When it comes to hotels, there’s five-star status – but, in France, there’s also ‘Palace’ level.
And now the ultra-exclusive list of the hotels that fit this bill has been expanded for the first time in seven years – with six new properties having been awarded the elite classification.
The ‘Palace’ label sits above France’s standard five-star rating, and is awarded by the French Ministry of Tourism to a handful of hotels that represent the highest pinnacle of French luxury and hospitality.
More than just places to stay, these hotels are destinations that seamlessly blend world-class service, beautiful design, incredible food, and deep cultural roots.
The prestigious label was introduced in 2010 to celebrate the crème de la crème of French hotels that lacked a formal classification beyond the five-star tier.
During a Paris ceremony on 2 June, it was announced that 27 hotels maintained their coveted rating, four were stripped of it, and six achieved ‘Palace’ status for the first time – three of which are in the capital.
Read on to discover the six exceptional French hotels that have been added to the list – and now rank above five-star luxury.
Bvlgari Hotel Paris
The Bvlgari Hotel Paris boasts just 76 rooms and suites, where guests can expect to pay as much as £1,500 for a single night’s stay
Situated on Avenue George V, in the heart of the capital’s exclusive ‘golden triangle’, Bvlgari Hotel Paris pairs the designer’s timeless glamour with contemporary design.
The hotel boasts just 76 rooms and suites, where guests can expect to pay as much as £1,500 for a single night’s stay.
For around £30,000 per night, guests can check into the property’s 10,000 square-foot, two-floor penthouse, featuring a private cigar cellar, hammam, fitness room and a landscaped hanging garden that offers 360-degree views of the Eiffel Tower.
Inspired by the historic Baths of Caracalla, the hotel’s onsite spa features a 25-metre swimming pool decorated with emerald, jade, and malachite mosaics rippled with gold.
Its onsite restaurant, curated by celebrated three-Michelin-star Italian Chef Niko Romito, serves up classic Italian dishes with a modern twist.
Pets are not only welcomed at the hotel, they are treated nearly as well as owners, with bespoke amenities like winter wool and summer linen dog beds offered.
Topping off a truly luxurious stay, guests in need of transfers to and from the hotels are transported in a Maserati.
Hôtel Fouquet’s Paris
Hôtel Fouquet’s Paris combines elegant 1920s Art Deco interiors with elements of French cinema and aviation
Centered on the corner of the Champs-Élysées and Avenue George V, Hôtel Fouquet’s Paris intertwines 1920s Art Deco interiors with a rich heritage in aviation and French cinema.
Each year, the prestigious César Awards are held at Fouquet’s, the hotel’s onsite brasserie that has served as a mecca for film icons and the French New Wave since the 1930s.
The hotel itself features 101 rooms and suites, many of which offer views of the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées. A night’s stay in a Superior Room costs as little as £740, while Premium suites can exceed £2,000.
Most suites and rooms come with a personalised butler service, helping guests with luggage, reservations and in-room requests.
Guests can break away from the bustling streets of the luxury district by relaxing in Le Joy, a secret indoor garden on the first floor of the hotel that boasts a bar and restaurant serving up seasonal French cuisine.
Alternatively, the hotel offers a 15-metre heated indoor pool, hammam with a star ceiling, and an ice room with a wall made of real ice at The Spa Decorté.
Hôtel Fouquet’s Paris is renowned for being pet-friendly – so much so that the furry companions are gifted a personally embroidered blanket on their first stay.
Cheval Blanc Paris
Cheval Blanc Paris offers each guest a personal butler, marble-clad bathrooms and a spa that pays homage to Dior
Set along the River Seine in the 1st Arrondissement of the capital, Cheval Blanc Paris seamlessly integrates into the iconic La Samaritaine department store facing the Pont Neuf.
The hotel, an LVMH flagship, offers 72 rooms – 46 of which are suites, with nightly rates ranging from £1,800 to over £11,000. Its 10,780 sq ft penthouse, named The Apartment, can set guests back as much as £39,000 for a night’s stay.
As with Hôtel Fouquet’s Paris, every guest is assigned a round-the-clock personal butler that handles every task – from unpacking luggage to drawing baths.
