What reopened, and where
The Hôtellerie des Laquets sits at 2,620 metres on the slopes of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre in the Hautes-Pyrénées, 257 metres below the mountain's 2,877-metre summit and its observatory, according to the hotel's official website. The property reopened to guests on 25 September 2026, France 3 Occitanie reported.
With its reopening, the hotel became France's highest, overtaking the Refuge de Solaise (2,551 metres) in Val d'Isère in the Alps, according to a report by The Connexion. The Hôtellerie des Laquets was originally built between 1930 and 1933 by the Compagnie des Hôtels de Montagne, the official site states, and once hosted scientists, climbers and tourists visiting the Pic du Midi before closing in 1996.
Three years of work, reported at €11 million
France 3 Occitanie reported that the renovation took three years and represented an investment of €11 million, with construction work limited to the summer months because of the mountain location. The Connexion's reporting added that the project received an EU Ecolabel certification and a silver medal from the regional sustainable-building programme Bâtiment Durable Occitanie.
Rooms, dining and prices
The hotel has 16 rooms across several categories — Heritage Double, Horizon Double, a Premium Suite and one room adapted for reduced mobility — according to the official website. Reported guest capacity varies slightly between outlets: The Connexion put it at 34, while France 3 Occitanie reported 32.
Half-board double rooms start at €599 a night for two people, a rate that includes dinner, breakfast, cable-car transport and access to the Pic du Midi site, the official website and The Connexion both reported; the Premium Suite starts at €689. France 3 Occitanie cited a slightly rounded figure of €600 a night.
Dinner is prepared under the direction of Michelin-starred chef Stéphane Tournié, according to multiple outlets including AOL and France 3 Occitanie. A sauna and steam room are due to open from December 2026 at an additional charge of €50 per hour, the hotel's website states.
How to get there
Guests reach the hotel by first taking the public cable car from La Mongie up to the Pic du Midi summit at 2,877 metres, then descending by a private, two-way cable car reserved for hotel guests, according to AOL and the official Pic du Midi website.
The site lies within the Pic du Midi International Dark Sky Reserve, designated in 2013 as the first of its kind in France, AOL reported, and room rates include a daily planetarium show.
Demand at altitude
France 3 Occitanie reported that the Pic du Midi site already draws strong visitor numbers, citing a 96% annual occupancy rate. The outlet quoted Vincent Doutres, the site's commercial and communications director, describing the new hotel as "not a hotel for the rich or ultra-rich" but rather a comfortable hotel that, according to Doutres, will eventually be classified as four-star.
Questions
- How high up is the Hôtellerie des Laquets?
- The hotel stands at 2,620 metres on the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, 257 metres below the mountain's 2,877-metre summit, according to the hotel's official website.
- How do guests get to the hotel?
- Visitors take the public cable car from La Mongie to the Pic du Midi summit, then switch to a private, two-way cable car that runs down to the hotel, AOL and the official site report.
- How much does a night cost?
- Half-board double rooms start at €599–€600 a night, including dinner, breakfast and cable-car access, according to the hotel's website, France 3 Occitanie and The Connexion.
- Why was the hotel closed for 30 years?
- Built in 1930–1933, the hotel served scientists, climbers and tourists before closing in 1996; sources describe three years of renovation work, limited to summer months, before it reopened on 25 September 2026.
- What was France's highest hotel before this reopening?
- The Refuge de Solaise, at 2,551 metres in Val d'Isère in the Alps, held the title before the Hôtellerie des Laquets reopened, according to AOL.
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