In France, hotel rankings highlight the exceptional 5-star hotels by elevating them to ‘palace’ status. Awarded to establishments that achieve excellence.
Established by the French Minister of Tourism in November 2010, the Distinction Palace is designed to award official recognition to the finest 5-star hotels. They must have exceptional qualities that embody French standards of excellence and contribute to enhancing the image of France throughout the world. It is also designed to increase the profile of these establishments, especially on the international scene.
The ministry of tourism awards the "Palace" distinction after the completion of a two phase process:
- An initial investigation phase conducted by ATOUT FRANCE based on objective eligibility criteria. These mandatory criteria include having the following available to guests: fitness area, spa, multilingual team, concierge service and more.
- An evaluation phase is conducted by an experienced panel, based on a set of assessment criteria including: location, appearance, history of the site, character of the establishment, involvement of staff in seeking excellence, gourmet restaurants, respectful environmental policy, and more.
31 exceptional hotels have been awarded the prestigious "Distinction Palace":
- Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel – Paris
- Hôtel du Palais – Biarritz (Pays Basque)
- Les Airelles – Courchevel (Alps)
- Cheval Blanc – Courchevel (Alps)
- Le Bristol – Paris
- Four Seasons Hotel George V – Paris
- Le Meurice, Dorchester Collection – Paris
- Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme – Paris
- Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Dorchester Collection – Paris
- Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, a Four Seasons Hotel – Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (Côte d'Azur)
- La Réserve Ramatuelle Hôtel Spa and Villas - Ramatuelle (Provence)
- Byblos - Saint-Tropez (Provence)
- Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de La Messardière - Saint-Tropez (Provence)
- Le Royal Monceau Raffles - Paris
- Shangri-La- Paris
- Mandarin Oriental - Paris
- Le K2 Palace, Courchevel - Alps
- La Réserve Paris Hôtel and Spa - Paris
- The Peninsula - Paris
- Hôtel Royal Evian - Evian-les-Bains (Alps)
- Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Rock - Antibes (Côte d'Azur)
- Airelles Gordes, La Bastide - Gordes (Vaucluse)
- Les Sources de Caudalie, Bordeaux - Martillac (Gironde)
- Les Prés d'Eugénie, Maison Guérard - Eugénie-les-Bains (Landes)
- Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France – Saint-Barthélémy Island
- Hôtel Lutetia Rive Gauche- Paris
- Hôtel Barrière Les Neiges - Courchevel
- L'Apogée - Courchevel - Courchevel
- Cheval Blanc - Saint-Tropez - Saint-Tropez
- Villa La Coste - près d'Aix-en-Provence - Provence
- Château Saint-Martin & Spa - Vence (Côte d'Azur)
By France.fr
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