Stéphane Durand
Tribu: The Literary Hotels Society
The hospitality industry in the service of culture
Et si l’on choisissait son hôtel comme on choisit un livre ? Non pas pour le feuilleter distraitement, mais pour s’y plonger et s’y perdre, afin de pouvoir mieux y revenir. La Société des Hôtels Littéraires ne promet pas seulement une nuit hôtelière au prix raisonnable mais une expérience culturelle à part entière : celle de dormir chez un écrivain, et de côtoyer, le temps d’une nuit, un de nos monuments culturels
Découverte d’une saga qui n’est pas près d’écrire son dernier mot.
Literary interludes and family success
À l’origine de cette aventure singulière, il y a Jacques Letertre. Collectionneur, bibliophile passionné, et président de l’Association des Amis de la Bibliothèque littéraire Jacques Doucet, il consacre sa vie aux livres bien avant de les inviter à entrer dans l’hôtellerie. En 2013, il imagine un concept inédit : créer des hôtels quatre étoiles entièrement dédiés à ses écrivains de cœur. Mais pas question, pour lui, de se servir de ses idoles comme d’un simple argument marketing. Ce qu’il souhaite, c’est avant tout d’offrir un véritable parcours culturel à ses clients. Chaque adresse devient alors une porte d’entrée vers un univers littéraire.
Le premier chapitre s’écrit à Paris, dans le quartier Saint-Lazare Monceau, avec l’Hôtel Littéraire Le Swann, consacré à Marcel Proust. Le succès est immédiat avec un concept qui parle autant aux amoureux des lettres qu’aux voyageurs aimant les établissements avec du caractère. Très vite, la collection s’agrandit. Rouen accueille Gustave Flaubert, Clermont-Ferrand Alexandre Vialatte, Montmartre Marcel Aymé, les Grands Boulevards Arthur Rimbaud, avant que Nancy ne vienne récemment enrichir la constellation avec Stendhal. À chaque fois, le même fil rouge : faire dialoguer une ville, un quartier et un écrivain, et transformer l’hôtel en lieu de transmission.
Chez Jacques Letertre, la littérature est incarnée, vivante et toujours accessible. On retrouve, dans ses hôtels, des manuscrits et des éditions originales. Plus qu’un concept hôtelier, la Société des Hôtels Littéraires devient une œuvre en soi, patiemment construite, page après page.
The Attributes of the Tribe
While Jacques Letertre laid the foundation, his son Alban Letertre is now shaping its contemporary evolution. As the group’s CEO, he is restructuring, modernizing, and steering the Société des Hôtels Littéraires toward a vision firmly focused on the future. Under his leadership, the group has become the first in its sector to adopt the status of a mission-driven company. All hotels are Clef Verte certified and operate according to principles of responsible tourism: waste reduction, water and energy conservation, eco-labeled cleaning products, sorting and recycling of organic waste… An ecological approach rooted in daily life and local communities. Breakfasts and afternoon snacks prioritize locally sourced ingredients, organic products, and regional specialties: honey, AOP cheeses, locally roasted coffee, and artisanal pastries are waiting to be discovered (and savored) at every location. In Rouen, Clermont-Ferrand, Paris, or Nancy, each location crafts its own gourmet menu, directly tied to its surroundings, to remind us that even in the city, local is still possible… and desirable. Proving that a love of literature is more than just a concept, the group publishes a newsletter called “Les Chroniques Littéraires,” which features monthly interviews, book reviews, and cultural calendars. At Letertre, we believe that we sleep much better when a story keeps us company, and that true luxury today may lie in opening a book rather than a minibar.For whom?
For all lovers of travel and reading. Proof that travel and culture can be the main ingredients of a successful trip.Why does Plume love the Society of Literary Hotels?
Charming hotels that take you on a journey through time while enriching your cultural knowledge. Sustainability and environmental responsibility are anything but a mere detail; they are part of this group’s DNA, as it has fully understood that paying tribute to the great figures of the past goes hand in hand with respecting our shared future. Each property has its own unique character, while offering guests a glimpse into the history of a famous author. Their partnership with the cosmetics brand Terre de Mars is a wise choice: the bathroom amenities are high-quality and smell absolutely divine.Arthur Rimbaud Literary Hotel, in Paris
It needed a train station, a starting point, a city swept up in the turmoil and the call of the open sea. So it was only natural that the Société des Hôtels Littéraires chose to pay tribute to Arthur Rimbaud just a stone’s throw from the Gare de l’Est. When poetry calls for a break from the journey. An address located on Rue Gustave-Goublier,
Le Swann, a literary hotel in Paris inspired by Marcel Proust
Some hotels tell the story of a city; others, of an era. The Swann tells the story of a work of art: that of Marcel Proust. Rediscover lost time alongside Marcel Proust. It is located in the historically Proustian neighborhood of Plaine Monceau and Saint-Augustin, within a 19th-century Haussmann-style building. Awarded at the 1898 World’s Fair, this building
In Nancy, a literary hotel dedicated to Stendhal
Just a hundred meters from Place Stanislas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Hôtel Littéraire Stendhal seems to blend seamlessly into the backdrop of Nancy Cathedral. In red and black (but not only) Housed in an elegant 17th-century building, the former palace of the Primate of Lorraine, this four-star hotel carries on the founding vision of the Société des
