Luxury Hotels Atlas / The Maison / Airelles
Airelles hotels
Period rooms turn palaces and mountain houses into imagined worlds, from Versailles to the Alps.
Airelles turns French historic properties into deeply atmospheric hotels, from alpine retreats to Le Grand Contrôle at Versailles. Owned by Stéphane Courbit’s LOV Group, the collection invests in the buildings themselves and their restoration, giving each house a strong period character and the intimacy of a carefully tended private residence.
9 Airelles hotels in 2 countries on the Luxury Hotels Atlas, each placed on the six LHA Tiers.
- Owned by LOV Group
- Worldwide: 9 properties across France and Italy as of 2026, with a combined portfolio spanning alpine ski palaces, a royal concession inside the Palace of Versailles, Provençal estates, Riviera châteaux, and a newly opened Venetian palazzo; all properties are five-star or Palace-rated
- On the atlas: 4 Apex Luxury, 3 Grand Luxury, 2 High Luxury
History
Christophe Tollemer gives Airelles a continuous creative thread while drawing on each building’s own period and setting. His interiors take different forms in Courchevel, Versailles, and Gordes, from richly layered alpine rooms to Louis XIV formality and Provençal craft. The shared attention to detail leaves room for each house to feel distinct.
Timeline
- 1835 — Villa acquired by General Jean-François Allard as a wedding gift for his wife, Indian princess Bannu Pan Deï, the future Pan Deï Palais in Saint-Tropez.
- 1904 — Château de la Messardière built as a private villa for equestrian Henry Brisson de la Messardière.
- 1988 — Raymonde Fenestraz, a Moutiers-born luxury real-estate entrepreneur, commissions architect Richard Ferbach to transform a 1960s hotel in Courchevel 1850 into an Austro-Hungarian "snow castle".
- 1990 — Les Airelles officially opens in Courchevel 1850, quickly becoming headquarters of the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics committee; Princess Anne of England and Prince Albert of Monaco among early regulars.
- 2004 — Fenestraz receives the Légion d'honneur for promoting Courchevel as a luxury destination.
- 2007 — Stéphane Courbit acquires Les Airelles for approximately €80 million; commissions interior designer Christophe Tollemer to reinvent the property as an imperial residence inspired by Empress Sissi of Austria; chef Pierre Gagnaire takes the kitchen, Anne-Laure Ollagnon joins as part of the new leadership team.
- 2011 — Les Airelles receives the French government's inaugural Distinction Palace, one of only seven hotels in the first cohort.
- 2014 — Courbit acquires La Bastide de Gordes; undertakes a nine-month, €25 million restoration by Christophe Tollemer using more than 150 artisans; Pierre Gagnaire leads the restaurant (Pèir, earning one MICHELIN star).
- 2016 — La Bastide de Gordes awarded Palace distinction; both properties join Leading Hotels of the World.
- 2017 — The brand formally constituted as Airelles Collection (October 2017).
- 2019 — LOV Hotel Collection acquires Château de la Messardière (Saint-Tropez) and Château d'Estoublon (Les Baux-de-Provence); Jean-François Piège takes over the flagship restaurant at Gordes (Clover Gordes) replacing Gagnaire's team.
- 2019 (Dec) — Mademoiselle Val d'Isère opens 19 December, the only five-star ski-in/ski-out hotel in Val d'Isère at the time; 41 keys plus five private penthouses.
- 2021 (Jan) — Le Grand Contrôle, Château de Versailles opens, the only hotel on the grounds of the Palace; 14 rooms and suites by Christophe Tollemer, cuisine by Alain Ducasse; Airelles holds a concession from the French government.
- 2021 (Jul) — Château de la Messardière formally relaunched under the Airelles brand following a phased, multi-winter renovation.
- 2021 — Les Airelles Courchevel joins the Comité Colbert association alongside France's most prestigious luxury houses.
- 2024 — MICHELIN Guide's inaugural French hotel keys awarded: Le Grand Contrôle receives Three Keys; Gordes and Messardière receive Three and Two Keys respectively; Versailles restaurant retains its one MICHELIN star.
