Hôtel Napoléon

The story begins in 1923, when the Martinez group commissioned the architect Henri Porteau to build a luxury home in place of the old private residence of Count Tolstoy. The building rose in the Art Deco style and opened in 1928 as the Napoléon Bonaparte, a hôtel de charme, the French term for a small, distinctive hotel. In 1929 it became a hôtel de luxe and reached the grade of petit palace. It was then renamed Napoléon Paris, a nod to its position right by the Arc de Triomphe.

The Russian businessman who bought the hotel was Alexander Pavlovitch Kliaguine; he offered it to the young Parisian student who married him. The couple lived in the building for several years, entertaining the whole of Paris, and literary figures of the time came through its doors regularly. To this day the Kliaguine family owns the Napoléon.

Inside, the name sets the theme. Napoleonic art decorates the whole house, the furniture is in the Directoire style, and some rooms add Empire touches: grand Empire-style drapery in the Superior Rooms, Empire woodwork and deep velvet in the Junior Suites. Bar 1807 has two moods, a contemporary side built around its Art Deco bar and a warmer side in front of the fireplace.

The address is 40 Avenue de Friedland in the 8th arrondissement, a stone's throw from the Arc de Triomphe. The Champs-Élysées lies less than three minutes away on foot, and the immediate neighbourhood takes in the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, Parc Monceau, the Jacquemart-André museum and the luxury boutiques of Avenue Montaigne.

For anything further, Charles de Gaulle - Étoile station is a two-minute walk, served by metro lines 1, 2 and 6 and by the RER A. The Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Orangerie, the Rodin museum and the Yves Saint Laurent museum are all less than 15 minutes away by taxi or metro, which makes the hotel a practical base for a museum-heavy stay.

Superior Rooms measure 17 to 23 m² for two, in soft colours, and look over either a flowery courtyard or Avenue de Friedland. Executive Rooms, 22 to 26 m² and also for two, have mahogany furnishings and overlook the inner courtyard, which makes them the quieter choice. Both have marble bathrooms with bathtub and/or shower. Every room and suite has individual air-conditioning, completely renovated in 2024, a minibar restocked daily with complimentary soft drinks, and a safe.

Junior Suites start at 32 m² and sleep up to three, with a sitting area whose sofa converts into an extra bed; their marble bathrooms have a bathtub and/or a large separate shower. Two variants add outdoor space: the two Avenue Terrace Junior Suites on the first floor have private terraces, and the three Eiffel Junior Suites on the top floor have balconies looking towards the Eiffel Tower. Suites begin at 40 m² for up to four, with a separate living room and a marble bathroom holding both a large shower and a bathtub, while the two Terrace Suites on the first floor have private terraces of their own.

Families can take a Connecting Room of 55 m², pairing a Junior Suite or suite with a bedroom and two bathrooms, suited to four to six people. On the sixth floor, the Josephine Suite occupies 75 m² for up to four, with a bedroom and a large separate living room furnished with armchairs and a sofa, and two marble bathrooms with a bathtub and separate shower. The Yusupov Suite, on the same floor, covers 85 m² with a view over Paris, two bedrooms, two living rooms with sofa beds, a coffee machine and complimentary soft drinks. The Imperiale Suite, 90 m² on the seventh and last floor, sleeps up to six, with two bedrooms, a large living room and a private terrace looking across Paris to the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower.

Bar 1807 serves continuously every day until 22:30. At lunch, between 12:00 and 14:30, it offers a seasonal menu; in the evening the list turns to wines, champagnes, signature cocktails and creative dishes for sharing. Its sunny terrace on Avenue de Friedland, screened by a bamboo hedge, stays open all year.

Breakfast is served in Le Bivouac, a daylit reception room on the first floor, from 07:00 to 10:00 on weekdays and 07:30 to 10:30 at weekends and on public holidays. Three formulas are offered: Le Parisien combines a hot drink, pastries, bread or toast with jam, honey and butter, and fresh orange or grapefruit juice; Le Continental adds yoghurt or fruit salad; L'Américain includes the buffet, with dairy products and eggs cooked to order. On Sundays from 12:00 to 14:30, brunch brings a gourmet buffet with Besserat de Bellefon champagne, foie gras and Petrossian salmon, and a glass of champagne on arrival is included.

Room service runs around the clock: breakfast from 07:00 to 12:00, the restaurant menu from 12:00 to 22:00, a night menu from 22:00 to 07:00, and drinks at any hour.

A bright fitness room, reserved exclusively for guests, is open every day from 08:00 to 20:00. Massages and wellness treatments are given in the spa or, on request, in the guest's room, and they must be booked at least two hours in advance.

Reception is staffed 24 hours a day, and luggage is handled free of charge on arrival and after departure. The team speaks French, English, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian, Arabic and Romanian. A private chauffeur service, by car or limousine, can be arranged through the concierge with 24 hours' notice before arrival.

For families, a cot is provided free of charge on request from the Junior Suite category upwards, and connecting rooms can be requested at the time of booking, subject to availability. For meetings and private events, seven modular lounges are equipped with ClickShare, high-definition screens and integrated sound.