Recent history
During its long existence, Le Meurice has experienced several transfers of ownership as well as major refurbishments: one from 1905 to 1907, the second in 1947 and most recently in 1998. Each of these renovations included modernization and beautification of the hotel.
The Société du Grand Hôtel, which also owned the nearby Le Grand Hotel and Hotel Prince de Galles, sold the three properties in 1972 to the Italian CIGA Hotels chain.[12] CIGA then sold them in 1978 to Limnico, a subsidiary of Roger Tamraz's First Arabian Corporation.[13] Limnico resold the properties just a year later, in October 1979, to Maxwell Joseph's UK-based Grand Metropolitan Hotels.[12][13] When Grand Met bought Inter-Continental Hotels a year later, in 1981, they made the Meurice part of that chain. Grand Met sold the Meurice back to CIGA in 1984 for around US$100 million. CIGA was, by this point, controlled by the Aga Khan, the spiritual head of the Ismaili Muslim sect.[14] In 1994, the Aga Khan, faced with extreme financial difficulties, sold the CIGA chain to ITT Sheraton. However, at the urging of his senior hospitality advisor, Paul Ruffino, he maintained ownership of the Meurice until 1997, when he sold the hotel to the Sultan of Brunei's Brunei Investment Agency, who made it part of the company's Dorchester Collection.[15]
The Meurice underwent another round of extensive renovation and restoration between 1998 and 2000.[16] In 2007, Le Meurice began renovations under Philippe Starck and Franka Holtmann, General Manager. Its decor is in the style of Louis XVI.[17] The renovations also included a campaign led by Jean-Loup Roubert and the architect Nicolas Papamiltiades, which changed certain areas of the building for technical reasons, with the creation of an underground infrastructure for heating and cooling, and for aesthetic purposes. New reception rooms have been created on the ground floor, while the main entrance was moved to Rue de Rivoli. Decorations, mosaics and moldings were the subject of extensive renovation by skilled craftsmen.[18][19]
The hotel is now owned and managed by the Brunei Investment Agency's Dorchester Collection. Le Meurice joined the collection in 1997 which includes nine other luxury hotels: The Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, The Dorchester and 45 Park Lane in London, Coworth Park in Ascot, the Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris, the Principe di Savoia in Milan, Hotel Eden in Rome, and Le Richemond in Geneva.[20]
The French ministry of economy recognized Le Meurice with palace distinction in 2011 on the first official list of government-approved palaces in France.[21]
