BOOKED: I’m Going To Versailles, On Air France & Austrian!

Well, I guess there are a lot of reviews on the way, because Ford and I just planned a very last minute trip, to a hotel we’ve been wanting to check out for quite some time. Let me first talk about why we’re taking this trip, and then I’ll discuss the itinerary I booked (which was designed to maximize new flight experiences, of course).

We’re staying at Airelles Versailles!

Airelles is probably my favorite boutique luxury hotel group in the world right now. The properties are expensive, but the hotels really offer an incredible experience, with amazing service, food, and inclusions.

If you ask me, Airelles is what Aman used to be in terms of quality and guest experience, though with a bit less geographic diversity (since all of the brand’s properties are in France).

I’ve reviewed most of Airelles’ properties, including Les Airelles Courchevel, Airelles La Bastide de Gordes, Airelles Saint-Tropez Chateau de la Messardiere, and Airelles Val d’Isère. The one property of the brand we haven’t stayed at yet is probably also the most intriguing. I’m talking about Airelles Château de Versailles, the 14-key property located on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles.

Everything about this concept looks incredible — the design of the property, the after hours access to the Palace of Versailles, the “Royal Feast” dining, etc. It almost seems like a hybrid between the typical Airelles experience, and some sort of (hopefully) non-cheesy performative event.

So, why did we decide to go now? For a long time, even being able to find availability at the property was a challenge, given its popularity and limited room count. In this case, the weather forecast for Paris looked nice (well, for February), the entry level room was available for booking, and we also had time to get away for a few days. I’m hoping it lives up to expectations!

We’re flying Air France’s La Premiere first class to Paris

To get to Paris, I decided to book Air France’s La Premiere first class on the Boeing 777. I haven’t flown it since before the pandemic, so I figured it was time to revisit the experience. I recently earned Flying Blue Platinum status, which allows first class redemptions, though at a steep cost. When I booked a couple of days out, all four of the first class seats were available.

I’m excited to see how La Premiere is holding up, and also to check out the new arrivals lounge in Paris. For what it’s worth, I booked Paris as the stopover point, and then booked a connecting flight to Vienna on the Air France Airbus A220 in business class, so it’ll be my first time on the carrier’s newest narrow body jet as well.

I’m flying Austrian’s 787 business class back home

Of course I’m always looking to review new products, so for the return portion of the trip, I’ll be flying Austrian’s Boeing 787 business class back to the United States. I think Austrian has the best soft product in the Lufthansa Group, so I’m looking forward to experiencing that amazing soft product on a daytime flight out of Vienna, while also enjoying the new hard product.

Ford is flying back separately, as I’ll be returning home a day later, in order to make this Vienna detour…

Where should I spend a night in Vienna?

For the return portion of the trip, I have a night in Vienna. Any requests for which points hotel you’d like to see a review of? During my last stopover in Vienna, I spent a night at the Andaz Vienna Am Belvedere. Other than that, I haven’t reviewed any property in the city in a very long time.

Should I revisit the Park Hyatt Vienna, which is a highly regarded Hyatt property? Or should I check out one of the two historic Luxury Collection properties, as there’s both Hotel Bristol and Hotel Imperial?

I stayed at Hotel Imperial back in 2013, and I stayed at the Park Hyatt Vienna in 2015. In both cases, it has been so long that I’m just as happy to revisit either as to try something new.

Bottom line

We planned a very last minute trip to Europe, where we’ll be flying Air France’s 777 first class, Air France’s A220 business class, and Austrian’s 787 business class. On top of that, we’ll be staying at Airelles Versailles, the last property of the group that we haven’t checked out.

This will be a very quick trip, so expect some initial impressions in the coming days. Then I’m going to publish my full Hong Kong trip report, and then I’ll publish the full trip report from this journey.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned! And please let me know if y’all have any preferences as to which Vienna property you’d like to see a review of.