Maison Albar - L'Imperator

We have completed a three nights stay in this LHW hotel in our first visit to Nimes as tourists in end August 2025. We were warmly welcomed by Emma, who has been corresponding with us on pre-arrival arrangements and was very lovely to show us around this very nice property, which reminded me of a combination of Art Nouveau and Mediterranean design elements. The location is excellent; the famous Maison Carree and Arena is just located a short walking distance from the hotel, though with luggage when arriving at the Nimes train station, an Uber would be more suitable due to the distance between the train station and the hotel. We stayed in the executive room, which offers sufficient space for a three nights stay and overlooks the Roman tower ruins in the distance. The breakfast was inclusive in our rates, and we enjoyed it especially the beautifully-cut slices of pineapples and melons. The French toast (on the menu) was yummy! Special mention also to Denis (cannot remember his name but he is an older gentleman who manned the concierge desk at the entrance). He was very friendly and professional; we also enjoyed our daily chats with him if we encountered him. The property also comes with an indoor heated pool, which we used daily and an outdoor pool. The young guy manning the outdoor pool was very cheerful and kind as well. This would have been an easy 5 five stars, but there are two points to note during our stay: - The shower pressure in the room was low especially when compared with the strong shower pressure at the indoor pool shower area. It would start off strong and then taper off. Credits to the reception as they have sent someone to repair it when we were out of town. The water pressure was still quite low though but because we were spending most of our time out of Nimes and it was a short stay, we just left it as it was. - Because of heavy rain the previous days, plasters of the ceiling board around the restaurant and bar were falling off and water was dripping. It was not a nice sight during our stay. Overall rating: 4.2/5

This hotel, located in a prestigious area of Nîmes has, on paper, everything going for it – a beautiful courtyard, a two star Michelin restaurant, pool spa and very convenient facilities.||There are numerous types of rooms, we stayed in 1923, a suite separate from the main building. ||Room Facilities||The suite was nicely proportioned with a nice kitchen, lounge, bedroom and outdoor balcony which was private.||The décor and design was beautiful but, sadly, as with all of the hotel, the owners/management have elected to let slip the maintenance and day-to-day oversight of the property. The room was riddled with marks, damage, windows poorly sealed and air conditioning barely working, which sadly left a feeling that this hotel does not want to succeed. ||Spa||The spa was quite attractive given its city location, with a good service and team, but not exemplary. Again, unfortunately, at a service level, the team do not seem to have had five star training. ||Breakfast||The breakfast buffet was very pleasant but not of a robust standard given the five star status of the hotel, and here again, the team really did not feel like they were terribly motivated.||It is hard to tell whether this is a training matter or a recruitment matter.||Maintenance||The maintenance of the entire hotel was lacking, but a very simple example of the cost cutting measures by the management was the fact that the gardens were not once swept of leaves except on the basic pathways. ||Pierre Gagnaire Restaurant||Quite separately I have a written a comment on the superlative restaurant within the property. The two star Michelin was excellent and the same cuisine was provided in the main hotel brasserie. This was a high point. ||I sincerely wonder how many people would visit the hotel if they did not have such a flagship arrangement. ||The challenge being that the status of the restaurant does not match the hotel. ||Summary||A hotel with a superb location, pedigree and ambience. Sadly lacking due to its condition.

The most chic and wonderful hotel!! We loved every minute of our stay there. The only criticism I can think of is that the rooms are small, but that’s to be expected in a hotel in the middle of a European city. That said - the rooms were PRISTINE (as is the entire hotel) which makes up for the lack extra space! The pools are a dream as are all the common areas. We had the loveliest time there. And the staff is amazing - so kind, thorough and helpful. We can’t wait to come back!! 10/10

Excellent service, beautiful place. I stayed here for two nights with my niece (12 years old). We had a really great time. The pool is great for swimming on hot days, great outdoor space. Really good food. Our room, superior, was spacious. Great coffee and tea. Special products for the young ones ( thank you!). The spa is small but very good. Beautiful art deco hotel. But above all: excellent service. We really enjoyed our time here and we hope to come back. Highly recommended in Nîmes. Great value.