Bathrooms in each room are clad in marble and feature spacious bathtubs, private hammam steam rooms, and bespoke products with fragrances created by Maison Dior’s perfumer.
Designed by Peter Marino, the hotel boasts one of the most opulent spas in Paris: Dior Spa Cheval Blanc, which pays homage to the fashion house with a blend of signature Dior codes, bespoke craftsmanship, and rare materials.
Guests visiting the spa are handed robes that are cinched at the waist, reflecting the classic design of Dior’s famous dresses, and are treated to semi-precious stone therapies.
A 100ft indoor swimming pool also sits at the exact water level of the Seine, featuring mirrored ceilings and incredible video projections that create the illusion of swimming along the riverbank.
Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, Champagne
Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, set in Champagne, has deep historic roots – serving as a pitstop for French royalty in the 19th century
Built around a 19th century coaching inn on the edge of Épernay, deep in the heart of the Champagne, the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa is a historic establishment with a rich heritage.
The hotel has hosted a string of French kings who would stop there while on route to their coronations in nearby Reims – and legend has it that former emperor Napoleon Bonaparte regularly visited the property.
All 47 rooms feature custom linens, natural oak and stone, bedside meditation boxes, and private terraces and balconies that offer panoramic views of vineyards across the valley – though these can cost between £550 and £1,500 for a night’s stay.
The hotel’s Destination Spa spans 16,000 sq ft and serves as the region’s first destination wellness centre.
Guests also have the option of swimming in a 25-metre indoor pool with floor-to-ceiling windows, or an outdoor infinity pool surrounded by grapevines.
There’s even a bespoke Hair Spa available for guests who are treated to targeted micro peptide treatments and skincare products from Biologique Recherche.
Hôtel Martinez, Cannes
Hôtel Martinez is a celebrated hotel in Cannes that serves as a key hub during the prestigious Cannes Film Festival
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Inside Cannes hotel that boasts the only Dior-designed suite in Europe, with guests including Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicole Kidman – and how to stay for £105-a-night
Renowned as one of the world’s most glamorous properties, Hôtel Martinez in Cannes blends 1920s Art Deco architecture with deep Hollywood roots.
The hotel is home to one of the most expensive penthouses in Europe, averaging £39,411 for a night’s stay.
Set over 1,000 square metres, it is split into two vast suites named after French cinema icons Thierry Frémaux and Isabelle Huppert.
The hotel, which serves as a key hub during the Cannes Film Festival, has hosted a revolving door of famous guests over the years, from actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Bruce Willis, to supermodels Bella Hadid and Naomi Campbell.
Many of these celebrities have dined at La Palme d’Or, the onsite Michelin-starred restaurant offering ‘seafood-inspired, sun-kissed cuisine’.
At L’Oasis du Martinez, the hotel’s award-winning botanical garden and pool retreat, guests can take a dip in the gorgeous Yves Klein-blue swimming pool or relax in the lush sun gardens.
Four Seasons Hotel Megève, the French Alps
The Four Seasons Hotel Megève is an alpine retreat in the heart of the French Alps, offering guests bespoke ski room services that involves boot-warming and ski-waxing each morning
Nestled in the French Alps is the Four Seasons Hotel Megève, an alpine retreat that serves as the only hotel to offer direct access in and out of the Mont d’Arbois slopes on skis.
The resort has incredible historical ties to one of the most influential families in the world as it was created in collaboration with Baroness Edmond de Rothschild, blending contemporary design with fine art from the family’s private art collection.
A total of 55 accommodations are available at the resort, with standard rooms priced between £500 to £700 a night, and larger suites ranging from £2,500 and £5,000 a night.
Guests seeking total seclusion can book the Suite Idéal – a chalet located at the very top of Mont d’Arbois that is accessible only by ski lift or snowmobile.
Each room and suite offers guests a dedicated concierge and ski room service that provides boot warming and ski waxing before they take to the slopes, along with snacks and comforting hot chocolate.
For dinner, guests can immerse themselves in Epicurean cuisine at La Dame de Pic – Le 1920, or tuck into sushi at Megève’s first Japanese restaurant: Kaito.
The hotel is also home to the biggest spa in the French Alps, a 900-metre area that offers indoor and outdoor pools with massage jets and underwater music.
