Palace hotels
The grand hotels of the world: palaces on the great squares, family houses that have kept their standards for a century or more, and a few modern masterpieces.
Ritz Paris
César Ritz opened his hotel on the Place Vendôme in 1898 with Auguste Escoffier in the kitchen. Coco Chanel lived here for more than thirty years, and the Bar Hemingway remains one of the most famous small bars in the world.
Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel
An 18th-century palace commissioned by Louis XV on the Place de la Concorde, a hotel since 1909 and reopened by Rosewood after a four-year restoration. Its grand apartments were designed with Karl Lagerfeld.
Le Bristol Paris
Opened in 1925 on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, steps from the Élysée Palace. A French garden at its heart, a rooftop pool designed like the deck of a yacht, and Epicure among the city's great dining rooms.
Hôtel Plaza Athénée
The red awnings of Avenue Montaigne, the street of the great couture houses, since 1913. A Dorchester Collection palace with views to the Eiffel Tower from its upper floors.
Four Seasons Hotel George V
An Art Deco landmark of 1928 a few steps from the Champs-Élysées, famous for its flowers and home to Le Cinq, one of the city's three-star dining rooms.
Cheval Blanc Paris
LVMH's Paris palace, opened in 2021 inside the Samaritaine building on the Seine, with interiors by Peter Marino and the three-star Plénitude.
Claridge's
Mayfair's most famous address, beloved of royalty and celebrated for its Art Deco interiors. Afternoon tea in the Foyer and a drink in the Fumoir are London rites of passage.
The Savoy
Opened by Richard D'Oyly Carte in 1889 on the Thames, the Savoy was among the first hotels in Britain lit throughout by electricity. Its American Bar is one of the oldest surviving cocktail bars in London.
The Connaught
A discreet Mayfair institution with one of the world's most celebrated bars and Hélène Darroze's three-star restaurant under the same roof.
The Ritz London
Opened in 1906 overlooking Green Park. Afternoon tea in the Palm Court is an institution, and the restaurant still asks gentlemen to wear a jacket and tie.
The Dorchester
Park Lane's great hotel since 1931, looking over Hyde Park, and home to Alain Ducasse's three-star restaurant.
Raffles London at The OWO
The Old War Office on Whitehall, where Churchill worked, opened as a Raffles hotel in 2023.
Hotel Adlon Kempinski
Berlin's most famous hotel stands beside the Brandenburg Gate. The original Adlon opened in 1907; today's building was rebuilt on the same site and reopened in 1997.
Hotel de Rome
A Rocco Forte hotel in the 1889 headquarters of the Dresdner Bank on the Bebelplatz, with a former bank vault turned pool and a rooftop terrace over the State Opera.
Hamburg
Palace hotels in Hamburg →Four Seasons Hotel Prague
Historic buildings on the Vltava with views across the river to Prague Castle and along to the Charles Bridge.
The Augustine
A hotel within a 13th-century Augustinian monastery below Prague Castle, where the monks' brewing tradition lives on in the bar.
Mandarin Oriental, Prague
A former 14th-century monastery in Malá Strana, below the castle, with a spa in the old chapel.
Budapest
Palace hotels in Budapest →Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace
A masterpiece of Hungarian Art Nouveau completed in 1906, facing the Chain Bridge and the Buda Castle across the Danube.
Matild Palace
A 1902 palace built for Archduchess Clotilde of Saxe-Coburg, opened as a Luxury Collection hotel in 2021 beside the Elisabeth Bridge.
Barcelona
Palace hotels in Barcelona →El Palace Barcelona
Opened in 1919 as the Hotel Ritz, Barcelona's classic grand hotel on the Gran Via, a short walk from the Passeig de Gràcia.
Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona
A modern palace on the Passeig de Gràcia, among the modernist houses of Gaudí and his contemporaries, with a rooftop terrace and pool.
Hotel Casa Fuster
A modernista house of 1908 by Lluís Domènech i Montaner at the top of the Passeig de Gràcia, with a rooftop terrace and the Café Vienés.
Hotel Bayerischer Hof
Opened in 1841 and still owned by the same family, the Bayerischer Hof is Munich's great society address, host every year to the Munich Security Conference.
Mandarin Oriental, Munich
A neo-Renaissance building a few minutes from the Marienplatz, known for its rooftop terrace and pool with views over the city's towers.
Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski
On Munich's grandest street since 1858, a short walk from the Bavarian State Opera, and still the city's address for the opera and the boulevard.
Rosewood Munich
Opened in 2023 in historic buildings of the old town, including a former bank headquarters, a short walk from the Frauenkirche.
Baur au Lac
Founded in 1844 and still owned by the founding family, set in its own private park where the lake meets the Schanzengraben canal.
The Dolder Grand
A fairy-tale castle of 1899 on the hillside above Zurich, extended by Norman Foster and filled with a serious art collection. Home of the two-star The Restaurant.
