Hôtel Waldorf Astoria Versailles - Trianon Palace

The project began on 19 December 1907, when the entrepreneur Weill Martignan registered a company called Trianon to build a luxury hotel in Versailles, its name taken from the nearby Petit and Grand Trianon in the château park. The architect René Sergent chose a metal frame behind masonry façades that faithfully follow classical stonework. Crowds of Versailles residents turned out for the inauguration on 1 May 1910, and, the hotel's history says, Sarah Bernhardt later stayed during her Paris run of L'Aiglon, crossing paths there with Marcel Proust, the banker Lafitte and the aviator Santos-Dumont.

The First World War turned the hotel into an auxiliary hospital for British troops. It reopened in 1916, and in April 1917 the Inter-Allied Military Committee installed its permanent War Council here. On 7 May 1919, in the room that now bears his name, Georges Clemenceau set out the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles, which was later signed at the château.

In the 1920s a private omnibus linked the hotel with the Place de la Concorde three times a day, and its guests included Paul Valéry, Sacha Guitry, Marlene Dietrich, John Rockefeller and Paul Getty. During the Second World War the Royal Air Force first set up its Paris offices in the basement, the hotel became the Luftwaffe headquarters in 1940 on Goering's orders, and in 1944 the American army moved in; according to the hotel, Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, General de Gaulle and Montgomery took major decisions within its walls. After the war the refurbished hotel again welcomed distinguished guests, among them, the hotel says, the Aga Khan, the King of Morocco, Queen Elizabeth II and King Hussein of Jordan.

Writers and performers followed between 1950 and 1990, from François Mauriac and Henri Bernstein to Jacques Brel, Jean Gabin, Jeanne Moreau and Tino Rossi. In 1990 a foreign company bought the hotel and its 3 hectares of grounds, and major renovation works added a conference centre and a second building, the Pavillon du Trianon, now a separately rated four-star hotel. In 2009 Trianon Palace joined the Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts brand of the Hilton group.

The hotel stands at 1 Boulevard de la Reine, a few kilometres from Paris, and opens directly onto the park of the Château de Versailles, a few steps from the palace itself. The château gardens designed by André Le Nôtre cover more than 800 hectares, and the Domaine de Trianon, with the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon and the Hameau de la Reine, shows a more intimate side of Versailles.

Beyond the château itself, the hotel points guests to the Grandes Eaux Musicales and Grandes Eaux Nocturnes, concerts at the Opéra Royal, private visits and walks through the gardens and park. Its concierge team can build a programme around these, and also handles transfers and reservations.

Rooms and suites in the historic Trianon Palace building look over either the hotel's gardens or the royal domain. On the fifth floor, the Chambre Supérieure Mansardée has sloping ceilings and 30–35 m² for two, with a 180 x 200 bed, a bathtub and/or shower and a separate WC. The Chambre Deluxe Vue Jardin offers 30–40 m² for up to three, with a very large bed or twin beds and a bathtub and/or separate shower; the Chambre Deluxe Vue Parc swaps the garden outlook for the château park, with a very large bed and the same bathroom layout.

Families can take the Chambre Familiale Deluxe Vue Jardin, about 60 m² arranged as two separate areas for two adults and three children, with a very large bed and separate beds. The suites add living space. The Suite Junior measures 57 m² for up to three and looks onto the château park, with a 200 x 200 bed, large windows, a lounge with sofa, separate bath and shower and a separate WC. The Suite Deluxe Vue Jardin covers 66–68 m² for up to four, with a very large bed or two 100 x 200 singles and a lounge, while the Suite Deluxe vue sur le Parc pairs a very large bed and lounge with the park view. All of these come with Aesop products and a Nespresso machine.

Two suites stand apart. The Suite Deluxe Familiale vue sur le Parc spans 100 m² for up to six, with two connecting bedrooms, one with a very large bed and one with separate beds, two bathrooms and a lounge. The Suite Terrasse, on the sixth floor, measures 110 m² for up to four, with a 200 x 200 bed, a terrace with views, a lounge with a piano, separate bath and shower and Guerlain products.

The Pavillon du Trianon, the estate's four-star building, has smaller rooms, most of them overlooking the hotel's gardens. The Chambre Pavillon measures 20–25 m² for up to two, with a very large bed or twin beds, a bathroom with a bathtub, Aesop products and a coffee machine; the Chambre Pavillon Vue Jardin is the same size but sleeps up to three. The historic Trianon Palace building is not accessible to guests with reduced mobility, so adapted rooms are found only in the Pavillon, among its garden-view rooms.

Gordon Ramsay au Trianon, the hotel's gastronomic restaurant, holds one Michelin star (as of 2026) and serves contemporary French cooking in an intimate room with a view of the château park. Chef Gabriele Ravasio leads the kitchen with menus of five or seven courses, though on Friday and Saturday evenings only the seven-course tasting menu is served. Dinner runs Tuesday to Saturday from 19:30 to 21:00. Executive Chef Frédéric Larquemin and Pastry Chef Eddie Benghanem, who has signed the sweet creations here since 2008, from plated desserts to the Tea Time, complete the team.

The Chef's Table seats up to six guests close to the kitchen, with a view of the brigade at work; they share the restaurant's gastronomic menu and may be served creations made only for that table, which is booked directly with the restaurant. Wine is the domain of Chef Sommelier Anthony Haffner, who oversees a cellar of 900 references and builds pairings from the great French terroirs, Burgundy and wines from around the world. His Soft & Pairing offers alcohol-free matches, conceived as an alternative to the traditional wine pairing.

La Véranda, the brasserie, serves contemporary cooking from breakfast to dinner with a view over the Domaine Royal; breakfast is served to hotel guests. Chefs Frédéric Larquemin, Abourahmane Cissé and Eddie Benghanem build its menu around seasonal produce and reinterpret French classics in a modern brasserie style. A glass façade opens onto a shaded terrace and lights Fiona Thompson's interiors. Lunch runs 12:00–14:30 on weekdays and 12:30–14:30 at weekends, with dinner from 19:00 to 22:30 every day, and a children's menu serves under-12s.

Peacock Alley, the signature bar and a Waldorf Astoria emblem, pours cocktails and spirits alongside upscale snacks and Chef Eddie Benghanem's Afternoon Tea.

The Spa Guerlain extends over more than 2,800 m², with 14 Guerlain treatment cabins, a hammam and spaces given over to wellbeing and sport. Its personalised signature treatments begin with a beauty diagnosis and follow the rituals of the house of Guerlain. The 200 m² heated indoor pool lies under a vast glass roof, and when the fine weather arrives the solarium opens onto it.

Every overnight stay includes access to the spa facilities, among them the pool and the gym, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week; there is also a yoga studio and, in season, a tennis court. Group classes run on reservation at an extra charge. Since September 2026 the Trianon Wellness Club has hosted Frame Reformer, a new generation of Pilates reformer, which it presents as an exclusive in France.

The gardens are set up for unhurried afternoons, with mölkky, pétanque, croquet and badminton; the hotel provides the equipment, which can be requested from the team. Room service runs 24 hours a day for those who would rather stay in.

For families, the Mon Lit Cabane experience brings cabin beds, games and dedicated touches for children. Cots and extra beds can be requested in the rooms and suites of the main building as well as in the Pavillon.