Quartier

Every year at the start of the school year, Nancy hosts one of France's biggest literary events: Le Livre sur la Place. Located right next to Place Stanislas, the Hôtel Littéraire Stendhal, of the Société des Hôtels Littéraires, is closely associated with it. Its director, Florian Duhazé, reflects on this special link between the hotel and the event, on the hotel's literary identity, and on what makes Nancy a cultural destination in its own right.

Le Livre sur la Place takes place in Nancy from September 11 to 13: can you introduce this event and its importance for the city?

Le Livre sur la Place is truly a major event for the city of Nancy. It's the first big literary festival of the season in France. This year marks its 48th edition. It is no longer just a fair: the event now unfolds across the whole city, with many activities organized within the various establishments.

What is the connection between the Hôtel Littéraire Stendhal and this festival? Is there a partnership, events, or authors hosted at the hotel?

From the hotel's opening, we forged a strong bond with Le Livre sur la Place — it's actually one of the reasons Nancy was chosen: it's a genuinely literary city. We are patrons of the festival, and throughout the year, in addition to this event, we host authors for meetings organized at the hotel, providing them with rooms. For this edition, two events are planned: a meeting on Friday evening with François-Henri Désérable, and another the next day with Antoine Compagnon, both coming to present their works, in the presence of Jacques Letertre.

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Can you introduce yourself in a few words and tell us about your background?

I have been working at the Hôtel Littéraire Stendhal for two years. The hotel actually opened on the weekend of the Livre sur la Place, just two years ago. Before that, I was at the Hôtel Littéraire Gustave Flaubert, where I experienced the company's transformation into the Société des Hôtels Littéraires, since I was already there before it was created. I started there as a night receptionist, then progressed to receptionist, then head receptionist, then assistant manager. When the group took over Hôtel Stendhal, I was offered the position of director, and I couldn't refuse.

How does the choice of Stendhal as the hotel's patron figure particularly resonate with Nancy and Lorraine?

The link between Nancy and Stendhal is made through the novel Lucien Leuwen, the first part of which takes place in Nancy. It also echoes the Livre sur la Place, which is a major literary event, fully legitimizing the presence of a literary hotel in the city.

How is the hotel's literary identity expressed on a daily basis for guests?

It's not just a hotel, it's a complete experience. From the moment you arrive, the entire decor is designed around Stendhal: each room references a specific character or novel. The idea is really to spark the guest's curiosity about Stendhal's life and the literature that stems from it.

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How is this type of literary event a unique opportunity to create a different kind of guest experience?

Usually, a guest comes to enjoy a literary room and a local breakfast. What’s different here is that they can meet authors they admire. We are fortunate to host a roster of prestigious writers, and it’s an opportunity for both our guests and the people of Nancy to come to the hotel and discover authors they follow. It’s a regular event for the city, and the people of Nancy are always curious about what’s going on.

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How do you prepare the hotel and the teams for this particular time of year?

This requires a lot of anticipation and coordination. We welcome all our guests in the same way, but this weekend is special: the maître d' moves around to meet the authors, and we organize ourselves for the two evenings of events, Friday and Saturday. These are busy days, but we are delighted to host these guests and authors. Preparation begins long in advance: the city of Nancy reserves rooms ahead of time for the authors' programming, and we also receive numerous requests from publishing houses, which book on their end. We try to accommodate everyone, even though unfortunately we don't have enough rooms to meet all the requests.

Do you have a memorable memory from a past edition, a noteworthy encounter or a standout moment with an author or a client?

The first edition, in 2024, was special: the hotel wasn't quite ready for the opening weekend, which caused a lot of dissatisfaction — a memorable moment, even if it was difficult. Last year, in 2025, everything went very well, with two events hosted under good conditions. One anecdote stuck with me: one of our receptionists had, during her baccalaureate, a text by one of the authors on the program. We mentioned it to the author, who was delighted by the story — we are fortunate to host writers whose texts are now used for baccalaureate exams.

Beyond the festival, what makes Nancy an interesting destination for lovers of literature and culture?

Nancy is a true city of culture, with a rich heritage between the old town and the new town: the Museum of Fine Arts on Place Stanislas, Place Stanislas itself, but also everything related to Art Nouveau, like Villa Majorelle and the Museum of the School of Nancy. On the literature side, we partner with a lovely bookshop, the Hall of the Book — an incredible place, with spaces designed for both classic literature and children.

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Which places or moments would you recommend to a hotel guest who wishes to extend this literary experience during their stay in Nancy?

The must-see is Place Stanislas, just a few meters from the hotel, an absolutely majestic square. Right behind it is Place de la Carrière; both are UNESCO-listed, which attests to their prestige. For Art Nouveau enthusiasts, there is also a trail through the city that lets you discover Nancy from that perspective, notably passing by Villa Majorelle.

How does this type of cultural event fit into the overall vision of the guest experience at the Société des Hôtels Littéraires?

The idea behind the Société des Hôtels Littéraires is not just to create hotels, but to bring literature to life. By offering exhibitions, lectures, and meetings like those on Friday and Saturday, we create a real bridge between the events, the hotel, and literature.

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What, in your view, sets the welcome at the Stendhal apart, especially during this important time of year?

It's truly the most important weekend of the year for us, and that shows in the special attention we pay to details and to personalizing the welcome. I know, for example, that notes will be left for the authors to mark the occasion and show our connection to literature. We also know that both evenings are already sold out, and that we'll unfortunately have to turn people away on Friday and Saturday night. But it also lets us showcase the hotel in a different way and demonstrate that we can host real events, not just typical stays.