Where today the 5* Banke Hotel opens its doors, between Lafitte and Taitbout streets, once stood the 18th century Palace of Queen Hortense of the Netherlands, wife of Luis Bonaparte and mother of Emperor Napoleon III, who was born in the palace in 1808.
During the great urban reforms of Paris in the second half of the 19th century, the mansion was demolished, to be replaced by the Boulevard Haussmann and the streets of La Fayette and Pillet-Will.
The spectacular facade of the Banke Hotel dates back to 1908, and was awarded the city's Gold Medal as the best example of the architecture of that period in Paris.
In its 100-year history as the headquarters of the Banque Suisse et Française and the Crédit Commercial de France, has seen the great fortunes of Paris pass through its doors, and hundreds of businesses close. Perhaps great secrets remain hidden to this day in its original safes, as attempts are made to locate the lost key that opens them.
The 5* Banke Hotel treasures 300 years of history and stories within its walls.
Every Thursday at 19:08h, in honor of the building's year of construction, we offer all our guests and clients a short guided tour.
What relationship does the Hotel Banke have with Gustave Eiffel? What lies hidden in the basement of the old bank’s headquarters? These and many other mysteries come as a surprise to Parisians and foreigners alike.
Invaluable treasures are still guarded within the walls of the former bank.
On each of its floors, corridors and spaces, the Banke Hotel exhibits an impressive collection of jewelry, sculptures and works of art in elegant showcases, items from different ethnicities, continents and civilizations: from Papua New Guinea, China, India and Tibet to remote African tribes.
THE COLLECTOR
In addition to being a hotelier, Jordi Clos is an Egyptologist, collector and patron of the arts. He chairs the Clos Archaeological Foundation and the Egyptian Museum in Barcelona, containing the largest private collection of Egyptian art in Europe shown to the public. Clos has been financing archaeological excavations in Egypt for more than twenty years.
JORDI CLOS
Derby Hotels Collection President
