Relais & Châteaux North America

Relais & Châteaux North America gathers the continental branch of a French association founded in Paris in 1954, which today brings together about sixty hotel-restaurant members across the United States and Canada (Relais & Châteaux official, 2026). The French wording is preserved worldwide, inherited from the original Route du Bonheur between Paris and the French Riviera. The association requires each member to be independent, led by an involved owner and carrying a distinct territorial character, expressed through cuisine, architecture or welcome rituals. Applications are reviewed by a peer-led Membership Committee, and every house undergoes biennial incognito audits. The membership fee weighs around 1.5 % of the property's revenue.