Hotel Napoleon

Hotel Napoleon, also known as the Hôtel Napoléon or Napoléon Paris, is a five-star hotel in Paris, France. It occupies 40 Avenue Friedland in the 8th arrondissement, immediately beside the Arc de Triomphe. Its location places it within one of the capital’s best-known luxury, diplomatic, cultural, and shopping districts, while its identity is tied to a more intimate style of Parisian hospitality than that of a large international hotel complex. The building’s story begins in 1923, when the Martinez group commissioned architect Henri Porteau to construct a luxury residence on the site of the former private home of Count Tolstoi. The property later passed to the Rothschild family. It opened as the Napoléon Bonaparte in 1928, initially presenting itself as a “hôtel de charme,” a small and distinctive hotel with a strong individual character. In 1929, it was repositioned as a luxury hotel and recognized as a “petit palace,” after which the name Napoléon Paris became associated with its setting near the Arc de Triomphe. The hotel’s historical image is strongly connected with writers, artists, musicians, actors, and other public figures. Accounts associated with the property mention Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, Salvador Dalí, Errol Flynn, Orson Welles, Miles Davis, Josephine Baker, and Ella Fitzgerald among visitors whose names appeared in its Golden Book. The hotel also features in literary recollections. Peruvian novelist and Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa described staying there during an early trip to Paris, while memoirist Jean P. Brody recalled a 1945 stay by her husband, Gene, and the kindness of doorman Jean Fratoni toward American soldiers at the end of the Second World War. A central part of the hotel’s heritage narrative is a French-Russian love story involving Alexander Pavlovitch Kliaguine, a wealthy Russian businessman, and a young Parisian literature student who later became the Baroness de Baubigny. According to the hotel’s history, Kliaguine gave her the Napoléon Paris as a gesture of love, enabling her to receive members of high society. The couple subsequently married and lived at the property with their family. The hotel is described as remaining in the ownership of the Kliaguine family. Architecturally and stylistically, Hotel Napoleon emphasizes a combination of Napoleonic art, Directoire-style furnishings, historic continuity, and contemporary hotel comforts. It presents itself as the only hotel completely decorated with Napoleonic art, a claim that differentiates it from generic luxury accommodation and links the property to French imperial and decorative traditions. Its food-and-beverage venue, Le Bivouac, is part of the hotel’s hospitality offer. The property received official five-star classification from the French Agency of Tourist Development in March 2013. It has also had a place in popular culture: the hotel appeared in the 1961 French film Le Cave se rebiffe, in which Jean Gabin’s character says he is staying at the Napoléon, as usual. Today, Hotel Napoleon remains a single historic Paris property rather than a broad multinational hotel chain. Its positioning rests on location, personalized service, historic interiors, cultural associations, and a distinctive Napoleonic theme.

