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In France, the word Palace is not a marketing term. It is an official government distinction, awarded by the French Ministry of Tourism to a small number of hotels considered to represent the highest expression of French hospitality. Where architecture, gastronomy, service, and cultural identity converge into something that transcends the ordinary.
Created in 2010, the Palace distinction sits above the five-star classification and recognizes establishments whose outstanding location, historical and aesthetic value, and excellence in service place them among the finest properties in French hospitality. France currently counts 33 Palace hotels in its 2026 collection, a distinction valid for three years and subject to rigorous renewal.
Hôtel de Crillon, a Rosewood Hotel – Paris
Commissioned by King Louis XV in 1758 and built by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, the Hôtel de Crillon served as the personal residence of the family of the Count of Crillon before becoming a Palace hotel in 1909. It sits on the Place de la Concorde – one of the most storied addresses in Paris, and the world. Artists in particular have chosen the hotel as their home away from home: Isadora Duncan, Igor Stravinsky, Diaghilev, Peggy Guggenheim, Charlie Chaplin, Andy Warhol, and Leonard Bernstein have all inscribed their names in its guest book. In 2017, after a four-year, 200 million-euro renovation, the Crillon reopened as a Rosewood hotel, its heritage salons and original suitcase preserved, and two suites designed by Karl Lagerfeld added to its upper floors. It remains, as it has for more than a century, the most Parisian of addresses.
Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel – Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Côte d’Azur
Since opening in 1908, this legendary retreat has welcomed royalty, Hollywood stars, and world travelers to the Côte d’Azur. Set on seven hectares of gardens at the tip of the Cap-Ferrat peninsula, between Nice & Monaco, the hotel was originally designed with a Rotunda by Gustave Eiffel. The Belle Epoque façade has barely changed. What has changed is ev everything around it – a Michelin-starred restaurant, a seawater-heated pool, and the kind of view across the Mediterranean toward the horizon that makes time feel optional. The hotel has welcomed many of the great personalities of each era: aristocrats, film stars, and politicians. Few Palace hotels on earth have aged so gracefully.
Les Sources de Caudalie – Martillac, Bordeaux
Founded in 1999 by Alice and Jérôme Tourbier, Les Sources de Caudalie sits within the historic, family-owned Château Smith Haut Lafitte estate, twenty minutes south of Bordeaux. At its heart is the world’s first Vinothérapie Spa – built on a natural hot spring and centered entirely on the science of the vine. The Tourbiers built this place with a clear intention: a Palace that feels like home.
Château Saint-Martin & Spa – Vence, Alpes-Maritimes
Perched above the hilltop village of Vence, between Nice and the Gorges du Loup, Château Saint-Martin occupies a twelfth-century estate with views across the olive groves to the Mediterranean below. The property has held Palace distinction since the category’s creation and belongs to the Oetker Collection. A group known for houses of uncommon character. The restaurant terrace at dusk – looking out over terraced gardens toward the sea – is one of those views that confirms why people return to the south of France year after year.
Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa – Champillon, Épernay
The Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa secured its Palace distinction for the first time in 2026 – a recognition that has been a long time coming. The hotel sits on a hillside above Épernay, the capital of Champagne. It overlooks the vineyards that have supplied the world’s Champagne for centuries. The view from the pool stretches across vine rows, valley, and open sky as far as the eye can see. For the traveler who takes Champagne seriously – not simply as a drink but as a landscape- this is the address.
France does not have this distinction out easily. Each property on the 2026 list has passed a rigorous review. The criteria go beyond luxury. A sense of place, a depth of service, a welcome considered long before you arrive – these are what the commission looks for. Whether this is your first trip to France or your fifteenth, a Palace hotel changes the experience entirely.
Planning a trip or simply dreaming of one – the Bon Voyage Box was made for you. A curated collection of French travel essentials, beautifully chosen. Quantities are limited.
