Hotel History

On December 19, 1907, Mr. Weill Martignan, entrepreneur, filed the statutes of a company called Trianon which was planned to build a luxury hotel in Versailles. The idea of ​​the name of the company is justified by the proximity of the future hotel to the Petit and the Grand Trianon of the Park of the Palace of Versailles. The architecture was entrusted to René Sergent, who chose to build a metal frame with masonry facades which rigorously reproduced the classic stonework in the style of the time.

On May 1, 1910, many people from Versailles flocked to attend the inauguration of what would become “their” hotel over time. World personalities also came to stay there, praising both the luxurious setting and the calm of the place.

Sarah Bernhardt stayed in the hotel during her Parisian performances of “l’Aiglon”. She rubbed shoulders with Marcel Proust, the banker Lafitte, and the aviator Santos-Dumont.

When the hostilities of the First World War broke out, it transformed the Trianon Palace hotel into an auxiliary hospital for the British troops. Reopened in 1916, the hotel slowly returned to its original vocation.

In April 1917, the Inter-Allied Military Committee set up its permanent War Council here, which aimed to put an end to the deadly war.

On May 7, 1919, in the room that now bears his name, Georges Clemenceau dictated the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles, which was signed a few days later at the Palace of Versailles.

Once peace returned, the Trianon Palace hotel resumed its place as a social institution and, at that time, a special “omnibus” linked it three times a day to the Place de la Concorde. Quickly, the Trianon Palace became the landmark of men of letters and the entertainment world. Thus, Paul Valery, Sacha Guitry and Marlene Dietrich came to recharge their batteries. It also became the favorite holiday resort of the world’s great fortunes, John Rockefeller and Paul Getty, who would stay here during their visits to Paris.

In 1939, the army again infiltrated Trianon Palace. First requisitioned by the Royal Air Force, which installed its Parisian offices here in the basement, in 1940 it became the headquarters of the Luftwaffe by order of Marshal Goering. In 1944, it was the turn of the American army to occupy it. Behind the walls of the Trianon Palace, men of influence, such as Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, General de Gaulle and Montgomery, made major decisions that still govern our geopolitical map to this day.

In 1946, peace brought prestigious post-war guests such as Prince Aga-Khan, Queen Elisabeth II, the King of Morocco, and the King Hussein of Jordan.

Over the years, Trianon Palace has become a haven for internationally renowned personalities. The tenors of international politics love Trianon Palace for its security. Writers and artists such as François Mauriac, Henri Bernstein, Jacques Brel, Jean Gabin, Jeanne Moreau, and even Tino Rossi have also come here to seek the calm conducive to creation.

In 1990, Trianon Palace and its 3 hectares of park were bought by a foreign company. The hotel immediately underwent major renovation work: in particular the construction of a second building called the ‘Pavillon du Trianon’, in order to allow the Trianon Palace hotel to welcome its customers in a larger, even more luxurious setting. The Pavillon building was also equipped with a new conference centre.

In 2009, the Waldorf Astoria Versailles – Trianon Palace became part of the prestigious Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts brand, part of the Hilton group, which has more than 5,300 hotels in 106 countries around the world.