagne, top hats, feather boas and headdresses handed to all who were invited from all the public areas at midnight. This hotel knows when to party and when to show restraint but like all good things .... the best is revealed over time.

That would be Fa-Raon. He spends his days sauntering through the lobby, acting like he owns the place. Unlike Le Bristol's staff, Fa-Raon has no problem with passing judgment upon the guests. He will look at you in such a way as if to suggest you may be more comfortable at the Best Western.

I can assure you Le Bristol has neither the desire nor the need to suck up to travel bloggers.

The service is going to be consistently flawless whether you are an oil-rich Saudi or a farmer from Iowa.

Epicure has three stars. https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/ile-de-france/paris/restaurants/3-stars-michelin?sort=distance

While that honeymoon suite is amazing for the price you paid, with this and the Biarritz review, I think you inadvertently pointed out the fact that in pretty much all of the most historic grand hotels in Europe and grand hotels with less history in Europe as well, the lower floors are where the best rooms are.

We are so trained by the American/Middle Eastern/Asian approach to hotels where the best rooms are typically on the higher floors, that we forget this is the case in a lot of Europe.

My dad was a White House fellow in the same class as Elaine Chao (aka Mitch’s wife and trump’s last secretary of transportation). Elaine always demanded to be on the highest floor at every hotel she stayed in. It was great when they toured Saudi Arabia and Jordan. This fully backfired when they went to Rome and she ended up in some tiny garret while everyone else were these palatial suites a few floors down.

Please delete

Wonderful summation. I couldn't agree more. Le Bristol is a very special place.

Interesting how you mentioned the best rooms are on the lower floors. I remembered being surprised at the Venetian, the Penthouse was on the lower floor (I want to say I remember it being on the 4th floor, but I doubt that it would be there). The Presidential Suites were on the top floor, though. The difference being that the Penthouse had a private pool, which I guess explains why it wasn't on the top floor!

I stand corrected, thanks!

This commentary would make so much more sense if the review was about Trump-hotel, as Trump is an active fascist.

I have been there several times and it is my favorite hotel by far. Service is impeccable. Why no pictures of Socrate - Fa-Raon's child (and no mention of how pet friendly the hotel is)?