Hôtel Excelsior

Hôtel Excelsior in Aix-les-Bains is a former luxury hotel, now converted into private apartments, that still stands as one of the town's clearest reminders of its belle époque spa heyday.

How do you get there?

The building sits at 50 Rue Georges 1er, right in the heart of Aix-les-Bains, in the Savoie department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It shares a wall — and a history — with the neighboring Hôtel Splendide, a hotel two decades its senior. Because the address is in the town center, it's an easy walk from the train station and the main shopping streets, and the surrounding blocks hold enough buildings from the same era that a short stroll can turn into a mini tour of Aix-les-Bains' old spa-hotel district.

What's the story behind the building?

Construction began in 1906 at the initiative of hotelier Antoine Rossignoli, who already owned the adjacent Hôtel Splendide, which had opened in 1884. He hired Geneva-based architect Alfred Olivet to design the new building, and the Excelsior was conceived from the start as an extension of the Splendide, the two forming a single hotel complex catering to visitors taking the waters at Aix-les-Bains.

The hotel chapter of the building's life ended by the mid-20th century. It was sold in 1957 and converted into apartments, then remodeled again in 1960 into a residence that took the name "Beauregard." Despite the change in use, part of the original decor survived — including the entrance hall, Art Nouveau ironwork, and stained-glass windows — still hinting at the building's former grandeur.

What will you actually see on site?

Since the Excelsior has functioned as private housing for decades, visits are essentially limited to admiring the exterior: a stately facade typical of early 20th-century spa-town hotels. The interior, with its surviving Art Nouveau hall and stained glass, isn't open to the public, since it's simply part of a residential building. The real draw is seeing it in context, as one piece of a historic streetscape alongside the Hôtel Splendide and other buildings from the same period.

The building carries heritage protection: it received partial listing and classification as a monument historique in 1987, and since March 2003 it has also carried the "Patrimoine du XXe siècle" (20th-Century Heritage) label, given to buildings judged architecturally significant from the past hundred years.

When's the best time to visit?

Aix-les-Bains, best known as a spa town on Lake Bourget, is most pleasant in spring or early autumn, when the weather makes walking the historic center and lakeside promenades easy. Since the Excelsior is a facade-only stop, the only real consideration is visiting in daylight for a good view of the building — there's no opening schedule to plan around.

Frequently asked questions

Can you go inside Hôtel Excelsior? No — the building is now a private residence known as "Beauregard," so the interior isn't open to visitors. You can only view the exterior architecture.

Who designed Hôtel Excelsior? It was designed by Geneva architect Alfred Olivet, with construction starting in 1906 for hotelier Antoine Rossignoli.

How is the Excelsior connected to Hôtel Splendide? It was built as an extension of the neighboring Hôtel Splendide, opened in 1884 by the same owner, and the two formed a single hotel complex.

Is the building protected as a heritage site? Yes — it has held partial listing and classification as a monument historique since 1987, plus the "Patrimoine du XXe siècle" designation since 2003.