Our top 10 designer hotels in France

They could blend in with the profusion of new addresses opened every year, but you recognize them at first glance. Their uniqueness lies in the way they embody a universe - a light, an emotion, an aesthetic - that goes beyond mere décor. Whether they celebrate raw wood, blond stone or refined volumes, they all share this idea of beauty that soothes and inspires. here are 10 designer addresses to discover before anyone else.

in Metz, Maison Heler, a castle in the sky by Philippe Starck

with its Lorraine-style house perched on a contemporary building, Maison Heler defies the laws of gravity andarchitecture alike.Designed by Philippe Starck andoperated by Hilton, this unique address in Metz's Architecture district is part hotel, part work of art and part poetic tale. Inspired by the novel La Vie minutieuse by Manfred Heler, a fiction born of the designer's imagination, the house invites guests to enjoy a surreal experience, where every detail seems to have emerged from adaydream . From the 2ᵉ to the 8ᵉ floor, the 104 rooms and suites decline a contemporaryelegance: concrete walls, pink marble, sober lines and subtle dreamlike touches. On the first floor, the Brasserie Rose plays the conviviality card with simple, seasonal cuisine, extended by a bar featuring floral and local cocktails. At the top, La Maison de Manfred- a replica of a 19thᵉcentury bourgeois residence in the Metz district - offers panoramic views over the city. Its leather- and wood-clad lounges, bathed in lightfrom Ara Starck's monumental stained-glass windows, host confidential dinnersandprivilegedevents.

• from 170 euros, breakfast included.
• I want to go to Maison Heler

julius Hirtzberger

in Paris, Maison Proust, Jacques Garcia's jewel case

Opposite the Carreau du Temple, Maison Proust is the third address in the Maisons Particulières Collection. Designed by Jacques Garcia, this 5-star hotel pays tribute to the world of Marcel Proust in a sumptuous décor of Belle Époque salons, from which the author drew inspiration for his work À la recherche. In the lobby, paintings by Paul César Helleu rub shoulders with the Venetian mirrors in the bar and the gold-leafed library, where every book dates from before 1922. The La Mer spa, adorned with zelliges, offers an hour's private access to each guest. In the 23 rooms and suites, velvets, period paintings and writing alcoves recreate the hushed atmosphere of literary salons. On the top floor, the Suite Marcel Proust overlooks the Paris skyline like a final page.

• Rooms from 800€ per night, breakfast included.
• I want to go to the Maison Proust

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in Montpellier, Hôtel Richer de Belleval, Christian Collot's singular label

Housed in a sumptuous 17thᵉ century townhouse, Hôtel Richer de Belleval is the only 5-star Relais & Châteaux member in the center of Montpellier. Restored by Philippe Prost, it blends historic elegance with contemporary design: antique frescoes, Christian Lacroix carpets, Flos lighting fixtures, white marble in the bathrooms. An oversized bar, curiosity cabinets, Grand Siècle touches and contemporary furnishings: this is the delicate balance that interior designer Christian Collot set out to achieve. The ambience designer in charge of the project opted for pastel tones to gracefully underline the gypseries, gilding and listed moldings. On the top floor, drapes and velvets in shades of blue hour, purple or pomegranate sublimate the most contemporary spaces. With ceilings by Jim Dine and Jan Fabre, this total art venue also houses a contemporary art foundation. Guests come here as much for the beauty of the surroundings as for the cuisine of the Pourcel brothers, served at the Jardin des Sens.

• Rooms from 335 euros per night, breakfast included.
• I want to go to theHôtel Richer de Belleval

jerôme Mondière

in Paris, the Hôtel du Petit Moulin, a confidential place designed by Christian Lacroix

In the heart of the Haut Marais district, the Hôtel du Petit Moulin is a well-kept secret in Paris. Housed in the oldest bakery in Paris, where Victor Hugo is said to have bought his bread, this 4-star boutique hotel with its listed façade combines history and fantasy. Christian Lacroix has created a singular decor: 17 rooms and suites, each different from the next, combining Parisian baroque, boudoir spirit and contemporary touches. A poetic refuge, complemented by an Honesty Bar reserved for guests, ideal for prolonging the reverie of a coffee or cocktail far from the hustle and bustle of the Marais.

• Rooms from 285 euros per night, breakfast included.
• I want to go to theHôtel du Petit Moulin

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in Lourmarin, Le Moulin by agencies Jaune and Be-pôles

In one of the Lubéron's most beautiful villages, this former mill has been given a new lease of life by the Be-pôles and Jaune agencies, who are celebrating a contemporary, sunny and uncluttered Provence. The 35 rooms and suites feature natural materials - straw floors that extend onto the walls, openwork earthenware sconces, furniture by Jérémie du Chaffaut - for an atmosphere that's both artisanal and designer. The Bacheto restaurant, with its revisited traditional Provencal cuisine, completes the experience. A member of the Beaumier collection, this new-generation address embodies the hotel revival of the south: authentic, aesthetic and intensely alive.

