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| Hôtel du Louvre | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Interactive map of Hôtel du Louvre | |
| General information | |
| Location | 1st arrondissement of Paris, France |
| Coordinates | 48°51′46″N2°20′09″E / 48.86283°N 2.33586°E /48.86283; 2.33586 |
| Inaugurated | 1855; 170 years ago (1855) |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 164 |
| Website | |
| hyatt.com | |
TheHôtel du Louvre (French pronunciation:[otɛldyluvʁ]) is a Parisian luxury hotel inSecond Empire style, with a 5-star rating. It is located opposite theLouvre,[1] on Place André-Malraux in the1st arrondissement. It is owned by the Constellation Hotels Holdings group and operated byHyatt.[2]
The hotel occupies the block between theRue de Rivoli (facing theLouvre Palace), Rue de Rohan,Rue Saint-Honoré (opposite theComédie-Française), andPlace du Palais-Royal (opposite theLouvre des Antiquaires). It is situated in line with theAvenue de l'Opéra.
The Hôtel du Louvre was commissioned byEmperor Napoleon III in 1855. Under the direction of PrefectHaussmann, the city underwentsignificant transformation. The dark and unsanitary alleys surrounding theLouvre were replaced with broad avenues. With the opening ofRue de Rivoli, Napoleon III initiated projects for the new opera house and the avenue that would serve it. France was undergoing industrial development and increasing its influence. Plans were underway for the 1855 and 1867 Universal Expositions.[3] As a result, "Grand Hotels" were constructed, with the "Grand Hôtel du Louvre" being the first, as requested by Napoleon III. Initially, the hotel was built to the east of its current location, on the site of theLouvre des Antiquaires.
With approximately 700 modern comfort rooms,elevators, and grand staircases, the "Grand Hôtel du Louvre" was one of the most modern of its time.[4] It had 1,250 employees who worked there daily, offering various services for travelers for the first time, such as omnibus connections between the hotel and train stations, guides, interpreters, information desk, and currency exchange. Its restaurant also gained international renown for being the first to offer the most famous dishes from various foreign countries.[citation needed]
By 1855, 41 luxury boutiques occupied the ground floor of the Grand Hôtel du Louvre. Constantly expanding, the commercial spaces gradually took over the entire hotel. Eventually, in the late 1880s, the hotel gave way to theGrands Magasins du Louvre, as advertised with the slogan "The entire Hôtel du Louvre converted into a store".[5]
In 1887, the hotel was relocated to the other side of Place duPalais-Royal—where it stands today—to make room for theGrands Magasins du Louvre. The impressionist painterCamille Pissarro painted several paintings there in 1897 and 1898, some from the windows of the suite he occupied, which now bears his name.
The psychoanalystSigmund Freud stayed at the hotel in 1910 and wroteUn Souvenir d'Enfance de Léonard de Vinci there.[citation needed] The hotel also inspired Arthur Conan Doyle, who featured a character staying there in aSherlock Holmes adventure. In the lobby, a plaque installed by the Sherlock Holmes Society of France commemorates this connection.[citation needed]
DuringWorld War II, the Hôtel du Louvre served as the headquarters for anSS Sonderkommando.[6]
In 2001, the hotel was redecorated by the architect Sybille de Margerie.[citation needed]
In June 2012, it was reported that the hotel, owned by the Concorde Hotels & Resorts group, was sold, along with theMartinez, thePalais de la Méditerranée, and the Concorde La Fayette, to investors from Qatar.[7] The completion of the sale was officially announced on February 1, 2013.[8] The hotel is now owned by Constellation Hotels Holdings, a management company based inLuxembourg and controlled by Qatari capital.[8] At the same time, the American hotel chainHyatt was chosen as the operator.[8]
Its interior and façades on Rue Saint-Honoré and Rue de Rohan were renovated once again in 2018-2019.[9]
Built during the Second Empire, by architectsAlfred Armand,Charles Rohault de Fleury, and Auguste Pellechet, the Hôtel du Louvre features Haussmannian-style exterior architecture: marble, light woodwork, columns, grand chandeliers and staircase, high ceilings, light, and glass roof.[citation needed]
In the novel "Pot-Bouille",Émile Zola places the post-wedding evening meal at the Hôtel du Louvre. InJulien Duvivier's 1957 film adaptation of the book, starringGérard Philipe, the reception was filmed in a set recreating the hotel, constructed in theBillancourt studios.Mathieu Amalric used the entire hotel as the setting for his adaptation of "L'Illusion comique" (2010).[citation needed]
