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

For the second hotel stay of my trip to Paris and Cairo, I spent a night at the 190-key Le Bristol Paris, which belongs to Oetker Collection. Not only is Oetker Collection regarded as one of the world’s best boutique luxury hotel groups, but Le Bristol is also regarded as one of Paris’ top hotels, and it has France’s “Palace” distinction (don’t worry, my next hotel review is of an airport Moxy). 😉

The challenge with Paris is that luxury hotels are simply on a different level compared to virtually any other market. So it’s hard to say that one hotel is better than another, but rather it’s just a function of the vibe you’re looking for. Over time, I’ve reviewed properties like Cheval Blanc Paris, Four Seasons Paris George V, Hotel de Crillon Paris, La Reserve Paris, and Ritz Paris, and they’re all amazing, and I can’t objectively say that one is better than another.

The question, really, is just what kind of a hotel you like. Le Bristol is a gorgeous property, and it amazes me how much effort is put into preserving the history of the hotel. The property has impressive food and beverage outlets, an iconic pool, and perfect service.

I’d also say that the property is absurdly over-the-top, without being flashy. Like, you’ll find more staff here wearing tuxedos than at just about any other hotel in Paris, yet the guests aren’t as flashy as at Cheval Blanc, for example. Yet there’s a funny juxtaposition to this property — while it perhaps has the most formal vibe, it also has a nightclub in the lobby, which you wouldn’t otherwise expect. I appreciate that quirkiness.

Booking Le Bristol Paris

Ford was in Paris for the DUCO Travel Summit, a France-focused event for travel advisors. It’s common for travel advisors to stay at one property during the conference, and then try a couple more properties before or after for a night, to get a sense of the vibe.

So full disclosure, Ford received a complimentary night here as a travel advisor, and I tagged along. Even more disclosure — he received an absolutely ridiculous, over-the-top room, so I asked if it was possible to get a tour of more “regular” rooms, to get a sense of what people would usually get. Let me emphasize that while he received the stay comped, they had no clue I was coming to review the property, and all opinions expressed are my own.

As far as booking stays at Le Bristol 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 at Le Bristol Paris generally start at somewhere around €2,000 per night. If you are going to book a stay at Le Bristol Paris, I’d recommend booking through a travel advisor affiliated with Oetker Collection Pearl Partner, as they can add the following perks, while you pay the same rates you’ll find published directly by the hotel:

• Value-added amenity during stay — €100 ($100) food & beverage credit or spa credit for one-night stay, and credit increases to €200 ($200) for stays of two or more nights
• Daily full American breakfast for two people per bedroom
• One category room upgrade guaranteed at time of booking, based on availability (with some exclusions)

Le Bristol Paris history & location

Le Bristol Paris has quite the storied past, with the hotel dating back to 1925, but the building going back way further than that. I’d struggle to fully do justice to this, so you can read all about Le Bristol Paris’ history here.

As far as location goes, Le Bristol Paris is in the same general area as La Reserve Paris. It’s located in Paris’ 8th arrondissement, and occupies the corner of Rue Faubourg Saint-Honore. The hotel is also only a short distance from Elysee Palace (the home of the president), so it’s a safe neighborhood, given the police presence.

Le Bristol Paris lobby & check-in

Arriving at Le Bristol Paris feels like stepping back in time, in the best way possible.

For one, you’re greeted by stunning floral arrangements… there seems to be a bit of a competition between top Paris hotels, to see which can have the most impressive one.

But more than that, you can’t help but marvel at the furniture and art on the walls. It’s like stepping into a museum. Those who love art and this kind of design will adore this property.

The front desk experience is a bit more traditional than at some other Paris properties, as the reception desk is inside the entrance to the right, while the concierge desk is inside the entrance and to the left. Unlike some other Paris hotels, this isn’t a seated affair. Then again, the hotel often just escorts guests directly to their room, so perhaps that’s a moot point.

Guest floors can be accessed either by the spiral staircases, or via the elevators. One of the elevators was designed by Architect Leo Lerman during WWII, so that’s quite a step back in time!

