Airbnb offers ‘night with Mona Lisa’ at Paris Louvre
Property sharing company Airbnb has worked with the Louvre museum in Paris to offer “a night with the Mona Lisa” competition, as part of the 30 year celebrations of the museum’s famous pyramid.
The night will take place on a Tuesday (April 30), when the Louvre is usually closed.
The winners will stay within a specially-shaped “tent-like” bedroom under the pyramid, and will also receive a private tour of the museum when it is closed to other visitors.
They will also receive an aperitif in a “living room” space in front of the celebrated Mona Lisa painting, followed by a privately-cooked dinner at the foot of the famous statue of the Venus de Milo, and an acoustic music concert in the Napoleon III halls. They will be awakened with breakfast in bed.
To be in with a chance to win, potential guests must answer one important question: “Why would you be the Mona Lisa’s perfect guest?”
Details of how to enter, and all the terms and conditions, are on the Airbnb website.
The event description shows Mona Lisa as the host, who is described as “mysterious but...friendly”, and who sees “crowds of visitors everyday...[but] the real magic happens when the lights go out”.
Anne-Laure Beatrix, deputy general administrator at the Louvre, said: “We say in the museum, how lucky we are to see it everyday, it’s the most beautiful place in the world. So this is really a crazy dream to say that you will have a chance to sleep here. It has never been done. It will be exceptional.
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“I don’t think a single person has ever been to the Louvre and not wondered, what happens here at night? What is the atmosphere? It really makes you dream and ask questions.”
Airbnb has previously offered similar night events in Paris, including in the city’s catacombs, the aquarium, and the celebrated department store Galeries Lafayette.
Celia Zaidi, communications manager for Airbnb, said: “Paris is a city that is very important for Airbnb because it’s home to one of our largest communities of hosts and guests. We want to unlock amazing places for our community.”
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She added: “We asked what could be even more amazing this year to celebrate our Paris community? And we thought, of course, we want to open the Louvre for our community and reveal its magic to everyone in the world.”
The event also coincides with 10 years of Airbnb in Paris, and is part of the series of events taking place to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the Louvre pyramid, which was designed by architect Ieoh Ming Pei.
It follows an anamorphosis art installation by French artist JR earlier this month, which also centred on the famous structure, but which became damaged just hours after opening to the public.
