Legacy
MAISON ASTOR PARIS
The transatlantic saga of our founder J.J Astor IV
Maison Astor Paris, opening in 2018 is a place full of history protecting the legacy and imprint left by his founder, J.J Astor IV.
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The heir of a colossal empire
The History of Maison Astor Paris is the one of a tremendously powerful family, the Astors, who reached the top of the wealthiest families in the USA. The hospitality sense was encrypted in the Astor DNA, having reunited their two hotels in New-York City, the Waldorf and Astoria to create the largest hotel complex in the world. This is especially the story of John Jacob Astor, fourth of the name. The extravagant heir of the famous Astor dynasty was an avant-gardist businessman, a colonel in the Spanish-American war, a writer and an inventor in his spare time. In the early 20th century, he divorced his first wife and married Madeleine in second marriage, who was 18 years younger than he was. The high society of New York was scandalized by this relationship. To lay low, the young couple had no choice but to leave New York for Paris in 1911.
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In love with Paris
It is during his Grand Tour across Europe and the East that this businessman fell in love with Paris which was buzzing in the aftermath of the 1900 - World’s Fair. At this time, he was regularly visiting the Countess Greffülhe’s salon in rue d'Astorg. She was the famous woman who inspired Marcel Proust for his character of the Duchess of Guermantes in In Search of Lost Time. He was so amused by this street name, close to his own with just one letter difference, that he decided to build the hotel Royal Astor in 1907 just in front of the mansion of the countess, at No. 11 of the Astorg Street.
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A tragic crossing : the Titanic
When Madeleine got pregnant, she wanted to give birth on the American land. The couple boarded on a brand new transatlantic ship to NYC. Unfortunately, this happened on April 10th, 1912 and the ship was no other than the sadly famous, RMS Titanic. Though J.J Astor IV perished in the sinking, Madeleine and his descendant survived. She gave birth to a little boy who was named John Jacob Astor VI after his father. Iconic figure of this ship, J. J Astor is depicted in several movies, including "Titanic" by James Cameron.
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Curio – A Collection by Hilton TM is made for the curious longing for discovery and authenticity. It is a collection of original and unique hotels, impossible to forget. The hand-picked hotels of this collection aim to create the delight, to share a story and tell secrets to their guests. |
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