Hôtel Royal

The hotel is the work of the architect Albert Hébrard, and its clear lines mix Art Nouveau and Art Deco. It was named after King Edward VII of England, for whom a suite was reserved from the start, but the king died in 1910 without ever seeing it. Marcel Proust wrote some chapters of In Search of Lost Time here, and the Sultan of Zanzibar, the Maharaja of Kapurthala and Queen Amélie of Portugal were among the guests. Between 1924 and 1925 the young chef Fernand Point finished his training at the Royal.

The hotel stayed open through the First World War and became a convalescent home during the Second, receiving Italian and German officers, then American ones. On the night of 12–13 August 1958, fire destroyed its top two floors and the roof. In 2003 the heads of delegation at the Évian G8 Summit were welcomed on its terrace, and in June 2026 the G7 Summit returned to Évian, with the Royal as its host. The hotel also counts the 1938 Humanitarian Conference and the Evian Accords among the defining moments for which it provided the backdrop.

Restoration began in 2013 under the interior architect François Champsaur and François Chatillon, chief architect of historic monuments, with a partial reopening in 2014 and a full one in 2015. The sixth floor, previously given over to meetings and conferences, became private suites with views of the lake and the Alps. The vaults and rotundas of the public rooms carry pastoral frescoes by Gustave Jaulmes in the colours of water, the sun-filled public areas keep their blue-and-white mosaic floors, and above the bar hangs the I.Rain ceiling light designed by Champsaur.

The hotel received the Palace distinction in November 2016, belongs to The Leading Hotels of the World and holds one MICHELIN Key (as of 2026).

The hotel looks out on a panorama that blends the foothills of the Alps with Lake Geneva, and it lies at the heart of the Chablais UNESCO Global Geopark. The park, designed with wildlife in mind, holds refuge status from the League for Bird Protection. It mixes English and Japanese-inspired corners with water features, a rose garden, lime trees and tulip trees, and sculptures by contemporary artists stand among the trees.

Geneva international airport is 28 miles away, and the Lausanne–Évian ferry crosses in 35 minutes, with up to 27 crossings a day. The hotel can be reached by funicular from the town centre, and shuttle transfers to and from Évian-les-Bains station can be arranged. A complimentary Évian Resort shuttle links the resort's venues, and the resort has two heliports, one at the hotel and one at the golf club.

The rooms were completely refurbished in 2015 and pair Belle Époque charm with contemporary design. Both Séjour categories measure 27 m²: the park-view version looks over the grounds, and the lake-view version has a furnished balcony. Park-view Séjour rooms on the fifth floor have no balcony. Access is facilitated for guests with reduced mobility in the hotel, the park and five rooms.

The Résidence Park View Room, 40 m² and looking over the grounds, takes two adults and a child up to 13 or an infant and is listed as accessible for guests with reduced mobility. The 47 m² Résidence Lake View Room looks over Lake Geneva. On the fifth floor, Résidence rooms have no balcony. The 43 m² Family Room, for two adults and two children, has a balcony over the grounds and a sofa that converts into bunk beds for two children.

The suites keep restored period furniture in mahogany, rosewood and satinwood, made for the hotel's opening, alongside Carrara marble. The 58 m² Junior Suite Rotonde, in the curved centre of the building, looks over Lake Geneva and has a sitting area. On the sixth floor, the 62 m² Junior Suite Terrace adds a private 20 m² terrace facing the lake and sleeps two adults and a child up to 13. The 70 m² Park View Suite, for two adults and two children or an infant, has a furnished balcony facing the grounds.

Larger suites follow: the Léman Suite, 92 m² on the sixth floor with a furnished balcony; the Belle Epoque Suite, 94 m² on the first to fourth floors; and the 99 m² Lumière Suite, each for two adults and two children. The 165 m² Edouard VII Suite on the fifth floor has a 20 m² balcony over Lake Geneva. The 207 m² Royal Suite, which the hotel calls its most spacious, has two bedrooms and 60 m² of private terraces with a panoramic view of the lake.

