The Hotel de Paris is a hotel in the English seaside town of Cromer in the county of Norfolk, United Kingdom.[2] It has an AA three-star rating.[3]
The Hotel de Paris sits in a commanding cliff top position in the centre of Cromer at the head of the town's Victorian pier. It has views over the beach and out to sea. The hotel is 0.5 miles (0.80 km)[4] from Cromer railway station. The nearest airport is in Norwich and is 20.4 miles (32.8 km) south of Cromer.
The hotel has 67 rooms over four floors. All the rooms have a private bath or a shower and WC, some of the rooms have views over the sea or across the town. On the ground floor there is a reception area with a residents' lounge. There is a bar and a restaurant. Within the restaurant there is a small dance floor. During the summer there is entertainment on most evenings. All floors are serviced by a lift.
In 1799 the population of the town was about 670. There were only four hostelries in the area. These were the King's Head, the New Inn, the Red Lion and a hotel run by a Mrs Sanderson. A publication of 1800 observed "The want of a large and well conducted inn is to be regretted by those who pay a visit to Cromer". The Hotel de Paris was built on this site in 1830.[5] Previous to that date there was a large house on the site which had been owned by Lord Suffield[5] and had been built in 1820. In May 1830[5] the house and land were put up for sale.
The house and property were purchased by Pierre le Françoise[5] who used the site to build the first hotel. Pierre le Françoise had been brought to England as a child by his father, Baron del Barr, and mother. The family, who were considered aristocrats, were escaping from the French Revolution of 1799.[5] Le Françoise established his hotel to attract the visitors who were coming to Cromer in ever increasing numbers. The hotel was listed in the directory of 1836 as a "boarding house" but by 1845[5] the venture was listed as the "Hotel de Paris" which is a sign that the establishment had grown and prospered by this date. Pierre le Françoise had died in 1841 and is buried in the churchyard of Cromer parish church. His widow had continued to run the hotel with the help of a manageress called Mrs Garthon. In 1845 the hotel was sold to Henry Jarvis who was a businessman in the town. Under his ownership, and later that of his son Alex, the hotel's reputation grew and prospered. It is recorded that by 1860 that an extra third floor accommodation had been added to the hotel, and possibly some fourth floor rooms.