- 2025 — MICHELIN Guide confirms Three Keys for Le Grand Contrôle and La Bastide de Gordes; Two Keys for Messardière; Forbes Travel Guide awards La Bastide de Gordes Five Stars (2026 edition).
- 2026 (Apr) — Airelles Venezia (Palladio) opens on Giudecca island, the brand's first property outside France, following a six-year acquisition and authorization process.
- 2026 (Jun) — French Ministry of Tourism's Palace Commission renews Palace status for Courchevel, Gordes, and Messardière; France's Palace list reaches 33 hotels.
The houses to know
- Airelles Gordes, La Bastide, Gordes, France — The 16th-century Provençal palace stands on Gordes’ ramparts, with views across the Luberon valley.
- Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle, Versailles, France — Jules Hardouin-Mansart’s 1681 royal residence reopened as a hotel in 2021 within the Versailles gates, with dining by Alain Ducasse.
- Les Airelles, Courchevel, France — Turrets and hand-painted façades give this alpine hotel the atmosphere of a richly imagined château.
- Airelles Val d'Isère, Val-d'Isère, France — The hotel brings medieval-inspired interiors and direct ski access to Val d’Isère’s Place de Neige.
- Airelles Palladio, Venice, Venice, Italy — Historic buildings on Giudecca give Airelles its first hotel setting outside France.
- Airelles Saint-Tropez Château de la Messardière, Saint-Tropez, France — A 19th-century château crowning 10 hectares of pine and olive groves above the Bay of Pampelonne.
- Airelles Pan Deï Palais Saint-Tropez, Saint-Tropez, France — In the center of Saint-Tropez, General Jean-François Allard built this palace in 1835 for his Indian wife, the princess Bannu Pan Deï.
- Airelles Château d'Estoublon, Les Baux-de-Provence, France — A 17th-century Provençal estate set among vineyards and olive groves in the Alpilles Massif, available exclusively for private buyout.
- Airelles Villa Baulieu, Aix-en-Provence, France — The 17th-century Tuscan-inspired estate occupies 750 acres within an extinct volcanic crater in Provence.
Newest openings
- Airelles Venezia (Palladio) — Venice (Giudecca), Italy — opened April 2026 — Airelles's first address outside France; the brand spent six years navigating the acquisition and Italian heritage-preservation approvals for the former Bauer Palladio site; 45 keys (17 rooms, 28 suites) plus a private three-bedroom villa with its own pool; Venice's largest hotel spa and wellness centre at approximately 18,300 sq ft; three fine-dining restaurants, a cicchetti bar, and three pools; views directly across the lagoon to Piazza San Marco; occupies three historically listed 16th-century buildings (Palladio, Casa Frollo, Conventino) within nearly one hectare of private gardens, see Financial Times.
- Airelles Château de la Messardière (fully renovated) — Saint-Tropez, France — fully relaunched 2025 — a multi-phase renovation spanning three winter closures (2020–2025) was completed by spring 2025, transforming the 19th-century hilltop château's full 117-room inventory; the revamped property secured MICHELIN Two Keys in 2025 and had its Palace distinction renewed in June 2026, see Falstaff.
Opening next
- Airelles Val d'Isère (Mademoiselle) — Val d'Isère, France — expected reopening winter 2026–27 — the property is currently closed for an unspecified-scope renovation; the official Airelles website states "Reopening winter 2026", status: confirmed renovation closure, reopening date stated by brand.
Every Airelles hotel on the atlas
France
- Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle — Versailles · Apex Luxury
- Airelles Gordes, La Bastide — Gordes · Apex Luxury
- Airelles Val d'Isère — Val-d'Isère · Apex Luxury
- Les Airelles — Courchevel · Apex Luxury
- Airelles Pan Deï Palais Saint-Tropez — Saint-Tropez · Grand Luxury
- Airelles Saint-Tropez Château de la Messardière — Saint-Tropez · Grand Luxury
- Airelles Château d'Estoublon — Les Baux-de-Provence · High Luxury
- Airelles Villa Baulieu — Aix-en-Provence · High Luxury
Italy
- Airelles Palladio, Venice — Venice · Grand Luxury
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