The luxe French hotel industry has always made a point to stand out. Besides decadent food, smoky sophistication, and that traditional formality, France has also always followed a four-star hotel rating system diferent from the five-star system used in most of the world. For those hotels that surpassed the 4 stars in terms of luxury (and of course price) a special title of “palace” was bestowed upon them. But that je ne sais quoi, which always made French hotels a stand-out and often confusing system for international travelers, will soon be no more.
The French government has decided to implement a 5-star rating system to match the rest of the international hotel community, making it easier for luxury travelers to distinguish between hotels. They will also be classifying the accommodations within each hotel so customers don’t walk into a “palace” hotel expecting grand suites, and instead receive nothing more than a twin bed and reading lamp.
Much discussion will be had internally, however, before the reclassification officially begins, somewhere around the end of 2008 or early 2009. Luxury will still abound in the country, treating travelers to the best France has to offer, in a system that will now cross language and luxury barriers.
Find the whole article on the new rating system at the International Herald Tribune.
For a taste of France, closer to home, check into one of these luxurious French-themed hotels:
Auberge Du Soleil – Napa, California
Petite Auberge – San Francisco, California
The Pierre – New York City, New York
Paris - Las Vegas, Nevada
Tags: Las Vegas, Luxury, luxury travel, New York, Paris, San Francisco
RSS Blog Feed
Leave a Reply