Le Bristol Paris honeymoon suite

Okay, I’m not going to beat around the bush — for our short one night stay, we were assigned the most over-the-top hotel room I’ve ever stayed in. Specifically, we were put in the honeymoon suite, which often retails for €25,000 per night (though has a bunch of inclusions). Of course this is out of budget for a vast majority of us, so put this more in the “hotel porn” category than anything else, in case you’re curious what it’s like to stay in a suite like this.

The honeymoon suite is located on the eighth (top) floor, and it has the room number 888 (that room number probably says a lot about who the suite is targeted at). The honeymoon suite is an unreal 196 square meters (2,110 square feet), and I’m not sure whether the design or the view is more breathtaking.

As you enter the suite, there’s what’s possibly the biggest hotel suite living room I’ve ever seen, with a dining table that can seat six people, an “L” shaped seating area, and a desk with a chair.

I couldn’t help but notice the attention to detail with the design. For example, look at the art, and how the door is hidden in the wall.

The suite has multiple small terraces, each with a view of the city and the Eiffel Tower… it doesn’t get much more magical than that!

Waiting on the living room table was a welcome amenity with a bottle of champagne, fruit, and some sweets (chocolates and macarons).

Back toward the entrance was a half bathroom, plus a small kitchen, where the coffee situation was located.

As you go deeper into the suite, you’ll find a door leading to the bedroom on the left, the minibar straight ahead, and the bathroom to the right.

The minibar was well stocked, with a variety of drinks and snacks for purchase.

The bedroom was a generous size, with a plush king bed, a chair in the corner, and a TV.

There was also a large closet space.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that the bathroom was bigger than most Paris hotel rooms. It had double sinks (quite a distance apart), a soaking tub, a large walk-in shower, and a toilet and a bidet.

Toiletries were in large Le Bristol branded containers, and I loved the scents.

I also thought it was creative how there was a “giving bag” in the bathroom, which I’ve never seen before at a hotel. Many people leave things behind in rooms, and then the hotel doesn’t know if those items were lost or left behind intentionally, so this solves that.

I mean, what can I really say about this room? Wow, wow, wow…

Le Bristol Paris junior suite

Since the suite we stayed in didn’t represent what guests would typically get, we asked to see some more common rooms, so let’s start with a junior suite. These are marketed as being 55 square meters (595 square feet), so they’re still a great size, especially for Paris.

The junior suite was in a rectangular shape, with a king bed, and a huge living space that contained a couch and two chairs, plus a desk area with two more chairs.

The bathroom was also spacious, with double sinks, a soaking tub, a walk-in shower, and a toilet and bidet.

Le Bristol Paris deluxe room

Last but not least, we checked out a deluxe room, which is two levels up from the entry level room (it goes superior, then executive, then deluxe). Deluxe rooms are marketed as being up to 45 square meters (485 square feet). Once again, this was a good size, with a king bed, two chairs and a coffee table at the foot of the bed, a desk with a chair, and a vanity with a stool.

The bathroom also had double sinks, a tub, a walk-in shower, and a toilet and bidet. It’s nice how even non-suites have bathtubs and double sinks, as that’s not the case at many properties.

Le Bristol Paris pool & outdoor deck

Le Bristol Paris has a pool on the sixth floor, and it’s gorgeous. This isn’t your typical city hotel pool, but rather it has a quirky nautical theme, which I love. There’s plenty of seating around the pool, so it’s a nice place to relax.

There’s also an outdoor deck, which is probably more useful in summer than winter. Still, it’s a cool space, as it has views of Montmartre and the Eiffel Tower.

There’s a staircase down from the pool, which leads to a relaxation area, changing rooms, and even a sauna.

Le Bristol Paris spa, gym, & kids club

Spa Le Bristol by La Prairie is located on the first floor. The spa features eight treatment rooms, including a couples suite. There are all kinds of treatments available, and you can find the treatment menu here. Given our short stay, I didn’t have a chance to check it out.

