Hotel des Grands Hommes

The building, constructed in the 18th century, became a place of accommodation at the end of the 19th century, first as a family boarding house, then a hotel. It’s here, in 1919, that the famous poets André Breton and Philippe Soupault wrote Les Champs magnétiques (The Magnetic Fields), marking the start of the surrealist movement and automatic writing. After the Second World War, the hotel was bought by Madame Nègre whose devoted and warm welcome left its mark on many a guest. The Brethous-Moncelli family took on the establishment in 1982 and completely renovated it in the early 2000s. The building has been receiving visitors from France and all around the world for over two centuries now, to the continued joy of its guests!
 

The guestbook

From 1947 to 1957, the Hôtel des Grands Hommes was owned by Madame Marguerite Andrée Nègre Souquet-Basiege.
We still have the guestbook from this era, in which the diverse clientele left their comments, often noting the warm welcome provided by the mistress of the house.
It’s with the same convivial and human approach that we perpetuate the tradition of receiving guests at the Hôtel des Grands Hommes!
 

Excerpts from the guestbook

You can check out some excerpts from the historical guestbook on our blog below.

Some guest comments through the ages:
http://bit.ly/gh-guestbook