The Hôtellerie des Laquets reopened in late September following renovation, becoming France’s highest hotel at 2,620 metres above sea level. Built between 1930 and 1933, the Pyrenean property had remained closed for more than three decades. Its original building has been preserved, with furnishings reflecting local mountain culture, while a new wing adopts a minimalist Nordic style. It takes the national altitude title from Refuge de Solaise in the Alps, which stands at 2,551 metres. Europe’s highest hotel remains Italy’s Glacier Hotel Grawand, at 3,212 metres in South Tyrol.
All 16 double rooms offer panoramic views. Access requires a cable-car journey from La Mongie to the summit of Pic du Midi, followed by a descent to the hotel in a private cable car. The restaurant will feature a menu by Stéphane Tournié, who earned a Michelin star at Les Jardins de l’Opéra in Toulouse. A spa with a sauna and steam rooms is scheduled to open in December.
Situated within the Pic du Midi International Dark Sky Reserve, the hotel offers unobstructed views of the Milky Way without light pollution. Visitors to the summit can explore the science behind the observatory at its educational centre and attend an immersive planetarium show before observing the night sky itself. Pic du Midi also has a 12-metre footbridge extending into the mountain landscape, providing another vantage point for photographs alongside the views available from the hotel.