Just next to the spa is the gym, which is on the small side. It had modern equipment, and a limited amount of weight and cardio equipment. Obviously this isn’t an impressive gym, but that’s a theme among Paris’ top hotels, as they’re all on the small side, given the limited space they have to work with.

Also near the spa and gym is a kids club, designed in partnership with Bonpoint. Cute!

Le Bristol Paris restaurants & bars

There’s not a city in the world with better hotel restaurants than Paris, given how many of the city’s top restaurants are housed in “Palace” hotels.

Le Bristol Paris has five food & beverage concepts, and between them, there are four Michelin stars. These include the following:

• Epicure is the Michelin three-star restaurant by Chef Arnaud Faye, with a heavy focus on vegetables; it’s open for lunch and dinner
• 114 Faubourg is the Michelin one-star restaurant by Chef Vincent Schmit, which is supposed to be like a chic brasserie; it’s open for lunch and dinner
• Cafe Antonia is the all-day lobby lounge restaurant; it’s open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner
• Le Jardin Francais is the seasonal garden restaurant; it’s open for lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner
• Le Bar Du Bristol is the bar and nightclub, which isn’t something you’d expect to find at a hotel like this; it’s open in the evenings and until 1-2AM

Just to give you a sense of these venues, Cafe Antonia feels quite grand, and takes up a large part of the lobby. There’s often live music, which I love.

Confession — I don’t remember the last time I’ve been to a nightclub, but we made an exception here, since I basically stayed on US time throughout my visit. There was a long line to get in, though as hotel guests, we could cut the line. This is a full blown nightclub with a DJ and everything. OMG, the people watching here was… I’m speechless. It’s well worth a visit.

It was a short night for us, and then in the morning we had breakfast. While breakfast is served at Cafe Antonia by default, you can elect to eat breakfast at Epicure, the Michelin three-star restaurant. It’s the same menu and everything, but just a different setting, so of course we chose to eat there. Reservations are recommended, though hardly any tables were occupied during our visit.

You can find the breakfast menu here. As you can see, most of the full breakfast sets retail for €72, but booking through an eligible travel advisor will get you complimentary breakfast. Breakfast kicked off with drinks — we each had a cappuccino, plus freshly squeezed juices.

We were also brought quite the selection of pastries and bread.

I wasn’t prepared for the quantity of food we’d be served — it included avocado toast, smoked salmon and cheese, an acai bowl, and poached eggs. Yum, yum, yum.

Last but not least, below is a picture of the courtyard area at Le Bristol Paris, which is a beautiful place to spend some time. In summer, it’s also where you’ll find Le Jardin Francais.

Le Bristol Paris service

As is the case at all of Paris’ top hotels, service at Le Bristol was impeccable. As I hinted at above, the vibe was a bit different than at other hotels, though. Service definitely felt a bit more formal, with most of the staff being quite tenured.

That’s not good or bad (like I said, service was very good), just a different vibe than some of the other “Palace” properties, where there’s more of a mix of eager interns and recent hospitality school graduates, combined with more experienced managers.

One thing I found interesting at Le Bristol Paris is that when signing checks, there wasn’t even the option to tip. That’s in contrast to most other “Palace” properties. While there’s not an expectation to tip in France in the same way as in the United States, there’s no denying that it has rubbed off a bit, so I kind of appreciate the hotel drawing a line there.

Bottom line

All of Paris’ top hotels are excellent in their own way. Let me first acknowledge that we of course got an unbelievable suite at Le Bristol Paris, though I’m putting that more in the “hotel porn” category than anything, since it doesn’t represent what most people will get (and it’s why I also provided pictures of other rooms).

What impressed me most about Le Bristol Paris was the effort put into preserving the property’s history. If you’re into history and this kind of old world charm, you’re going to love this hotel.

While Le Bristol is super expensive and luxurious, the guests are actually pretty understated, and weren’t nearly as flashy as at properties like Cheval Blanc or the Four Seasons George V. Service was also a bit different, as it was a bit more formal, which many people will love.

Le Bristol Paris is an amazing hotel, and if this is your style, you really can’t go wrong.

What do you make of Le Bristol Paris?