France has expanded its most exclusive hotel distinction for the first time in years, welcoming six new Palace hotels across Paris, Champagne, Cannes and Megève.
The Palace label sits above France’s five-star classification and is awarded by the French Ministry of Tourism to a small group of hotels considered to represent the highest expression of French hospitality and excellence — where service, design, gastronomy and cultural identity come together to create destinations in their own right.
Created in 2010, the distinction is reserved for “exceptional” five-star hotels that meet a dozen criteria, including a prime location, tailor-made service, and “legendary status linked to historical significance or famous guests”.
Six hotels earn ‘palace’ status
In Paris, Bvlgari Hotel Paris, Hôtel Fouquet’s Paris and Cheval Blanc Paris have been awarded Palace status.
The Bvlgari Hotel Paris’ penthouse, spanning nearly 1,000 square metres (10,800 square feet) and priced at about 50,000 euros ($58,200) per night, was already occupied 40 percent of the time before it received the “palace” designation, said Rodolphe Callewaert, general manager of the hotel.
Elsewhere in France, Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa in Champagne, Hôtel Martinez in Cannes and Four Seasons Hotel Megève join the country’s most exclusive hotel circle.
While five of the winning institutions are run by luxury hotel groups and other major businesses, the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa in Champagne was founded by American entrepreneurs Denise Dupre and Mark Nunnelly.
The six newcomers join 27 establishments whose “palace” status was recently renewed, bringing the total number of such hotels in France to 33, including 13 in Paris.
Four hotels lose their ‘palace’ status
At the same time, Mandarin Oriental Paris, Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme, Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz and Byblos Saint-Tropez in the South of France, have lost their Palace designation. It marks the first time since the system was introduced that hotels have been formally removed from the list.
The current Palace collection spans some of the country’s most recognizable names, from Parisian grandes dames like Le Bristol Paris, Hôtel de Crillon and Le Meurice to Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat in the South alongside other alpine and Riviera icons.
