Luxury hotel association Relais & Chateaux has admitted 36 new members into the family including seven new properties from France, three each from China and Japan as well as hotels and restaurants from India, Canada and the US.
The newest additions were announced at the association’s 60th anniversary congress held in Paris in November and expand the group’s presence around the world, which previously stood at 520 hotels in 64countries.
Much like the Michelin label, Relais & Chateaux touts itself as a standard-bearer for the hotel and restaurant industry. Members are often historic or heritage landmarks like castles or manors and are set in some of the most bucolic areas of the world.
Hotels are admitted based on factors such as charm, character and the terroir of their cuisine.
In the latest Relais & Chateaux guide, France leads the charge with seven new hotels and restaurants including French culinary star Marc Veyrat’s La Maison des Bois (External link) , described as a mountain hamlet set at an altitude of 1,650 meters across from Mont Blanc in France's Haute-Savoie region.
At one time Veyrat boasted six Michelin stars -- three stars for two restaurants which he helmed but later left or handed over due to health reasons.
“Savoy architecture meets the modern age to create something truly unique. Marc Veyrat is back to offer us his new pastoral, mineral cuisine," reads a Relais & Chateaux description.
Other notable additions include Pierre Gagnaire restaurant in Paris; the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort in British Columbia, Canada; the Hartwell House in England; Otowa Restaurant in Utsunomiya, Japan; and the Yihe Mansions in Nanjing, China.
The full list of new members can be found at http://bit.ly/1xHBIuO (External link) .