Review: La Reserve Paris (Stunning French Palace Hotel)

For the first stop of my trip to Paris and Cairo, I spent a couple of nights at the 40-key La Reserve Paris, which is regarded as one of Paris’ top properties, as it has France’s “Palace” distinction.

When most people think of the top five-star hotels in Paris, perhaps Cheval Blanc Paris, Four Seasons Paris George V, Hotel de Crillon Paris, Le Bristol Paris, or Ritz Paris, come to mind. While it might not have the same name recognition, La Reserve Paris is in the same league, while often being priced a bit lower.

La Reserve Paris is the smallest “Palace” property in the city, so it really has a boutique feel. On top of that, the property has exceptional service, some great food and beverage outlets, a pool and spa, and a beautiful historic design. If money is no object, it really is hard to choose between the top properties in Paris — it all depends on what part of town you prefer staying in, and what kind of vibe and design you like.

Booking La Reserve Paris

Full disclosure — Ford was in town for DUCO Travel Summit, a France-focused event for travel advisors which most luxury properties in the city participate in. Travel advisors who are invited have no control over where they stay, but are assigned a property. Ford was assigned La Reserve Paris, which he was happy about, since it’s a property he hadn’t stayed at before.

So he was hosted for this stay, meaning the room was comped. That being said, opinions expressed are my own, and the hotel didn’t have a clue I was coming, and didn’t know I’d be publishing a review.

As far as booking stays at La Reserve Paris goes, Paris is of course one of the world’s most expensive hotel markets, especially at the high end. Rates vary significantly based on the time of year and day of week you’re staying.

Entry level rooms generally start at anywhere from €1,500 to €2,500 per night, and are (in my experience) pretty consistently priced a bit lower than the other top competitors in the market. I think that’s not due to quality, but rather because La Reserve isn’t a brand that’s as well known.

If you are going to book a stay at La Reserve Paris, I’d recommend booking through a Virtuoso travel advisor, as they can add the following perks, while paying the same rates you’ll find published directly by hotels:

• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
• Daily full breakfast for up to two guests per bedroom
• $100 USD equivalent food & beverage credit per stay
• For stays of two nights or more, guests receive complimentary roundtrip airport or train transfers in an E-Class Mercedes
• Early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability

Ford and his team are happy to help with Virtuoso requests, and can be reached at [email protected].

La Reserve Paris history & location

La Reserve Paris is located at 42 Avenue Gabriel, midway between Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore and Avenue Montaigne. The area immediately around the hotel is pretty quiet, which I like. However, you’re very close to the action, as the property is a short walk from the Champs-Elysees. The hotel is also a block from Elysee Palace (the home of the president), so it’s a safe neighborhood, given the police presence.

La Reserve Paris first opened in 2015, but the building it occupies has a lot more history than that. It’s housed in a Haussmann-style mansion that was initially built in 1854, which was home to Duc de Morny, the half-brother of Emperor Napoleon III.

La Reserve Paris lobby & check-in

La Reserve Paris has a super intimate feel. It’s quite a contrast to properties like the Ritz Paris, which almost feel palatial, while this feels more like someone’s (stunning) home. As soon as you step into the hotel, it’s like going back in time, in the best way possible. Everything feels historic, without compromising on modern comforts.

Inside the entrance and to the left is the reception area, which is one large room, with individual check-in desks and seating (Ford arrived before me, so check-in had been completed before I arrived).

Then there are a series of hallways connecting the various parts of the hotel, as all food and beverage outlets are on the ground floor.

La Reserve Paris suite

La Reserve Paris occupies seven floors (it goes from level minus one to level five, with the lobby being on level zero). All floors can either be accessed by one of the elevators, or via one of the picturesque spiral staircases.

We were assigned room 306, located on the third floor. Even beyond the staircase, the hallway design is very cool, from the lighting fixtures, to the wall treatments, to the art.

We were assigned a prestige suite, marketed as being 80 square meters (860 square feet). Obviously this was quite a premium room category, though keep in mind that nearly 40% of the keys at this property are suites.

Inside the entrance to the room was the living room. This had a sitting area with a couch and two chairs, a dining table with seating for three, and a desk with a chair.

The living room had a TV, but you wouldn’t know it at first glance, as it was hidden behind a mirror on the wall that’s shared with the bedroom.

I was impressed by all the little details, from the finishes on the walls, to the fresh flowers, to the backgammon set on the dining table.

The living room also had a minibar, with a variety of snacks and drinks available, plus a coffee machine and tea selection. It’s a nice touch how non-alcoholic drinks and snacks are complimentary, so the only thing that needs to be purchased is alcohol. This is the only top property in Paris to offer a free minibar.

There was a half bathroom off the living room, and the toilet had a bidet feature.

Then there were doors separating the living room from the bedroom. The bedroom had a super plush king size bed, plus a chair.

Past the bedroom was a huge closet space, which was the size of some other Paris hotel rooms… heh.

Then there was the primary bathroom, with double sinks, a soaking tub (with a TV), a walk-in shower, and a toilet in a separate room.

Toiletries were in individual containers, with La Reserve’s branding. It’s amazing how prominently La Reserve uses its elephant logo for things, as you’ll spot it throughout the room and property.

The suite faced a narrow side street in one direction, and a larger street in the other direction, though there was virtually no noise from outside.

