8 of the Hottest New Hotels in Paris, the French Riviera, Versailles, and Beyond

Luxury-seeking travelers are spoiled for choice when it comes to hotels in France: The country has always had a blockbuster lineup of ultra-upscale properties to stay in.

Paris alone is home to a collection of palace hotels where a night’s stay starts in the four figures— there’s the Hôtel de Crillon, for example, and Hôtel Plaza Athénée with its signature 1,900 red geraniums adorning the façade. The South of France has its own icons, with Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, in Antibes, among the top picks.

With travel restrictions easing and France reopening its borders, the options of high-end accommodations in the country have become even more robust.

One of the buzziest openings is The Maybourne Riviera on the Cote d’Azur, from the Maybourne Hotel Group, the organization behind the renowned Claridge’s in London. Set on a craggy cliff in the town of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in a striking modern building, the property is making a soft debut in late August.

With views of the Mediterranean Sea and a location in restored gardens, The Maybourne Riviera features the talents of some of the top designers, architects, and artists in the world. The French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who worked on the Hôtel Lutetia in Paris, is behind the exterior, while Andre Fu, Bryan O’Sullivan, Pierre Yovanovitch, and Rigby & Rigby show off their creativity inside. The Maybourne Group also tapped local artisans to custom-make art, glassware, and ceramics for both the public spaces and guest rooms.

Inside the Maybourne.
Inside the Maybourne.
Photo: Courtesy of The Maybourne Riviera

Gastronomy is a draw as much as the seaside locale. Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco, of the three-Michelin star South of France restaurant Mirazur, will have a spot, along with Jean-Georges Vongerichten and the Japanese chef Hiroyuki Sato. Indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a spa and private beach club are more reasons this hotel is poised to become a destination in itself.

Meanwhile, three new properties in Paris have the cognoscenti talking. Overlooking the Seine, the LVMH-owned Cheval Blanc Paris is debuting in early September and will have 72 rooms and suites designed by the architect Peter Marino. The property is located in La Samaritaine, a 19th-century building that LVMH has spent the last 15 years developing as a resort. Cheval Blanc’s Art Deco influence was inspired by the Samaritaine.

A preview of Cheval Blanc Paris.
A preview of Cheval Blanc Paris.
Photo: Cheval Blanc/Alexandre Tabaste

Spanning nearly 11,000 square feet, the two-bedroom private apartment is the attention-getter when it comes to rooms and has its own pool and spa. Amenities in the hotel include a restaurant run by the three-star Michelin chef Arnaud Donckele and the Dior Spa Cheval Blanc, also designed by Marino and featuring a large swimming pool and bespoke Dior treatments.

A rendering of Bulgari Paris.
A rendering of Bulgari Paris.
Image: Courtesy of Bvulgari Paris

The fall debut of Bulgari Paris, on the tony Avenue George V, comes on the heels of Cheval Blanc Paris’s opening. The Italian architectural firm Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, and Parisian architects Valode & Pistre, both world-renowned, worked on the design. Most of the 76 rooms will be suites, and guests can also expect a 75-foot pool, spa, and restaurant and bar with a courtyard garden.

A look inside J.K. Place Paris.
A look inside J.K. Place Paris.
Photo: Kristen Pelou

The city’s third notable hotel, J.K. Place Paris, opened just before the pandemic. From the cult status J.K. brand, the property has just 29 rooms and is located across from Boulevard Saint-Germain in the former European Consulate. Italian architect Michele Bonan led the design and found some of the pieces for the spaces in Parisian flea markets.

J.K.’s amenities include an indoor pool, Sisley Spa, and an outpost of the see-and-be-seen members club and Italian restaurant Casa Tua, which has locations in Miami and Aspen.

Moving on from Paris, the boutique French hotel brand Airelles also opened two hotels in France within a month.

After lengthy delays, Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle debuted on June 1 and is the first hotel to open on the grounds of Chateau Versailles. Located in a 17th-century building constructed by Louis XIV’s favorite architect, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, and reimagined today by French interior designer and architect Christophe Tollemer, it has 14 rooms (each individually decorated), an Alain Ducasse restaurant, and a spa with a swimming pool. Guests get exclusive access to Versailles.

Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle.
Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle.
Photo: Courtesy of Airelles Chateau de Versailles, Le Grand Controle

Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de la Messardiere opened on July 1: Located on 25 acres of grounds in the heart of the Cote d’Azur, it has 103 rooms and claims to be the largest hotel in Saint-Tropez. Tollemer also led the design, and amenities include a spa with nine treatment rooms and an indoor swimming pool, an outdoor yoga platform, and tennis courts. An outdoor lap pool is opening later this year, and on the food front, the property has a partnership with chef Nobu Matsuhisa through October 1 for the Japanese-French fusion restaurant Matsuhisa Saint-Tropez.

Château de la Messardiere.
Château de la Messardiere.
Photo: Courtesy of Château de la Messardiere

The final two hotels on our list of eight are both in the Loire Valley.

Les Sources de Cheverny, set among 110 acres of woodlands, was redesigned by the architect Yves Collet and the studio Be-poles. The 49 rooms are spread among six buildings, and there are also two restaurants and a spa.

Les Sources de Cheverny.
Les Sources de Cheverny.
Photo: MPMorel

Loire Valley Lodges, on 750 acres of woods, features 18 modern tree houses with terraces, all surrounding a farmhouse. Look for an outdoor swimming pool, a restaurant that celebrates local food producers, and a display of contemporary art.

Whether it’s a LVMH property in Paris, a boutique hotel in Versailles, or a resort with all the bells and whistles in the Riviera, France’s latest and hottest hotels are definitely worth checking out—or, should we say, checking into.

The Loire Valley Lodges.
The Loire Valley Lodges.
Photo: Anne-Emmanuelle Thion

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest