Epress.am News from Armenia
France granted a few top hotels the right to call themselves a “palace” on Thursday, a label which distinguishes them from rivals and is designed to boost the country’s profile as a luxury destination, Reuters reports.
The eight winners of the accolade include Paris hotels Meurice and Plaza-Athenee, both owned by the Sultan of Brunei, as well as the Bristol hotel, owned by Germany’s Oetker family.
“We expect significant commercial and notoriety boosts from this accolade,” Didier Le Calvez, head of the Bristol told Reuters.
Criteria to obtain the palace label include the hotel’s location, historical significance, room comfort, personalized service, multilingual staff, health and spa facilities.
The Ritz hotel in Paris, famous for being the last place where Princess Diana slept before her fatal car accident, the Four Seasons George V, and the Negresco hotel in Nice all failed the exam to get the label.
The Park Hyatt Paris Vendome, owned by the Hyatt family, also got the right put the palace plaque on its front door along with the Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
Other winners include LVMH’s Cheval Blanc and Les Airelles — two neighbouring hotels nestled between trees right on the slopes of luxury French ski resort Courchevel.
L’Hotel du Palais in Biarritz, on the French Atlantic coast, also won the right to call itself a palace.
France altogether counts 127 five-star hotels. The entirely refurbished Royal Monceau, which is managed by the Singaporean group Raffles and the new Shangri-La, part of the Hong Kong hotel group, are expected to apply for the label.