Tourists are beginning to fill French hotels again as Europe lifts travel restrictions, but the grandest establishments in Paris are still shut with little prospect of welcoming their rich clientele until the autumn.
“It is worse than wartime,” said François Delahaye, director of the Plaza Athénée, which is one of 12 Paris hotels in the “palace” class — those beyond five stars that the government tourism agency says have “exceptional qualities that embody French standards of excellence”.
The palace hotels range from institutions such as the Ritz, Bristol and the George V to more recent arrivals such as Le Mandarin Oriental and the Peninsula. All depend on wealthy clients from the US, Asia and the Middle East, all of whom are barred from long-haul flights