he Peninsula Paris is a paradox, being the newest of the Peninsula hotels (as of 2014) and the second oldest. As a Peninsula hotel, the property’s history has only just begun; as a building, Number 19 Avenue Kléber’s history stretches back to Napoléonic France and the Hausmannian renovation of the city. These competing currents are reflected… Continue reading The Baron and The Count
About the Book
The Sound of Gunfire
Leonard Tauber planned that his hotel de voyageur should cater for discerning visitors from all over the world. In his 1910 brochure Hotel Majestic Paris he wrote “…on peut affirmer que toutes les familles aisées, de passage à Paris, y trouveront des avantages qu’elles ne peuvent rencontrer dans aucun autre hôtel de premier ordre.” [1]… Continue reading The Sound of Gunfire
Postcards Home
In1911, as the Majestic celebrated its third anniversary, the hotel was full and business brisk. According to the famous Ward, Lock & Co’s Paris and Environs guidebook Tauber’s hotel was ranked as a Series I hotel (“most luxurious and expensive”) alongside The Ritz and Meurice, both of which were much older, The Ritz having opened… Continue reading Postcards Home
The Neighbourhood
The Avenue
The Majestic
The Golden Years
n an early spring day the roofline of the Peninsula Paris looks much as it did on March 1st 1908, when Leonard Tauber’s Majestic Hotel opened its doors for the first time. The pink light of dawn plays across the masonry, giving it a golden glow and as the sun rises further a hint of… Continue reading The Golden Years