Shortly after checking in, a welcome amenity was offered, which included a bottle of champagne, some sweet treats, and some apples. Yum!

Speaking of amenities, a sweet treat was brought to the room the second evening, which I imagine is a standard feature of the property, and it’s a nice touch.

I thought the suite was stunning, and I loved the sense of place and history it offered, while still having all the modern amenities you’d expect.

La Reserve Paris spa, pool, & gym

La Reserve Paris has its wellness area on level minus one, and it’s an expansive setup for such a small hotel.

To start, the hotel has a full service spa with three treatment rooms, with services in partnership with Clinique Nescens Switzerland. I didn’t get any treatments, but you can find the spa brochure here.

Next, the hotel has a 16-meter (53-foot) indoor pool, which is a lovely place to hang out, as it also has plenty of seating for lounging around. I don’t know why, but while outdoor pools do nothing for me, I kind of like indoor pools, especially at historic properties like this.

The pool has complimentary tea and fruit, which guests can help themselves to.

The spa area also has a steam room, plus a larger locker room, where guests can change.

Also on this level is a 24/7 gym, which is small, but has modern equipment. My only gripe is that I wish there were heavier weights available, as I found the free weight selection to be limited.

La Reserve Paris restaurants & bars

Paris is kind of the culinary capital of the world, and in many ways, hotels are judged by their food and beverage outlets, which are popular not just with hotel guests, but also with outsiders. Given its small size, La Reserve Paris really punches above its weight on this front, as it has five different concepts. All of the hotel’s dining outlets are on the ground floor.

La Reserve Paris has dining concepts by Chef Jerome Banctel, who is behind everything from the fine dining restaurant to the all-day dining restaurant.

The property’s signature restaurant is Le Gabriel, and it’s a French cuisine-focused Michelin three-star restaurant, open for lunch and dinner. I didn’t have a chance to eat here, but it’s a beautiful and intimate restaurant, and you can find the menu here.

Next up, La Reserve Paris has La Pagode de Cos, which is the all-day dining restaurant, with a contemporary French concept. You can find the menu here.

There’s also La Veranda, which is open seasonally with pop-up concepts, in the hotel courtyard. It was raining during most of our visit, so it wasn’t in use. You can find the menu here.

Next, there’s Bar Le Gaspard, nestled between Le Gabriel and La Pagode de Cos. It’s open throughout the day, whether you want a coffee, cocktail, or light bites. You can find the menu here.

Lastly, La Reserve Paris has Duc de Morny Library, which is also open all day. Hotel guests can choose to have breakfast here rather than in La Pagode de Cos, and then it’s open for lunch and dinner as well. The walls here are lined with over 3,000 books, so it’s a ridiculously cool design. You can find the menu here.

For hotel guests with breakfast included, you have the option of enjoying breakfast in La Pagode de Cos, Duc de Morny Library, or via in-room dining, all with the same menu. There’s quite a bit of flexibility as to what you can order.

One morning, we had breakfast in the library space, and started with some fresh juices and cappuccinos — I love the elephant stencil used for the cappuccinos!

We were offered a bread basket at the start of breakfast, all of which was freshly baked.

I decided to order an avocado toast with a poached egg. I’m a sucker for avocado toast in Paris, with the thinly sliced avocado, and crisp bread, and this one didn’t disappoint.

I also had a side of mango, which was as tasty as it was pretty.

The other morning, we had breakfast via in-room dining.

Other than that, we had drinks at the bar a couple of times, and their negronis were excellent.

We also had the lobster rolls and beef carpaccio as a snack, both of which were scrumptious.

La Reserve Paris service

All of Paris’ top hotels have impeccable service, whereby the answer “no” basically just doesn’t exist. I will say, I thought service at La Reserve Paris was perhaps even a cut above the rest. This came in a couple of forms.

For one, service seemed to be a bit more personalized than at other properties, perhaps due to the small size. Staff got to know guests better, which can be harder to do at a hotel with 200 rooms. I also thought the staff had a lot of personality, and that really came across in how they communicated with guests.

Let me just give one example. When we had the “do not disturb” sign on around the time that turndown service was provided, a handwritten and personalized note was left at our door, indicating that they had tried to visit. I’ve never seen that before at any hotel. Wow.

Bottom line

La Reserve Paris is a phenomenal hotel, and it’s also the smallest hotel in Paris with “Palace” distinction. Paris is such a competitive luxury hotel market, and it really is hard to claim that one luxury property is better than the other.

When it comes to La Reserve Paris, I think it’s the perfect pick if you’re looking for a boutique property with beautiful historic design, flawless service, and excellent food and beverage outlets. Despite the hotel’s smaller size, you’re not making any compromises compared to the larger “Palace” properties in Paris. If anything, the hotel has some distinct advantages, like a complimentary minibar.

Obviously all “Palace” properties in Paris are super pricey, though this one is often priced a bit lower than the other top properties, if that’s a consideration. A stay will still cost you an arm and a leg, but that’s the standard in Paris.

Perhaps the only caution I’d add is that this hotel isn’t quite as much of a “scene” as some of the other top Paris hotels. Personally I think that’s a significant advantage, but if you’re looking to see and be seen, you’ll find wilder people watching at some other properties.

What do you make of La Reserve Paris?