Hotel Napoleon

Hôtel Napoléon
Hôtel Napoléon Paris - Friedland Avenue, Paris
Location within Paris
General information
Location	Paris, France
Address	40, Friedland Avenue. 75008 Paris
Coordinates	48°52′27.5″N 2°17′52″E / 48.874306°N 2.29778°E / 48.874306; 2.29778Coordinates: 48°52′27.5″N 2°17′52″E / 48.874306°N 2.29778°E / 48.874306; 2.29778
Opening	1928
Owner	Kliaguine family
Technical details
Floor count	7
Design and construction
Architect	Henri Porteau
Other information
Number of rooms	54
Number of suites	45
Number of restaurants	1
Website
http://www.hotelnapoleon.com

The Napoléon is a hotel located in the immediate vicinity of the Arc de Triomphe, at number 40 Avenue Friedland, in the 8th arrondissement in Paris.

History

In 1923 the Martinez group commissioned one of the greatest architects at the time, Henri Porteau, to build a sumptuous residence in the place of the old private hôtel of Count Tolstoi. Later on, the residence changed hands and was acquired by the Rothschild family. The Napoléon Bonaparte was opened in 1928 as a hôtel de charme. The literary figures of the time preferred it and would frequent it regularly. In 1929 the hôtel de charme became a hôtel de luxe and reached the grade of petit palace. It was only natural to name it Napoléon Paris as a reference to its privileged location, right by the Arc de Triomphe. In March 2013, the French AGency of Touristic Development classifies the hotel as a 5 star hotel.^[1]

Taking in American soldiers after the liberation of Paris

In a book collecting the memoirs of US Army veterans, Chicken Soup for the Veteran's Soul,^[2] Jean P. Brody tells that in 1945, when the war ended, her husband Gene stayed at the Napoléon and had a fond memory of the doorman Jean Fratoni, who was very kind to the American soldiers. Jean Brody tells that 40 years later, when her husband returned to Paris, he was very surprised to meet the same doorman who recognized him and said: “You were here when the war ended, didn't you?” Fratoni was extremely warm towards the Brodys, who were deeply moved.

A hotel appreciated by celebrities

Since its inauguration, the Napoléon has seen countless celebrities pass through its doors. Among these were Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, Salvador Dalí, Errol Flynn, Orson Welles, Miles Davis, Josephine Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, all of whom, as well as many others, signed its Golden Book.

Mario Vargas Llosa's first trip to Paris

The winner of the Nobel Prize in literature, the Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa, tells about his “extraordinary” memory of his first trip to Paris, which he won at a literary contest organized by La Nouvelle Revue française: “I stayed at the Napoléon, and there I remember meeting Miss France for 1958, Annie Simplon.” ^[3]

The décor

The Napoléon Paris is the only hotel completely decorated with Napoleonic art, and furnished in the Directoire style. The hotel combines tradition and modernity, without forgetting a decidedly personal touch.

A French-Russian fairy tale

Romance oozes from the walls of the Napoléon Paris. The most beautiful story is no doubt the one connecting Alexander Pavlovitch Kliaguine, a rich Russian businessman and a young Parisian, a student of literature (later to become the baroness de Baubigny). They fell in love instantly. As proof of his love, Kliaguine offered the young student the Napoléon Paris so that she would be able to entertain the high society of the time. The Parisian girl married the rich business man. They had a family and lived at the Napoléon Paris for many years. A fairy tale full of passion. To this day, the Napoléon Paris continues to be owned by the Kliaguine family.

Restaurant and Bar

Le Bivouac

Film

The hotel was immortalized in the film Le Cave se rebiffe (1961), where the character played by Jean Gabin (Ferdinand Maréchal, better known as le Dabe) explains that he is staying at the Napoléon, “as always”.^[4]

References

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