Le Bristol Paris: our review of the first Palace

A few steps from the Élysée Palace, Le Bristol Paris has stood since 1925 as one of the plainest statements of French art de vivre. This Oetker Collection house has kept its charm and its polish across a century, and it is still one of the addresses the city measures itself against. We stayed, and here is what we found.

A history of luxury and refinement

The story starts in 1923, when Hippolyte Jammet bought the eighteenth-century mansion of Count Jules de Castellane with the idea of giving travellers an exceptional Parisian base. The name pays tribute to Frederick Hervey, fourth Earl of Bristol, known for his taste for luxury. From its opening in April 1925 the hotel became the meeting point of Parisian society and of visiting figures from around the world.

Le Bristol was the first French hotel to receive the Palace distinction.

From the door, the lobby makes its case with a marble floor, crystal chandeliers and period furniture. The salons are where the house relaxes, in soft colours and Louis XV and Louis XVI styles, holding an atmosphere that is at once calm, chic and unforced.

The rooms at Le Bristol Paris

With 190 keys, 100 of them suites, Le Bristol spreads its accommodation across three distinct wings. Each room tells its own story, mixing old panelling, period furniture and contemporary touches. Junior Suite 363, the one we tested, holds that balance exactly: current comfort, older elegance, and no sense that either is fighting the other.

The restaurants at Le Bristol

The food is the strongest part of the stay, under chef Éric Frechon since 1999. Épicure, with three Michelin stars, is one of the best tables in Paris full stop, and it is served in a room that earns it. La Brasserie 114 Faubourg, one Michelin star, takes a livelier route with imaginative Parisian cooking in a flamboyant setting.

Behind the scenes of the house

The basement holds four food workshops, among them a cellar of close to 100,000 bottles. The house also mills its own flour from heritage wheats and runs a chocolate workshop where new creations appear every week.

Our verdict on Le Bristol Paris

Rates start at 1,690 € for a Superior room and climb to 25,000 € a night for the Imperial Suite, and value for money is the one place the house slips: at those prices we scored it 5.6 out of 10 on that single criterion. The other reservation is the sixth-floor pool, handsome in its 1920s ocean-liner style but simply too small for a hotel of this size. Everything else is close to the top of the market, which is why Le Bristol still takes 8.1 out of 10 overall and stays on any serious Paris shortlist.

Useful information

• Website: oetkercollection.com
• Address: 112 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris
• Telephone: +33 1 53 43 43 00
• Email: reservations.lebristolparis@oetkercollection.com

Give yourself a few days at Le Bristol Paris, where timeless elegance and a constant chase for excellence make a genuine retreat in the middle of the city. Book your stay today: here.