L'Imperial Palace

The room was spacious and a good standard, and staff were generally friendly. The restaurant was pleasant, with lovely lake views, and the buffet had lots of choice and was high quality. But service there was slow and disorganized. Our evening meal at La Table was nicely presented and prepared, though it could have been warmer, which was disappointing for €120. At breakfast we ordered hot drinks that never arrived, and the buffet drink station was out of order. We enjoyed our stay, but the restaurant team could have been better organized.

The property is beautiful, with a peaceful garden and access to the beach, and it’s a scenic 20-minute walk along the lake to the center of old Annecy. The rooms are great, and the staff were attentive and helpful. A spectacular hotel, and my favorite in all of France.

We had a great stay and would definitely choose this hotel again for Annecy. Our room faced the lake and had a nice balcony, though we barely used it in December. The rooms are large by European hotel standards, with excellent water pressure and temperature. Staff were welcoming and accommodating, and housekeeping was punctual, efficient, and excellent. We had the breakfast buffet one day, which felt upscale for Europe, and tea and a snack another day, when things got a bit crowded. The walk to Old Town is just right for working off fondue or raclette.

The restaurant staff were friendly and worked incredibly hard, even though it was busy and seemed understaffed. The food was excellent. Most of all, the front desk team were exceptional, professional, and helpful. Thanks to John and his team. Housekeeping, though, was inconsistent and disappointing. Twice we ran out of toilet paper, and I had to leave the room to find more. I left the tissue box out to be refilled, but it was still there untouched. The hairdryer broke, so I left it on the bed with a note. They took it but didn’t replace it. When I called, a new one arrived after 30 minutes, and it was the same broken one. The toiletries were confusing too: sometimes we got three shampoos with no conditioner, sometimes no bath or body wash. The coffee and tea supplies were just as odd. We had caffeinated coffee, but as it ran low they replaced it only with decaf. I had to find the trolley and sort it out myself. Our tea was never replenished, not once. Sugar piled up while the cream and milk ran out. It all felt like nobody was paying attention. We chose this hotel partly for its location and partly for the wellness center, but that was our biggest disappointment. Guests had to book hour-long slots to prevent overcrowding. When we arrived at our reserved time, the place was already full, with no chair or chaise free. People seemed to have stayed past their slots. Towels were scattered around, and there was no room in the sauna or steam room. The space was far too small for the size of the hotel, with no one managing it, so we never returned. We tried the spa once and were handed a form to fill out, then asked to sit down, but the only two seats were taken. There was no waiting room, so we had to stand there to complete the forms. I can’t say how disappointing it was to be unable to use the wellness center during our reserved hour.