• Double room from 195 euros, breakfast included.
• I want to go to Hotel Le Moulin

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in Cannes, the Hôtel Belle Plage by Raphaël Navot

As he often says, the Riviera is his muse. And with the renovation of this 1930s hotel, Raphaël Navot has undoubtedly created one of his finest tributes to the Mediterranean. It took three years to blend the elegance of the Côte d'Azur with the Art Deco spirit of Miami. The 45 rooms and 9 apartments breathe material: local stone, terrazzo, woven leather, raw linen and pebble lighting create a soft, sunny harmony. But the real feat lies in the fluidity between interior and exterior, which allows the sea to invite itself in everywhere - from the balconies bathed in light to the rooftop Bella, a panoramic restaurant offering a stunning view of the Lérins Islands. Below, an 800 m² spa, the largest in Cannes, unfolds its vision of holistic well-being with natural elegance.

• Double room from 200 euros, breakfast included.
• I want to go to theHôtel Belle Plage

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méribel, Hôtel Le Coucou by Pierre Yovanovitch

Le Coucou is one of Pierre Yovanovitch's finest creations. Nestled in Méribel, this five-star hotel stylishly overturns the resort's hushed codes. The interior designer has imagined a playful yet refined refuge, part family home, part alpine gallery. In the 55 rooms and suites - not forgetting the 2 private chalets - you'll find vintage furniture, custom-made pieces and over 400 creations designed by Yovanovitch himself. Snowflake carpets, ice block lamps, bird-shaped coat hooks... everything here exudes humor and the right detail. On the relaxation front, the Tata Harper spa extends the experience with its panoramic pool overlooking the snow-covered peaks, while the three restaurants, including a Beefbar that already has a cult following in London and New York, make Le Coucou an address as cutting-edge as it is hedonistic.

• Double room from 880 euros, breakfast included.
• I want to go toHôtel Le Coucou

jerome Galland

in Paris, Le Grand Mazarin by Martin Brudnizki

Nestled in a private mansion in the Marais district, this five-star hotel designed by Martin Brudnizki is one of the capital's hottest spots. The Swedish designer, fascinated by the avant-garde Paris of the late XIXᵉ century, deploys a sumptuous mise-en-scène, where antique woodwork, gilding, velvet and splashes of color respond with panache. In the 61 rooms and suites, every detail - signed by the finest craftsmen, from bronzier Lucien Gau to manufacture Pinton - tells the story of a sumptuous Paris, reinvented with humor and modernity. This theatrical elegance can be found in the lobby-boudoir, the Boubalé restaurant, the cosy bar, the winter garden and even a hidden cabaret, which in just a few months has become one of the hottest spots in Paris.

• Double room from 500 euros, breakfast included.
• I want to go to the Hotel Le Grand Mazarin

vincent Leroux

in Arles, Le Cloître, the India Mahdavi touch in the heart of old Arles

Under the southern sun,Le Cloîtrein Arles showcases the world of India Mahdavi,with its bold colors and soft lines. Behindits discreetfacade in the historic center, thehotel reveals 19 rooms and suites bathed in light, blendingvibrant fabrics, colorful tiles andnatural materials. The result is ajoyful, refined cocoon,true to the designer's signature. High up, the rooftop offers a bewitching panorama over the rooftops of Arles and the surrounding bell towers. No restaurant here, but a nearby gourmet stop at theÉpicerie du Cloître, where youcan enjoy simple, sunny cuisine.

• Double room from 100 euros, breakfast not included.
• I want to go to Hotel Le Cloître

adrian Deweerdt

in Paris, Jean Nouvel & Philippe Starck,the TOO Hotel power duo

Perched atop Jean Nouvel's Duo towers, the TOOHôtel reinvents the notion ofurban altitude. Philippe Starck deploys his whimsical, poetic universe in 139 rooms and suites bathed in light, where every windowopens onto a panoramic Paris, sparkling from morning to night. Theexperience continues in the spa, averitable celestial cocoon, and in the Too Restaurant, adorned with works byAra Starck, where art dialogues with the skyline.The highlight is theTac Tac Sky Bar, a terrace suspended over 100 metres high , from which youcan enjoy a cocktail overlooking the breathtaking city of light.

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• Room from 291 euros, breakfast included.
• I want to go to TOO Hôtel