Radisson Blu Hotel, Nantes

The Radisson Blu Hotel, Nantes is a four-star luxury hotel located on Place Aristide-Briand in Nantes, France. It occupies the building of the former Palais de justice de Nantes (Nantes courthouse), a neoclassical monument inaugurated in 1852. The hotel is managed by the American hotel group Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and offers 142 rooms, including 20 suites, along with extensive meeting and event facilities. The conversion of the historic courthouse into a hotel was driven by the city's lack of luxury accommodation. After the judicial staff moved to a new courthouse on Île de Nantes in June 2000, the Ministry of Justice returned the building to the département, which launched a competition in 2006. In May 2007, a consortium led by Axa Reim (investor) and Altarea Cogedim (developer), together with Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, architect DTACC, and decorator Jean-Philippe Nuel, was selected. Construction began in July 2010, and the hotel opened on 19 November 2012. The hotel features 142 rooms (including 15 suites according to one source, 20 according to another), 1,000 m² of event space, a 60-seat restaurant, and a lounge bar. The former Salle des Pas Perdus now serves as the reception hall and houses the Restaurant & Bar "À Partager". The hotel targets business and leisure travelers while remaining open to the city, offering coffee, lunch, and art exhibitions. The historic assize courtroom and the Coursive are available for private events.

The building that now houses the Radisson Blu Hotel, Nantes was originally the Palais de justice de Nantes, a courthouse. Justice had been administered in Nantes at the Château du Bouffay and then at the Hôtel de la Monnaie. In 1842, the conseil général of Loire-Inférieure studied grouping the courthouse, prison, and gendarmerie in a new district. The chosen site was called "tenue Bruneau". Architects Saint-Félix Seheult and Joseph-Fleury Chenantais designed a neoclassical building with a main façade featuring a majestic pediment supported by four double columns, leading to a Salle des Pas Perdus with an impressive colonnade. The project was launched under King Louis-Philippe I and lasted eleven years. The building was inaugurated on 2 March 1852. It measures 55 meters wide and 65 meters long, with three floors served by four staircases. Sculptor Étienne-Édouard Suc created a work representing Justice protecting Innocence on the pediment, while Amédée Ménard made two statues, Force and Law, flanking the monumental staircase. Two bronze lion statues stood in front. Notable cases tried in the courthouse included the affaire des congrégations (1903), the affaire de La Délivrance (1928), the trial between Aristide Briand and Léon Daudet, and the trial of the Cayenne insurgents (1931), defended by Gaston Monnerville. During World War II, German authorities seized the two lion statues to melt their metal; they were replaced only in 1991 by stone copies by sculptor Mourad Horch. On 19 December 1985, Georges Courtois took hostages in the courthouse for 36 hours with two accomplices. The courthouse remained the center of Nantes judicial life until the late 1990s, when it was decided to build a new, modern courthouse on Île de Nantes. In June 2000, judicial staff left for the new building designed by Jean Nouvel. Four years later, the Ministry of Justice returned the building to the département, which owns it legally, and immediately sought a new use for the monument. As Nantes lacked luxury hotels, the conseil général of Loire-Atlantique decided to convert the 7,000 m² built over 4 levels into a hotel. In 2018, during works, the existence of a tunnel between the former prison on rue Descartes and the former courthouse was confirmed; it had facilitated the transport of defendants between prison and court. For the conversion, a competition was launched by the Conseil général de Loire-Atlantique in 2006. In May 2007, the group led by Axa Reim (investor) and Altarea Cogedim (developer), associated with Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, architect DTACC (Jacques Cholet), and decorator "Ocre Bleu" (Jean-Philippe Nuel), was selected. Equipment installation was managed by Dehoux Conseils. Works began in July 2010 and the hotel opened on 19 November 2012. It offers 142 rooms (including 15 suites), 1,000 m² of event space, a 60-seat restaurant, and a lounge bar. The former Salle des Pas Perdus became the reception hall and houses the Restaurant & Bar "À Partager". Chef Erwan Noblet offers dishes made from fresh, regional products, with homemade cuisine. The establishment targets business and tourism clientele but remains open to the city. The assize courtroom and the Coursive are available for private events. Related developments include the conversion of the "Lafayette" gendarmerie barracks into shops, housing, and a spa, and the former prison built in 1865 by Chenantais, which closed on 2 June 2012 and is to be redeveloped.

• 2018

  Tunnel between former prison and courthouse confirmed during works.

• 2012

  Hotel opens on 19 November.

• 2010

  Construction begins in July.

• 2007

  Consortium led by Axa Reim and Altarea Cogedim selected in May.

• 2006

  Conseil général de Loire-Atlantique launches competition for conversion.

• 2004

  Ministry of Justice returns building to the département.

• 2000

  Judicial staff leave for new courthouse on Île de Nantes in June.

• 1991

  Stone copies of the lion statues by Mourad Horch replace the seized bronze originals.

• 1985

  Georges Courtois takes hostages in the courthouse for 36 hours on 19 December.

• 1931

  Trial of Cayenne insurgents, defended by Gaston Monnerville.

• 1928

  Affaire de La Délivrance tried.

• 1903

  Affaire des congrégations tried, leading to conviction of Marquis de Dion.

• 1852

  Courthouse inaugurated on 2 March.

• 1842

  Conseil général of Loire-Inférieure studies grouping courthouse, prison, and gendarmerie; site "tenue Bruneau" chosen.

Four-star luxury hotel in a historic monument, targeting business and leisure travelers.

• 142 rooms (including 15 or 20 suites)

• 1,000 m² event space

• Restaurant & Bar "À Partager" (60 covers)

• Lounge bar

• Historic assize courtroom and Coursive for private events

1. 1Wikidata: Ancien Palais de justice de Nanteswikidata.org
2. 2Wikipédia: Hôtel Radisson Blu (Nantes)fr.wikipedia.org