Grand Hotel Moderne
History
The hotel was built in 1896 by Jean Soubirous (the cousin of Saint Bernadette Soubirous) and his wife Benoite Toulet. The architect chosen to oversee the construction was Jean-Marie Lacrampe, who is also the same architect behind other structures in Lourdes including the town hall, the ramps to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and Castle Soum. At the time of its opening, the hotel was the first in the region to be equipped with an elevator and private bathrooms, hence its name "Le Moderne".
In 2007 the hotel was purchased by its current owners, the Tedesco family, an Italian tour operator who announced the immediate renovation that would bring "a second youth to the hotel". The reported 1.5 to 2.7 million of renovation works included the hydro-gommage of its baroque facade, modernizing all its guest rooms, and restoring the original woodwork of the art-nouveau designer Louis Majorelle in the hotel’s dining room and staircase.
References
- ^ Rigollet, Christine. "Lourdes, une histoire de femmes". Le Point. Publié le 09/05/1998 à 15:01 - Modifié le 25/01/2007 à 15:01. Le Point. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ Thomas, Jean-Pierre. "LOURDES, VILLE MARIALE : UN DEVELOPPEMENT FOUDROYANT" (PDF). Radio Presence. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ Marqué, Cyrille. "Lourdes. Seconde jeunesse pour le Moderne". LaDépêche.fr. Publié le 10/04/2007 à 11:10. LaDépêche. Retrieved 20 July 2013.