History of the Hotel

Located in the heart of Paris, the Hotel Bedford boasts a discreet charm and warm welcome that make it a family home. This hotel has the distinction of having belonged to the Berrut family for 120 years and has always been managed by its owners, from father to son and now from father to daughter.

At the end of the 19th century, Sylvain Berrut, aged 18, left his native village of Troistorrents, in the Swiss Valais, and entered the hotel business. His courage, rigor, and interpersonal skills were appreciated in the luxury hotels of Paris and London, where he acquired solid professional skills. In 1905, he became Manager of the Hotel Bedford, whose owner gradually sold him all of his shares. At the time, the hotel had only about 100 rooms. During the 1914-1918 war, he and his friend Charles-Henri Fivaz, a Swiss architect, created the magnificent dining room of the hotel’s restaurant, Le Victoria, whose glass roof, fountain and stucco decor have been preserved in their original state. In 1914, Sylvain Berrut enlisted with the French army and unfortunately lost his life in combat in 1918.

His son, René Berrut, succeeded him in managing the hotel. He undertook expansion and modernization work, transforming it into a 150-room hotel.

During World War II, the Bedford was requisitioned by the German army. After these difficult years, René Berrut devoted himself to revitalizing the hotel, which gradually resumed its operations. He also acquired a neighboring hotel, the Hotel de l’Arcade.

In 1970, his sons Jean and Gérard gradually supported his decisions and then took over. They continued the renovation of both hotels while maintaining their warm atmosphere. With the help of the renowned interior designer Gérard Gallet, the Bedford was adorned with a sober and refined decor influenced by its owners’ taste for fine art. Numerous paintings by modern masters such as Beaudin, Ubac, Music, Szafran, Iseli, de Palézieux, Desmazières, Ostovani, adorn the walls.

In 2007, Laetitia Brandariz-Berrut, Gérard’s daughter, a graduate of the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, joined her father and uncle and now runs the Hôtel Bedford, the Hôtel de l’Arcade and the Hôtel du Quai Voltaire. The latter was acquired by the Berrut family in 2017. After a major renovation, it reopened in March 2025 and offers an exceptional location in the 7th arrondissement, on the banks of the Seine, opposite the Louvre. This rebirth is a tribute to the many historic guests who lived in this Maison: Baudelaire finished writing Les Fleurs du Mal in room 51 and Wagner wrote the libretto of his opera Les Maîtres Chanteurs.

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The Hotel Bedford was built in 1847. It has been frequented by many famous people, including the last Emperor of Brazil, Dom Pedro II (who stayed there during his exile and until his death), Empress Eugenie, Alexis de Tocqueville, Henri Becque and William Gladstone.

The Bedford is also part of a musical tradition that dates back to the early 1800s. As early as 1889, Dom Pedro II hosted numerous artists, composers, painters, and writers. Camille Saint-Saëns and Gabriel Fauré lived at the Bedford, while Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos spent extended stays there, as did Spanish guitarist Andrés Segovia. Numerous performers, such as pianist Mieczyslaw Horszowski and violinists Josef Suk and Yehudi Menuhin, have frequented the hotel. Henri Dutilleux gave several lectures there and the Wagner Circle has met there for over 40 years.

To continue this rich musical legacy, Gérard Berrut created the Bedford Hotel’s Music Room in 2003.