La Réserve Eden au Lac
A 1909 building on the lakeshore reimagined by Philippe Starck, with a rooftop restaurant looking over Lake Zurich to the Alps.
Hotel Bristol, a Luxury Collection Hotel
Opened in 1901 on the Royal Route next to the Presidential Palace, with the pianist and statesman Ignacy Jan Paderewski among its founders.
Raffles Europejski Warsaw
The Hotel Europejski first opened in 1857 on the Royal Route; restored and reopened by Raffles in 2018 with a large collection of Polish art.
Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon
Opened in 1959 above the Eduardo VII Park, famous for its collection of Portuguese mid-century art and its rooftop running track over the city.
Bairro Alto Hotel
An 18th-century building on the Praça Luís de Camões, enlarged by the architect Eduardo Souto de Moura, with a terrace over the Tagus.
Hotel Sacher Wien
Opposite the State Opera since 1876, still family-owned, and home of the original Sacher-Torte. Its Blaue Bar is a Viennese institution.
Hotel Imperial
A Ringstrasse palace built in 1863 for the Duke of Württemberg and a hotel since 1873, the traditional address of state visitors to Vienna.
Rosewood Vienna
Opened in 2022 in a 19th-century building on the Petersplatz, beside St Peter's Church, with a rooftop bar over the old town.
Frankfurt
Palace hotels in Frankfurt →Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo
Opened in 1864 beside the Casino, the Hôtel de Paris is the heart of Monte-Carlo, home of Le Louis XV and a wine cellar carved into the rock.
Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo
A Belle Époque palace above the port, with a glass-domed winter garden and L'Abysse, Yannick Alléno's sushi counter.
Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo
A short walk above the Casino gardens, with interiors by Jacques Garcia and Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac.
Four Seasons Hotel Milano
A 15th-century convent in the fashion quarter, with original frescoes and cloisters a few steps from Via Montenapoleone.
Palazzo Parigi Hotel & Grand Spa
A marble palazzo between Brera and the fashion district, with a private garden and a grand spa.
Bulgari Hotel Milano
Bulgari's first hotel, opened in 2004 on a private lane between Brera and Via Montenapoleone, with a hidden garden.
Mandarin Oriental, Milan
Four 18th-century buildings in the fashion quarter joined into one hotel in 2015, home to the two-star Seta.
Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues
Opened in 1834, among the oldest grand hotels in Geneva, where the Rhône leaves the lake. Home of the starred Il Lago.
The Woodward
An all-suite palace on the lake, opened in 2021 and part of the Auberge Collection since 2025, home to L'Atelier Robuchon, a Guerlain spa and the longest indoor pool in Geneva.
Beau-Rivage Genève
Owned by the same family since it opened in 1865, the Beau-Rivage faces the lake and the Jet d'Eau. Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Sisi, died here in 1898.
Amsterdam
Palace hotels in Amsterdam →InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam
Amsterdam's grand hotel on the Amstel since 1867, long the city's address for royalty and visiting stars.
Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam
Six 17th-century canal palaces on the Herengracht joined into one hotel, with a hidden garden behind them.
Conservatorium Hotel
A 19th-century bank and former music conservatory beside the Museumplein, turned into a hotel in 2012 with a glass-roofed atrium lounge.
Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid
Opened in 1910 beside the Prado and reopened in 2021 after a complete restoration. Home of Quique Dacosta's two-star Deessa.
Rosewood Villa Magna
A landmark on the Castellana, on the edge of the Salamanca district, reopened under Rosewood after a full renovation.
Four Seasons Hotel Madrid
Opened in 2020 across seven historic buildings at Canalejas, between the Puerta del Sol and the Calle de Alcalá, with a rooftop terrace and spa.
Hotel Hassler Roma
Family-run and crowning the Spanish Steps, with the starred Imàgo on its top floor and one of the finest views in Rome.
Hotel de Russie, a Rocco Forte Hotel
Between the Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps, with a terraced secret garden and the Stravinskij Bar.
Bulgari Hotel Roma
Opened in 2023 in a 1930s rationalist building on the Piazza Augusto Imperatore, facing the restored Mausoleum of Augustus.
Hotel Eden
A Dorchester Collection hotel near the Villa Borghese gardens, opened in 1889, with a rooftop restaurant over the domes of Rome.
Edinburgh
Palace hotels in Edinburgh →The Balmoral
Edinburgh's grand railway hotel of 1902, whose clock tower is famously set three minutes fast so travellers never miss their train.
Gleneagles
The great Scottish country hotel, opened in 1924, with three golf courses, shooting, fishing and Restaurant Andrew Fairlie.
Gleneagles Townhouse
Gleneagles' city sibling, opened in 2023 in a former bank on St Andrew Square, with a rooftop bar and its own members' club.