Chef Yohan Fatela oversees Les Fresques, La Véranda and L'Oliveraie. Les Fresques, the gourmet restaurant, has held a Michelin star since 2018 (as of 2026) and three macarons of the Ecotable label, and its dining room is decorated with frescoes by Gustave Jaulmes.

La Véranda overlooks Lake Geneva and opens onto the grounds, serving French cuisine every day from 12:00 to 14:30 and from 19:00 to 22:00, with a snack menu from 14:30 to 17:00. Guests eat on the terrace or beneath a fresco by Marco Del Re, and dogs are welcome both on the terrace and inside.

L'Oliveraie, beside the outdoor pool beneath olive and pine trees, serves a Mediterranean-style lunch in summer. Its published season runs from 14 July to 31 August, from 12:30 to 14:30 and depending on the weather, with weekend openings in September. The Epicurean Brunch is served every Sunday from 12:30 to 14:30 with a view of Lake Geneva, at La Véranda and, in July and August, at L'Oliveraie.

Le Bar opens daily from 10:30 to midnight, with finger food from 12:00 to 22:00 and cocktails, with and without alcohol, created by Davide Trupia and his team. In summer its terrace looks out over Lake Geneva. Hotel guests also have the Pool Bar beside the outdoor pool, open in good weather from 08:00 to 20:00, at weekends and on public holidays from May, then daily in July and August. Room service covers breakfast, meals, drinks and afternoon tea.

The hotel's spa opened in 1982; today's evian®SPA covers 1,700 m² and is built around the life cycle of evian natural mineral water. The World Spa Awards named the evian®SPA and Hôtel Royal France's Best Wellness Retreat in 2024 and 2025. The spa opens daily from 09:00 to 20:00, treatments are given by appointment from 10:00 to 20:00, and treatments and rituals are open to non-resident guests as well.

There are two heated pools, one indoors and one outdoors. The indoor pool, sauna, steam room, hot tub, cold plunge, snow cave and hydrocontact circuit are open daily from 07:00 to 23:00; the hydrocontact circuit is an 80 m² outdoor hot tub with micro-bubble jets, kept at 33°C. The outdoor pool, open in summer on dates that depend on the weather, has an infinity edge with uninterrupted views over Lake Geneva and a new deck with shaded seating.

Hotel residents can use the fitness room 24 hours a day, with classes including TRX, pilates, prenatal pilates and yoga. The hair salon works Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00, and children have a dedicated session in the aquatic areas daily from 16:00 to 17:30.

The Kid's Resort, in the hotel's grounds, covers more than 1,000 m² and takes children from four months to 17 years. The Baby Club welcomes babies from 4 to 36 months every day from 09:00 to 18:00, with play, reading and nap areas. The Kid's Club is free for children staying at the hotel from the age of three, with activities from treasure hunts to tennis courses and ski lessons, and the Teen's Club is free for ages 10 to 17, with its own tournaments and workshops. Cots, bottle warmers, sterilisers, strollers and other baby equipment are available on request.

The resort's three tennis courts, two padel courts and three pickleball courts lie within the grounds and are open to hotel guests. The Évian Resort Golf Club, in 148 acres of wooded parkland, is two minutes away by the resort's private shuttle; its Champions Course hosts The Amundi Evian Championship, one of the five major tournaments in women's golf. At the hotel, an indoor golf simulator allows play all year round.

Le Bureau des Guides, available daily from 08:30 to 17:00, arranges cultural outings and sport, from a private boat trip on Lake Geneva to a helicopter tour with views of the lake and Mont Blanc. In winter it offers dog sledding and snowshoeing in the Abondance Valley, ice diving and downhill skiing: a half day at the nearby family resorts of Bernex and Thollon-les-Mémises, or a full day in Les Portes du Soleil, 50 minutes away. Ski equipment can be chosen at the hotel's ski shop.