What Are France’s Famous “Palace” Hotels? Only 31 Properties Make The List

I’ve written in the past about the general issue with hotel star ratings. Hotels can ultimately identify themselves however they’d like — while there are organizations like AAA and Forbes that award stars, personally I don’t put too much weight into those ratings. While they’re fine for giving you a general sense of the quality of a hotel, I think they fail to consider service, sense of place, and the little things that make a stay exceptional.

If you ask me, a hotel can technically have five stars, but still not be a luxury hotel (in the sense that it’s actually a luxury factory with 300+ rooms and very little personalization). That’s why I thought it would be interesting to take a look at France “Palace” distinction for hotels, which is one of the few government-awarded hotel rating systems out there.

What is France’s “Palace” hotel rating system?

France is known for luxury and amazing food, and by connection, some amazing hotels. This is where France’s “Palace” distinction for hotels kicks in.

Since 2010, Atout France (France’s official tourism development agency) has been awarding certain hotels “Palace” distinction. This is a much higher honor than being a five-star hotel, as there are currently only 31 hotels in France with this distinction.

Note that a French hotel having “Palace” distinction doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s in a former palace (though several properties are). Rather it’s intended to describe just how grand these properties are.

This concept is intended to encourage hotels to be their best, all while increasing the profile of these properties on the international scene. I know many Francophiles go out of their way to stay at “Palace” properties, and for good reason.

You’ll find that hotels with “Palace” distinction heavily promote that honor, and typically put it right next to their name online.

How do hotels in France get “Palace” distinction?

How does a hotel in France earn “Palace” distinction? While the exact criteria aren’t published, here’s what we know:

• “Palace” hotels must contribute to enhancing the image of France throughout the world, and must have qualities that embody French standards of excellence; they must have good locations, architectural heritage, great design, and bespoke service
• Hotels earn “palace” distinction in two phases — first there’s an initial investigation phase, based on objective criteria, including having certain facilities, and then there’s an evaluation phase, conducted by a panel, intended to judge things like the character of a property, the service levels, the quality of the restaurants, etc.
• When a hotel receives the “Palace” distinction, it’s valid for five years, and can then be renewed

New “Palace” distinctions were most recently awarded in late 2019, when six hotels were added, bringing the total to 31 hotels. Oddly, we haven’t seen any updated rankings since then, so it seems like we’re due for some updates in the not-too-distant future.

Which hotels in France have “Palace” status?

As mentioned above, currently 31 hotels in France have “Palace” distinction. I think it’s important to emphasize that if a hotel has “Palace” status, it’s probably pretty awesome. However, it’s possible for a hotel to be great without having “Palace” status.

It’s possible that a hotel is new and just hasn’t been judged yet, or it’s possible a hotel just didn’t meet one of the criteria, but is excellent nonetheless. For example, Cheval Blanc Paris and Ritz-Paris are both excellent hotels, but don’t have “Palace” distinction. I also have to imagine that Airelles Château de Versailles and Airelles Val d’Isère will likely be considered during the next phase of hotels being added.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the hotels in France with Palace status. As you’d expect, Paris is the biggest market for “Palace” hotels, as there are currently 12 properties with this distinction:

The next biggest market for “Palace” hotels is the South of France, and in particular the Côte d’Azur, as there are currently 12 properties with this distinction, though they’re more spread out than in Paris:

The next biggest market for “Palace” hotels is in ski destinations, as there are currently six properties with this distinction, five of which are in Courchevel:

The last hotel with “Palace” distinction is the only one that isn’t in Metropolitan France:

As you’ll notice, there are two points hotels with “Palace” distinction, and both belong to Hyatt — they include the Park Hyatt Paris and Hôtel du Palais Biarritz. I’ve stayed at both, and it’s a treat to have them bookable with points.

Hôtel du Palais Biarritz is an incredibly impressive building and property, though I’d say the service and amenities aren’t quite up to the same level as those of other “Palace” properties. It’s still absolutely worth a visit, though, in my opinion.

Meanwhile I love the Park Hyatt Paris as a points property, but it’s not in the same league as many of Paris’ other top hotels, and I think it’s time the property undergo a refresh. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this hotel lose its “Palace” distinction during the next review phase.

I should also mention that Raffles Le Royal Monceau Paris does belong to Accor Live Limitless, but Accor doesn’t have a traditional loyalty program, as points can just be redeemed for vouchers toward hotel stays. So I don’t consider that useful in the same way.

Bottom line

France is one of the only countries to have an official distinction for the country’s top hotels, in the form of “Palace” status. There are currently 31 of these properties, and they’re most heavily concentrated in Paris, Courchevel, and Saint-Tropez. Furthermore, French hotel brands like Airelles and Cheval Blanc are also heavily featured.

You can expect that “Palace” properties have a great sense of place, amazing dining, and good French service. For those into miles & points, the Park Hyatt Paris and Hôtel du Palais Biarritz are two of these properties that you can book with points.

If you’ve stayed at a French “Palace” property, what was your experience like?