Copenhagen
Palace hotels in Copenhagen →Stockholm
Palace hotels in Stockholm →Marbella
Palace hotels in Marbella →Marbella Club Hotel
The hotel that created Marbella: founded in 1954 by Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe as a private club on the Golden Mile, with gardens running down to the sea.
Puente Romano Beach Resort
An Andalusian village of whitewashed villas and gardens on the Golden Mile, near the Marbella Club, with a Roman bridge in its grounds.
Florence
Palace hotels in Florence →Four Seasons Hotel Firenze
Two Renaissance palazzi set in the largest private garden in Florence, a short walk from the Duomo.
Portrait Firenze
The Ferragamo family's all-suite hotel on the Arno, right beside the Ponte Vecchio.
Hotel Savoy
A Rocco Forte hotel on the Piazza della Repubblica, a few minutes' walk from the Duomo and the Uffizi.
Istanbul
Palace hotels in Istanbul →Çırağan Palace Kempinski
A 19th-century Ottoman imperial palace on the European shore of the Bosphorus, with an infinity pool at the water's edge.
Pera Palace Hotel
Built in 1892 for passengers of the Orient Express. Agatha Christie, Ernest Hemingway and Greta Garbo stayed here.
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus
A 19th-century Ottoman palace on the European shore of the Bosphorus, with a waterside terrace, an outdoor pool and a spa.
The Peninsula Istanbul
Opened in 2023 on the Karaköy waterfront in three restored historic buildings and a new one, looking across to the old city and the Topkapı Palace.
New York
Palace hotels in New York →The Plaza
The château on Fifth Avenue at the corner of Central Park, a New York landmark since 1907, with the Palm Court beneath its stained-glass ceiling.
The St. Regis New York
Built by John Jacob Astor IV in 1904, with butler service on every floor and the King Cole Bar, where the Red Snapper, the hotel's Bloody Mary, was introduced in the 1930s.
The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel
The Upper East Side's grand hotel since 1930, home of Bemelmans Bar and its murals by the author of the Madeline books, and of the Café Carlyle.
Aman New York
Opened in 2022 at the top of the Crown Building on Fifth Avenue, with a three-floor spa and a jazz club above Midtown.
Mexico City
Palace hotels in Mexico City →São Paulo
Palace hotels in São Paulo →Buenos Aires
Palace hotels in Buenos Aires →Alvear Palace Hotel
Buenos Aires's grand hotel on the Avenida Alvear since 1932, with Louis XVI interiors, butler service and a celebrated afternoon tea.
Palacio Duhau – Park Hyatt
A 1930s family palace on the Avenida Alvear joined by gardens to a modern wing, with a cheese and wine room in the old cellars.
Lima
All of Lima →Burj Al Arab Jumeirah
The sail-shaped hotel on its own island off Jumeirah Beach, opened in 1999 and the symbol of modern Dubai.
Atlantis The Royal
A resort of stacked glass blocks on the crescent of the Palm, opened in 2023, home to FZN by Björn Frantzén.
Armani Hotel Dubai
Giorgio Armani's hotel inside the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, opened in 2010.
Aman Tokyo
Opened in 2014 at the top of the Otemachi Tower, with a lobby under a vast paper-screen roof and views to Mount Fuji on clear days.
The Peninsula Tokyo
Opposite the gardens of the Imperial Palace, a short walk from Ginza, with The Peninsula's famous fleet of cars at the door.
Imperial Hotel Tokyo
Japan's first great Western-style hotel, open since 1890 beside Hibiya Park; Frank Lloyd Wright designed its famous building of 1923.
Hong Kong
Palace hotels in Hong Kong →The Peninsula Hong Kong
The Grande Dame of the Far East, open since 1928 on the Kowloon waterfront, with its fleet of green Rolls-Royces and afternoon tea in the Lobby.
Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
The great hotel of Central since 1963, looking over Victoria Harbour, with the Clipper Lounge and the Captain's Bar.
Rosewood Hong Kong
Opened in 2019 on Victoria Dockside, looking across the harbour to the island.
Bangkok
Palace hotels in Bangkok →Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok
On the Chao Phraya since 1876, where Somerset Maugham and Joseph Conrad stayed. Its Authors' Lounge is the place for afternoon tea, and Le Normandie holds two Michelin stars.
Capella Bangkok
A low, calm riverside hotel opened in 2020, home to Côte by Mauro Colagreco.
Singapore
Palace hotels in Singapore →Good to know
Book direct
The best rooms and upgrades usually go to guests who book with the hotel itself, by phone or through its own website.
Ask for the history
Grand hotels are proud of their past. Ask the concierge which suite was whose; the answer is often worth the question.
Dress for the public rooms
Bars and restaurants in palace hotels expect smart dress in the evening, and a few still ask for a jacket.