Paris's renowned Palais Garnier Opera house, home of The Phantom of the Opera, will be available to book for overnight stays for the first time next month.
The historic French opera house was the inspiration for one of the world’s longest-running and most-loved musicals, The Phantom of the Opera.
To celebrate the show’s 37th anniversary, when it will be performed in 15 countries, including a final run on New York’s Broadway, Airbnb is giving fans the chance to spend the night at the place where the story began.
Following in the footsteps of Le Fantome, two guests will bed down for the night inside the Palais Garnier Opera.
Their boudoir will be the Box of Honour — one of the most exclusive private viewing areas in the theatre that's normally reserved for visiting dignitaries. It will be transformed into a majestic bedroom with a view of the famous stage, gilded golden furniture and plush red bedding and textiles.
Veronique Leroux, the great-granddaughter of French novelist Gaston Leroux, who wrote the world-famous tale of the phantom, is hosting.
“My great-grandfather’s classic story has inspired so many people through the years,” Leroux said.
“This is the perfect time to honour him and welcome ‘phans’ to the famous setting of his much-loved novel for a once-in-a-lifetime stay.”
Guests will also get to wander the halls of the building which dates back to 1875, with access to many areas usually off-limits to the public.
This will include a tour of the private dance studios underneath the theatre's eaves, a tour of the opera’s private archives and a visit to the subterranean “lake” below the opera house which was the inspiration for the Phantom's lair.
There will also be a ballet lesson headed up by one of the dancers from the Ballet Opera de Paris, plus an exclusive performance by the artists of the Paris Opera Academy. A dinner will be served in the Foyer de la Danse, the historic dancing rehearsal room behind the main stage of the theatre that is typically only accessible for dancers warming up before a show.
Booking for the one-night stay will open on Airbnb's website at 6pm (Paris time) on March 1, with reservations accepted on July 16 only. The stay will cost €37 ($39.5), excluding taxes, which is the same number bestowed on the Box of Honour in the theatre.
Airbnb says the night at Palais Garnier is part of its efforts to support heritage tourism in Europe.
The accommodation booking platform is also committing to an ongoing project to restore the Palais Garnier boxes to their 19th-century splendour and helping fund the development of the opera's streaming platform, so that audiences around the world have the chance to experience its audiovisual content.
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