PARIS.- Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer has selected Artcurial, the leading French auction house, to run the auction for the legendary Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo. This grand event will take place in the hotel itself for 6 days, from 25 to 30 January 2015, and will be preceded by 4 days of exhibitions at the hotel from 21 to 24 January 2015. The Hotel de Paris has been closed since 6 October 2014. It will reopen mid-December for the end-of-year celebrations.

Over 4,000 lots will be sold at auction:

• Furniture from certain public places such as the gourmet restaurants, the famous carpet from the reception area or the garden

• Furniture from the 138 suites and rooms, including that of the famous Winston Churchill and Sarah Bernhardt suite

• 400 dinnerware pieces

• Bathroom linen embroidered with the hotel's initials.

This is a one-off opportunity to purchase part of the history of this luxury hotel which opened 150 years ago, in 1864. The Hotel de Paris was inaugurated shortly after the splendid Casino de Monte-Carlo, according to the wishes of François Blanc, founder of the Société des Bains de Mer. He imagined a sumptuous setting which would become the place to be for gambling and luxury. Customers flocked from all over Europe to this hotel that "goes beyond anything that has been seen until now", as its founder stated. Errol Flynn celebrated his wedding there in the company of Hollywood's elite, Winston Churchill settled into a 210 m² suite, and James Bond stayed there in GoldenEye. Today, celebrity figures, kings, princes, heads of state, artists and international stars follow suit.

In 2013, Artcurial was the French leader in auctions at luxury hotels, with over 7.3 million euros in sales in this sector. After the Trianon Palace, or more recently the Hotel de Crillon and the Plaza Athénée, history will be made in the world of legendary hotel auctions with the Hotel de Paris auction. The Artcurial team will be managed by François Tajan and Stéphane Aubert who have already held the hammer for these famous auctions. The pre-auction exhibition will trace the history of the emblematic decor items for auction, which will be displayed in a trail around the different rooms of the Hotel. The auctions will take place in the iconic Salle Empire.

Stéphane Aubert, Auctioneer and Associate Director at Artcurial, explains: "Artcurial continues its history with luxury hotels, this time on the Riviera with the auction of the furniture of the Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo. Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer’s choice illustrates Artcurial’s expertise in the development and promotion of this high calibre sales event."