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French hotel owned by Monaco-based company, not bought by Zelenskyy | Fact check
The claim: Volodymyr Zelenskyy purchased hotel worth 88 million euros at French ski resort
A Nov. 29 Instagram video (direct link, archive link) shows a man speaking in French about a supposed new purchase by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"Zelensky has purchased €88 million hotel in Courchevel ski resort in France," reads text in the video, which was originally shared by another Instagram user before it was deleted. "Courchevel is known to be wildly popular with billionaires, Hollywood celebrities and British royals. In case you were wondering how your tax dollars are being spent."
Part of the post's caption says, "There are also tons of reports that his wife purchased a 5 million dollar @bugatti and he owns a 30 million dollar mansion in Florida."
The post was liked more than 100 times in 10 days. Other versions of the claim were shared on Threads and X.
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Our rating: False
Zelenskyy has not purchased the hotel. A spokesperson for the hotel's owner said it's in the process of being renovated and will reopen in 2026.
Claim about French hotel purchase is baseless
The man in the video refers to the hotel Zelenskyy supposedly bought as Le Palace des Neiges in Courchevel, France. The building in the background matches the appearance of Le Palace des Neiges on Google Maps street view.
He claims the previous owners of the hotel sold it to a company owned by Zelenskyy called Film Heritage Inc. As evidence, the video shows a screenshot of what appears to be the hotel's website with a Film Heritage Inc. copyright label at the bottom of the page.
Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena Zelenska, reportedly owned Film Heritage Inc. but transferred their shares in 2019 to Serhiy Shefir, who later became the presidential chief assistant, according to the Pandora Papers. The papers are a compilation of nearly 12 million confidential records published in 2021 by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
However, Zelenska's public financial disclosures show she continues to be "the sole beneficial owner" of Film Heritage.
But Zelenskyy, his wife or Film Heritage Inc. did not buy the Le Palace des Neiges. The hotel was acquired by the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer group in October 2023, according to Cristin Sylvie, a spokesperson for the company.
"The SBM group is currently renovating the hotel, with a view to (open) in December 2026, as owner and operator," Sylvie said.
Her statement matches the information on the group's website, its September 2024 financial disclosure and an October 2023 announcement it published after the hotel's acquisition.
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The Ukrainian government's Center for Combatting Disinformation also debunked the claim on Facebook, calling it a "fake report." The center pointed out that the website shown in the viral video is illegitimate and not run by the hotel in question.
The fake website, which has since been taken down, has a nearly identical URL to the property's real website, but with the word "hotel" added to the beginning of the domain. The layout of the page is also similar aside from the fake Film Heritage Inc. trademark, which replaced the hotel's logo at the bottom.
The imposter site was created by a company called Namecheap Inc. on Nov. 22, a week before the Instagram video was shared, according to the domain information tool WHOIS. The hotel's website, which was created in 2007, currently redirects users to an updated page.
The video appears to have originally been included in a Nov. 28 article published on a French site called Les Echos de la France. The article doesn't mention any further evidence to back up the claim.
USA TODAY previously debunked several false claims about Zelenskyy's wealth, including the claims that he purchased a $20 million Florida home and that his wife bought a $5 million Bugatti.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
AFP and Lead Stories also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources
Cristin Sylvie, Dec. 6, Email exchange with USA TODAY
Google Maps, accessed Dec. 6, Palace des Neiges
Société des Bains de Mer, Oct. 3, 2023, The S.B.M. Group finalizes the acquisition of a hotel establishment in Courchevel 1850
Société des Bains de Mer, Nov. 25, Half-year financial report
Société des Bains de Mer, accessed Dec. 6, Monte-Carlo One Courchevel
Center for Combatting Disinformation, Nov. 30, Facebook post
Hotel Palace De Neiges (web archive), Dec. 2, Home
Palace De Neiges (web archive), July 29, Home
Organized Crime and Corruption Project, Oct. 3, 2021, Pandora Papers Reveal Offshore Holdings of Ukrainian President and his Inner Circle
WHOIS, accessed Dec. 9, Hotelpalacedesneiges.com
WHOIS, accessed DEc. 9, Palacedesneiges.com
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, Zelenskyy didn't purchase €88 million French hotel | Fact check
