Sofitel Le Scribe Paris Opéra, showcasing Parisian art de vivre

In just one address, guests are immersed in the spirit of Paris. At 1 rue Scribe, a stone's throw from the Olympia and Palais Garnier, the Sofitel Le Scribe Paris Opéra embodies the archetypal Haussmann building. Named in homage to Eugène Scribe, the 19thᵉ century playwright whose bust adorns the Opéra, the hotel tells the story of Paris as soon as you cross the threshold.

Before the hotel, the Jockey Club

In 1864, Napoleon II's half-brother, the Duc de Morny, was commissioned to create a Jockey Club in Paris. After several moves, the ideal space was finally found on the second floor of the building at 1 rue Scribe. "But this Jockey Club had nothing to do with horses!"smiles Nicolas Pesty, current manager of the Sofitel Le Scribe Paris Opéra."It was just the place where people from the same caste got together to talk politics, culture, play billiards, baccarat and so on."

on the upper floor, the last in the building, administrative offices were set up and a few rooms were created. Very quickly,"the Jockey Club became very important in Parisian society". The members, proud to belong, wanted their families to be able to stay there too. " But there were people who didn't live in Paris and had to stay overnight," says Nicolas Pesty. Thus, in 1867, the site was gradually transformed into a hotel.

That same year, during the Universal Exhibition, the Scribe became a reception area for royalty. The King of the Netherlands, William III, the King of the Belgians, Leopold II, the Prince of Wales and the future King Edward VII all elected honorary members of the Jockey Club. "It was the place to be in Paris."

As an observer and member of the club, Marcel Proust immortalized his vision of Parisian society in his novels, giving rise in 1913 to À la recherche du temps perdu. The whole of Paris stopped here, just like Jules Verne.

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A place of prestige and innovation

In 1871, trunk-maker Louis Vuitton opened his first boutique on the hotel's first floor. The address closed in 1914, on the eve of the First World War. Today, the Scribe & Cie café is housed here, with its decor referencing the famous trunks.

On the same floor, the Grand Café housed gaming salons, but at the end of 1895, the Prefect of Police prohibited certain activities such as billiards in cafés and bars, depriving the owners of an important source of income. Faced with this change, the owner, Monsieur Volpini, heard about the Lumière brothers and decided to host a world premiere: on December 28, 1895, he proposed a screening of several short films, each around twenty minutes long. Titles included La sortie de l'usine Lumière à Lyon, La Voltige and La pêche aux poissons rouges. "33 people attended the session. The next day, a thousand people attended. It was a real success". Today, the screening room has become a restaurant.

In 1897, eight years after the installation of electricity and telephone service for guests, the first elevators appeared in the hotel. The establishment continued to expand, adding floors to reach 201 rooms. When the Jockey Club moved out in 1924, the hotel finally gained the freedom to realize its ambition: to become a palace. The following year, the 4ᵉ, 5ᵉ and 6ᵉ floors are built, while a seventh floor remains reserved for administration.

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A building marked by history

During the Second World War, the Scribe was requisitioned by the Wehrmacht for counter-espionage and later became HQ for war correspondents: "There were 530 journalists from Canada, England, the USA...". Famous guests included Lee Miller, Josephine Baker - who lived on the 1st floor and became very fond of a doorman she adopted, Jean-Claude Bouillon-Baker - and Marlene Dietrich. On May 2, 1981, the hotel broke new ground by hiring women as head receptionists and head concierge. "Which was quite revolutionary!"

Immersion in a Parisian apartment

In 2022, Le Scribe reinvents itself for a predominantly foreign clientele,"70% American". "Theaim is to make guests feel at home," stresses Nicolas Pesty. The rooms tell the story of Paris: Buren columns, bronze piping reminiscent of the metro, a fake fireplace and a period telephone. An open cupboard at the entrance invites you to shop " in the local department stores ", while a water purifier replaces plastic bottles. Every detail, from the furniture to the Balmain products in the bathroom, is designed to immerse the customer in the French capital.

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In this way, the Sofitel Le Scribe combines heritage, comfort and Parisian immersion, where history, culture and luxury are experienced on a daily basis, in the style of a true Parisian apartment.