Different versions of the five-star rating system are used globally to distinguish the level of service one can expect at a given hotel.
Frequent travelers to France will know that the country known globally for its ability to deliver luxury also assigns the “Distinction Palace” label to a very limited number of five-star properties recognized as being the finest in the country.
A total of 27 hotels in France currently have the Palace recognition assigned by the French Minister of Tourism since 2010, of which more than a third, or 10, are in Paris. This number is down from 31, however, because three five-star resorts in Paris and one in Biarritz lost the Palace distinction for the first time since the list was updated in 2019. The Byblos in Saint-Tropez is also not listed on the official website and reported to have lost the distinction.
These French hotels lost the elusive “Palace” distinction
The downgraded hotels include the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme and Mandarin Oriental in Paris and the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz.
French outlet Le Figaro broke the news, citing a source with knowledge of the situation. New properties may be added to the list in June to fill the spaces created by the downgrade, La Rép des Pyrénées indicated. The label is maintained for three years before the hotel is reevaluated, a period that was shortened from the initial five years in 2024.
Two of the properties are also part of the Hyatt portfolio, which is a particularly bad look for the international chain.
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The hotels remain ultra-luxury properties at the five-star rating. That said, the downgrade comes amid market pressures and shifting travel trends that put cost-cutting pressures on even the most high-end resorts.
The Palace Commission simply cited “insufficiencies” in the standards needed to keep the label as the reason for the loss.
Hyatt
“Maintain the level of service excellence for which the hotel is known”
The official criteria required by the Commission for the Palace label include an “exceptional location,” a “legendary status through historical significance or frequentation by renowned figures,” and “bespoke and personalized service.”
Since the first two are established through history and will not change, it is changes in service or the evaluation criteria, as determined by critics on the Commission, that cause the Palace distinction to be revoked.
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In response to the loss of the Palace label, the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme issued a statement saying that it remains “concentrated on its primary mission, [which is] taking care of its clients and partners to maintain the level of service excellence for which the hotel is known.”
The space created for new Palace designation has already caused much industry debate about which properties will be awarded the prestigious label. Five-star resorts that remain on the list include the Plaza Athenée and Royal Monceau Raffles in Paris, Chevalblanc in Courchevel, and Hôtel du Cap Eden Rock in Antibes.
Some new names that have been floated and short-listed for the designation include The Ritz and Bulgari in Paris and the Airelles Val d’Isère and Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa in other parts of the country.
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