The history of Hotel Napoleon is rooted in the transformation of an elite private residence into a distinctive Paris luxury hotel. In 1923, the Martinez group commissioned architect Henri Porteau to build a luxury home on the site of the former residence of Count Tolstoi. The property subsequently changed hands and was acquired by the Rothschild family, placing the building within the history of Parisian aristocratic and high-society residences. The hotel opened in 1928 under the name Napoléon Bonaparte. Rather than beginning as a large-scale palace hotel, it was introduced as a “hôtel de charme,” a compact and characterful form of accommodation emphasizing atmosphere and individuality. In 1929, the establishment moved into the luxury segment and attained the status described as a “petit palace.” The name Napoléon Paris became associated with its prominent position near the Arc de Triomphe and with the historical and decorative identity developed around Napoleon-inspired interiors. Over the decades, the hotel acquired a reputation as a meeting place for cultural and public figures. Its Golden Book reportedly contains the signatures of visitors including Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, Salvador Dalí, Errol Flynn, Orson Welles, Miles Davis, Josephine Baker, and Ella Fitzgerald. These associations form an important part of the property’s brand heritage, although the hotel’s identity is based on its physical setting and service offer rather than on a formal celebrity endorsement program. Personal recollections also contribute to the hotel’s historical image. In a memoir collection concerning United States Army veterans, Jean P. Brody described how her husband Gene stayed at the hotel when the Second World War ended in 1945. The account highlights the warmth of doorman Jean Fratoni toward American soldiers and recounts a later reunion in which Fratoni recognized Gene decades after the original visit. Mario Vargas Llosa likewise wrote about staying at the Napoléon during an early trip to Paris after winning a literary competition, recalling the hotel as part of his first experience of the city. The property’s family-ownership narrative centers on Alexander Pavlovitch Kliaguine, a wealthy Russian businessman, and a young Parisian literature student who later became the Baroness de Baubigny. According to the hotel’s account, Kliaguine offered her the Napoléon Paris as a declaration of affection. After their marriage, the couple and their family lived at the hotel, which is described as remaining in Kliaguine family ownership. This story reinforces the image of the property as a private, personal, and socially connected Paris residence as much as a commercial hotel. The hotel’s decorative concept is another major historical marker. It describes itself as the only hotel completely decorated with Napoleonic art and furnished in the Directoire style. The interiors combine references to the Napoleonic period and French decorative tradition with modern hospitality requirements. This mixture of historical décor and contemporary comfort has allowed the hotel to maintain a boutique identity while competing in the five-star Paris market. Hotel Napoleon’s status was formally strengthened in March 2013, when the French Agency of Tourist Development awarded it a five-star classification. The property also entered French popular culture through the 1961 film Le Cave se rebiffe. In the film, Jean Gabin’s character Ferdinand Maréchal, known as “le Dabe,” says that he is staying at the Napoléon, “as always,” linking the hotel to an established image of recurring Parisian luxury. The available historical record presents Hotel Napoleon as a single-property hospitality brand whose development has been driven by location, design, service, cultural memory, and family continuity. It is not documented here as part of a broad international chain. Its current identity remains that of a historic five-star hotel on Avenue Friedland, with Le Bivouac as its restaurant and bar and with the Arc de Triomphe setting, Napoleonic art, and literary and artistic associations serving as its principal differentiators.

• 2013

  Five-star classification

  [1]Hotel Napoleonen.wikipedia.org

  The French Agency of Tourist Development classified Hotel Napoleon as a five-star hotel in March.

• 1961

  Featured in Le Cave se rebiffe

  [1]Hotel Napoleonen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel appeared in the French film Le Cave se rebiffe, starring Jean Gabin.

• 1929

  Transition into luxury hotel status

  [1]Hotel Napoleonen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel became a luxury establishment and reached the status described as a petit palace, adopting the Napoléon Paris identity associated with its Arc de Triomphe location.

• 1928

  Napoléon Bonaparte opens

  [1]Hotel Napoleonen.wikipedia.org

  The property opened as the Napoléon Bonaparte, initially operating as a distinctive small-scale hôtel de charme.

• 1923

  Luxury residence commissioned

  [1]Hotel Napoleonen.wikipedia.org

  The Martinez group commissioned architect Henri Porteau to build a luxury residence on the site of Count Tolstoi’s former private home.

An independently identified Paris luxury hotel combining a prestigious Arc de Triomphe location with boutique-scale hospitality, Napoleonic decorative heritage, Directoire furnishings, and a long association with writers, artists, musicians, and cinema.

• Luxury accommodation · 1928

  Guest rooms and suites

  The hotel’s principal offering is five-star accommodation in a historic Paris property near the Arc de Triomphe. Its rooms and suites are presented within an interior scheme combining Napoleonic art, Directoire-style furnishings, traditional details, and modern hospitality requirements. The accommodation is positioned for leisure travelers, cultural visitors, business guests, and international visitors seeking a boutique-scale alternative to larger palace hotels.

• Restaurant and bar

  Le Bivouac

  Le Bivouac is Hotel Napoleon’s restaurant and bar venue. It forms part of the property’s complete hospitality proposition, extending the guest experience beyond lodging into dining, drinks, and social reception within the hotel’s historic and Napoleonic visual environment.

• Brand experience · 1928

  Napoleonic art and Directoire interiors

  The hotel’s most distinctive non-room offering is its themed physical environment. Hotel Napoleon describes itself as uniquely decorated throughout with Napoleonic art and furnished in the Directoire style. The design experience connects the property to French imperial history and decorative arts while retaining a contemporary luxury-hotel function.

1. 1Hotel Napoleonen.wikipedia.org