Le Bristol Paris Names Arnaud Faye Executive Chef After Éric Frechon's 25-Year Run

Le Bristol Paris handed its kitchen to Arnaud Faye, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, following Éric Frechon's remarkable 25-year run as executive chef, one of the longer tenures any chef has held at a hotel this prominent. Faye has spent his first seasons quietly reshaping the culinary direction at Epicure, the hotel's flagship restaurant, blending the heritage Frechon built with his own more contemporary point of view rather than attempting to erase what came before him.

Epicure has held three Michelin stars since 2009, a run of consistency that puts real pressure on any successor, and Faye's early reviews suggest he understands the assignment: evolve carefully, protect what already works. The hotel as a whole marked its centenary, having opened in 1925, and used the milestone to reinforce just how central Le Bristol has remained to Parisian luxury hospitality across a full century.

The recognition has kept pace. Condé Nast Traveller placed Le Bristol among its 30 Best City Hotels in Europe for 2026, while U.S. News & World Report and UK Readers' Choice both named it the top hotel in Paris. Between the chef transition and the anniversary, this has been a genuinely pivotal stretch for one of the city's most decorated addresses.

Staying at Le Bristol Paris? Book your stay with me for preferred-partner perks.