In November 2010, the French Ministry in charge of Tourism announced something no other country had attempted: a formal state distinction sitting above the top of the national hotel star scale. It was called, simply, Palace.
Why France needed a sixth tier
France had reformed its hotel classification in 2009, introducing a five-star ceiling with detailed, auditable criteria: room dimensions, bathroom fittings, languages spoken at reception, accessibility, environmental management. The reform worked — but it produced an awkward outcome. A competent, modern, business-oriented five-star near an airport now shared a rating with the Ritz.
The Palace distinction was designed to separate the merely excellent from the genuinely exceptional. Where the star system measures compliance, Palace measures character: history, architectural significance, the personality of the service, the quality of gastronomy, and the property's contribution to the international reputation of France.
Who decides
Applications are handled through Atout France, the national tourism development agency, and assessed by a commission of independent figures drawn from hospitality, gastronomy, heritage and luxury industries. A hotel must already hold five stars, must have held them for a defined period, and must submit an extensive dossier. Anonymous visits follow. The distinction is granted for five years and must be renewed — and it has been withdrawn before.
The criteria, in practice
- Location and exterior. An address of exceptional prestige, an architecturally significant building, or a site of historic importance.
- Interior quality. Materials, craftsmanship, art holdings, coherence of design, generosity of public space.
- Service. Staff-to-room ratio, training, languages, discretion, the ability to solve problems invisibly.
- Gastronomy. The standing of the restaurants, the pastry and the bar programme.
- Wellness and facilities. Spa, fitness, pool where the building allows.
- Emotional signature. The most contested criterion: does a stay produce a memory that could not be reproduced elsewhere?
The star system asks whether a hotel does everything it should. The Palace distinction asks whether anyone else could do it at all.
The Paris roll-call
Roughly a dozen Paris hotels hold the distinction at any time. Four of the five houses documented on this site are among them.
| Hotel | Arrondissement | Palace Distinction | Other Protection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four Seasons George V | 8th | Yes | Art Deco landmark façade |
| Hôtel Plaza Athénée | 8th | Yes | — |
| Le Meurice | 1st | Yes | Listed salons |
| Ritz Paris | 1st | Yes | Suite Impériale classified |
| Shangri-La Paris | 16th | No | Monument Historique (whole building) |
The Shangri-La question
Shangri-La Paris does not currently carry the Palace title, and travellers sometimes read that as a verdict on quality. It is not. The building — Prince Roland Bonaparte's 1896 residence — is classified as a Monument Historique, a legal protection that binds the owner far more tightly than any hospitality distinction. Several of its salons cannot be altered without state approval. Meanwhile, its Eiffel Tower views and its 100-key scale give it advantages that no Palace in the 1st arrondissement can match.
Our position is straightforward: use the Palace distinction as a filter for consistency, not as a ranking. It tells you a hotel has been examined seriously by people who know what they are looking at. It does not tell you which house suits your trip.
What it means for a guest
Practically speaking, Palace status correlates with a few reliable things: higher staff-to-guest ratios, 24-hour room service that is genuinely 24 hours, multilingual concierge desks with real problem-solving authority, and a willingness to absorb costs rather than argue over them. It also correlates with price — expect a premium of roughly 15–25% over a comparable five-star in the same arrondissement.
Three practical takeaways
- If you are choosing between two unfamiliar Paris five-stars, the Palace one will almost always be the safer booking.
- If you already know the house you want, ignore the label. Le Bristol, the Shangri-La and the Crillon serve very different travellers.
- Ask the hotel directly which suites hold listed status; several are genuine pieces of French heritage and can be visited on request even if unavailable to book.