History
• 1771: Charles Augustin Meurice, en enterprising regional postmaster, opens a small Hotel in Calais, destination for upper class British tourists arriving in France.
• 1817: Meurice opens a second Hotel in Paris, 223 rue Saint Honoré. Both Hotels have a strong understanding of the needs of British tourist offering UK style comfort and having an English speaking staff.
New Location on rue de Rivoli
• 1835: The Paris Hotel Meurice moves to it’s present location on rue de Rivoli.
• 1853: The Impress Eugenie marries Napoleon III, their main residence is the « Palais des Tuileries » located between the Louvre and the jardin des Tuileries, very close to the Meurice. Many foreign relations of the Imperial couple stay at the Meurice.
• 1855: Queen Victoria stays at the Hotel Meurice while visiting the Exposition Universelle.
• 1865: The Meurice in Paris is acquired by Henri-Joseph Scheurich.
• 1870 September: The Second Empire, Emperess Eugenie flies to England, France becomes a Republic.
• 1882: The Meurice gets a telephone line.
• 1891: The Hotel Meurice has electric light and the capacity to receive 200 guests.
• 1898: The ownership of the Hotel passes to a new limited company called « Hotel Meurice » headed by Arthur Millon. The new director is Fréderic Schwenter from Switzerland.
• 1905-1907: Major renovation and extension of the Hotel. Telephones are installed in each room.
• 1912: Theater performances at the Hotel.
• 1917: During World War I the Hotel is closed for several months and serves as a military hospital.
• 1918: Pablo Picasso and his bride Olga Koklova host their wedding dinner at the Meurice.
• 1931: King Alphonse XIII dethroned in Spain moved into Le Meurice under the name of the Duc de Tolède.
• 1939: Aimee Lopes de Sotto Maior stays at the Meurice when arriving in Paris. She returns after the war and remains a customer for over half a century.
• 1940 September – 1944 August: The Meurice was requisitioned by the German occupation authorities.
• 1944 August 7: Dietrich von Chlotitz becomes the military governor of Paris and settles in the Meurice. He has become famous for having disobeyed direct orders from Adolf Hitler to completely destroy the city of Paris. According to records Hitler phoned him at his room n° 213 in the Meurice, screaming in rage, « Brennt Paris? » (« Is Paris burning? »). Thus von Chloitz prevented major damage to Paris before surrendering to French general Philippe Leclerc de Hautecloque at the Gare Montparnasse August 25.
• 1944 September: The Meurice was occupied by Anglo American Forces.
• 1947: Renovation and extension of the Hotel.
• 1950: Salvador Dali arrives at the Hotel. During 30 years he stays there for about a month.
• 1954: Coco Chanel returns to Paris and from time to time she can be seen at the Hotel Lobby.
• 1956: Ex military governor Dietrich von Chlotitz returns to the Meurice and spends a few minutes in room 213. He leaves the Hotel quickly refusing an invitation from the Hotel Director to share a glass of champaign.
• 1960s: According to Aimee de Heeren the Hotel becomes a hotspot destination for the American hi-society. Everybody wants to stay on the same floor so rooms are closer and it is more fun to talk about parties. Aimee de Heeren and Coco Chanel (lives in the nearby Hotel Ritz) go for night walks to see the Halles Centrales foodmarket.
• 1978: The Meurice is aquired by Ciga (Compagnia Italiana Grandi Alberghi).
• 1981: Intercontinental acquires Hotel Meurice and the opposite Hotel Continental.
• 1984: Meurice returns to Ciga Hotels, now as a private property of the Aga Khan via Abbots Fields SA.
Dorchester Collection Era
• 1996: Launch of the Dorchester Collection, today a Collection of 10 hi profile Palace Hotels.
• 1997 May: The sultan du Brunei buys le Meurice via Audley Group, a company of the Brunei Investment Agency (BIA).
• 1998-2000: Renovation of the Hotel, the entrance switches from rue du Mont Thabor to rue de Rivoli.
• 2000 July: Reopening of the Hotel.
• 2007: Smaller renovation of the Hotel, redecoration of the Lobby in a Salvador Dali style with the designer Philippe Starck.
• 2011 May : Hotel Meurice receives the new official Label « Palace ***** » given by the French Ministry of Tourism to describe a new elite categorie of 5 Star Hotels in France. Unlike Hotel Meurice not every French « Palace » is part of « Palace Hotels of the World.com » , as some do not have enough historic background to be listed.
