European Panache

In the pantheon of luxury lodging, few recognizable names are easily summoned to mind. Among these arbiters of experience is a man renowned as much for discretion as for extraordinary taste. Little may be known about multi-millionaire Michel Reybier, the vintner and hotelier behind La Réserve luxury properties in Paris, Ramatuelle, and Génève, but we do have the finer details. For one, he knows discerning travelers seek out intimate settings, state-of-the-art facilities, fine dining, and stellar wellness services. As such, his vacation properties, each with a singular design focus, more than deliver. Three La Réserve hotels and villas were recently added to the esteemed Exclusive Resorts Hotel Collection, allowing Members to use their Membership to book stays at any of the three properties. The question now becomes: Just what kind of experience are you after?

La Réserve Paris

Opened in 2015, La Réserve Paris is the most recent addition to the brand's portfolio. Housed in a 19th-century mansion in the 8th arrondissement and once home to Pierre Cardin, the hotel was designed by Jacques Garcia in his signature 19th century Napoleon III style. Its luxe Louis XVI salon, done up in deep Bordeaux sofas, repurposed Versailles parquet and antique wood furnishings, and guest-only spaces—the spa, swimming pool, cigar room and library—transport guests into an intimate cocoon that evokes both a high-end private club and a home-away-from-home. The property’s 26 suites and 14 rooms showcase understated design. If it’s palatial vistas you’re after, book the presidential suite with unforgettable views of the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Palais glass roof, and the spires of Notre-Dame.

DON’T MISS: Lunch or dinner at Le Gabriel, one of only 74 restaurants in France, and 12 in Paris, with two Michelin stars.

La Réserve Génève

Don’t be misled by its locale on the shores of Lake Geneva: La Réserve’s flagship property surprises with an African game reserve interior, kitted out in oversized prints of lions and sculpted elephant heads. The aesthetic continues through 29 suites and 73 rooms, each styled like African lodges. Architect Patrice Reynaud celebrates Reybier’s vision to make the property a center of wellbeing: The 2,000-squaremeter NESCENS spa features a solarium, fitness center, indoor and outdoor pools that are dedicated to relaxation, and personalized treatments anchored in better aging. Plus, the hotel’s junior suites just emerged from a renovation.

DON’T MISS: Book your private Motoscafo (motorboat) rides across the lake to the heart of Geneva.

BRING THE KIDS! La Petit Réserve is a treehouse getaway stocked with game tables, an obstacle course, a suspension bridge, and a fireman’s pole—all off-limits to parents (a trained staff oversees children ages 6-months to 13-years old). In the summer, the property hosts a kids' camp, offering swimming, diving, and tennis lessons as well as sailing, paddle boarding, and wind-surfing on the lake.

La Réserve Ramatuelle

The Ramatuelle property, one of only two in the south of France with the prestigious Palace status, may only be six miles from St-Tropez yet is far from the ostentation of the party town. It was designed on a medieval hilltop village by Jean-Michel Wilmotte—one of the designers of Doha’s Museum of Islamic Art—with floor-to-ceiling windows, large balconies, and natural stone colors. The property recently debuted two new luxury villas (a three- and five-bedroom, adding to the existing 12), and uber-luxe amenities include a dedicated maid, chef, chauffeur, and daily one-on-one time with a fitness coach.

DON’T MISS: Three- or five-day wellness boot camps including Nordic walking, spa treatments, and special meals (offered twice per year or upon request for small groups).