To begin:|My husband and I aren’t easily impressed but we really, REALLY enjoyed this hotel. From check in to check out we had nothing but excellent service, genuinely friendly smiles and a luxurious experience stretching over 4 nights. If we ever visit Nimes again, staying at the L’imperator will be a certainty! |The hotel has a wonderful, calm ambiance and the public spaces are beautifully styled, attractive, welcoming and comfortable. There is a spa with an indoor pool and also a heated outdoor pool but unfortunately we didn’t manage to sample either. |The Room:|Firstly, never before have we managed to find a hotel which offers feather pillows. Never. And it’s been the bane of our lives…so much so, we now travel with our own. | But guess what…this one does! Good quality, luxurious pillows, top grade linen and | a very comfortable roomy king size bed in which we slept amazingly well during our stay. |The air con was brilliant….no rattling, clicking or hissing, just silent and effective. |Our room on the first floor wasn’t overly large but it did everything it needed to…spotlessly clean, well maintained, tasteful decor, comfortable, very well lit, well laid out, adequate storage, easy to operate Nespresso machine [I’ve come across some horrors] fridge/mini bar and a pleasure to return to after an exhausting day out. |The bathroom again was a delight…stylish, well lit, modern, good mirrors, top quality toiletries, robes and slippers, fluffy towels and a fab, easy to use shower. ||The Service:|….was absolutely first class! Every time we came into contact with the staff it was a pleasure. They all went the extra mile and nothing was too much trouble. The first morning we walked into the breakfast room, I shivered a little and the lovely lady on the desk promptly produced a fluffy blanket and put it around my shoulders! This was a first! and a lovely gesture. ||We didn’t dine in-house apart from breakfast which offered a good variety of pastries, yogurt, cheese, ham etc including scrambled egg and bacon! Further hot dishes were available on the menu. Everything arrived promptly and nothing was too much trouble. ||Parking:|There isn’t parking on site as such, but there is the underground Indigo parking garage approx 3 minutes walk from the hotel. Valet parking is available but it’s incredibly easy to self park and cheaper. If you book online you get a better rate. The place is very clean, secure, the lifts work and there is a staffed office if you need help. ||Location:|The hotel is in a good neighbourhood and it is well located for all the major sites. It is easy to navigate and there are lots of attractive, open, pedestrianised spaces around the locale. ||Overall, this hotel is probably one of the best, if not the best, we’ve ever stayed in, in France. |I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it and look forward to sampling other Maison Albar hotels elsewhere.

I was very impressed with this hotel. The service was very friendly and professional. They sorted out a problem with my booking efficiently and with no fuss although it was my mistake. The room was small but clean, very comfortable and with a superb bathroom. The food (dinner and breakfast) was excellent as was the service. The hotel is also in a great location, easy walking distance of the centre.

Fabulous place in Nimes. I enjoyed my stay in this hotel which is in the city center right near the gardens but also close to the central area. The hotel is spotless, the rooms are well appointed and bathrooms are set up well. I enjoyed my room with an excellent shower. The front desk personnel are very helpful as are the valets. I easily followed my GPS right to the hotel from the highway and gave the valet my car to park. You can also park in one of the many lots in town, but there was a festival and lots were full so valet is helpful. The hotel is very elegant and has an old fashioned cage elevator and a very nice indoor/outdoor dining room for meals. I used the heated pool which was also terrific. This was a very good stay, I enjoyed the hotel immensely.

In the main, the hotel was excellent, generally friendly staff, great location, quiet well-appointed room. The only issue was the bar staff who seemed to just ignore us, both times we visited. We sat down in clear view of the multiple staff who were on who just ignored us for 10 minutes until finally I had to get up and ask for a bar menu. This happened again after dinner when I actually asked one of the staff if we could sit outside and would we be able to get service there, they said yes and again ignored us. This is really poor in a five-star hotel where service in all areas should be first rate.

Boutique. Cozy. Fancy. Vintage. Professional. These are words I think of when I think of the Hotel Imperator. I absolutely loved this little gem in Nimes. The hotel is old, that is for sure. However, some remodeling has been done to update just enough that you still get the old, classic feel of the hotel while enjoying modern-day amenities like a nice bathroom and TV. I enjoyed the feel of this hotel because much of it was left like it was in the 19th century, including the original door keys and elevator. The rooms were a bit tight (especially if there were multiple beds), but it was a really nice kind of cozy that was luxurious. The continental breakfast was good, including an omelette bar and the prices for drinks and late-night snacks were reasonable. Each room had a mini-bar, as well, which made snacking convenient before turning out the lights. This is a really great hotel in a nice, small town. You can walk through most of Nimes from this spot and you're only about five minutes away from Les Arenes. Lots of good restaurants nearby and the hotel serves dinner if you're tired and don't feel like moving much. Highly recommended if you're ever in the area.