Popular with both locals as well as tourists – and beloved by countless creatives throughout its history – the Hôtel Lutetia is a Parisian institution set within the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district. Now under the ownership of The Set, the stylish five-star is the most electrifying it’s ever been.
The Lutetia shares its name with the Roman word for the town that was the predecessor of Paris. In fact, the hotel has played a key role in the city’s history: from its inception in 1910, as a place for stylish shoppers at the then recently completed Le Bon Marché department store, with which the hotel shared original owners as well as its architects (Alexandre Laplanche and Louis-Charles Boileau), to a home for some of Paris’ most famous artists including Chagall, Picasso and Matisse – many of the artist’s who made the hotel their home exchanged their work in lieu of rent, resulting in the property’s impressive, and extensive art collection.
World-famous writers (James Joyce worked on his Ulysses whilst staying at Hôtel Lutetia), jazz musicians (Miles Davis), singers, choreographers and film-makers (Francis Ford-Copolla) have all had an intimate relationship with the property which sits on the edge of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district in Paris’ cultural quarter, the Left Bank. This connection to the arts is something which the hotel still embraces. Artworks from Carré Rive Gauche, the leading alliance of art dealers on the Left Bank, grace the inner courtyard and live jazz can still be heard four nights a week (Wednesday to Saturday) in Bar Joséphine.
The bar was named after Josephine Baker who once lived at the hotel and whose fifth-floor suite can still be rented. Incidentally, we were informed that Cher herself is particularly fond of said suite, perhaps because of its views across Saint-Germain’s rooftops and the Eiffel Tower.
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Culturalist | CDG | GMT +1 |
| While you’re Out There |
| A stay at Hôtel Lutetia is perfectly complemented by a trip to the nearby Musée d’Orsay, home to some 3,000 plus works of art dating from 1848 to the beginning of the First World War in 1914. The permanent collection includes paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography, mostly by French artists. Originally a major railway station, the museum was opened in 1986 to bridge the gap between the Louvre, with its vast historical collection, and the Centre Pompidou, with its remit to celebrate Modernist and contemporary art. Best known for its extensive collection of Impressionist art, today the Musée d’Orsay remains an exciting destination with a raft of events and temporary exhibitions which continue to contextualise the collection for new generations. |
Despite having a less impressive view, we enjoyed our second-floor lodgings, which were well-equipped and designed to feel contemporary and luxurious whilst honouring the property’s design DNA. This reverence for the hotel’s design heritage hasn’t always been a constant… In an attempt to modernise in the late 1970s, fashion designer Sonia Rykiel was commissioned to reconceptualise the bar. Her design included painting over the original 1910 frescos and adding a leopard print carpet: as fabulously camp as that sounds, it’s not surprising that Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who was chosen to take the hotel into the 21st century, chose to bring them back to their original state – a process which took over 25,000 hours of painstaking work by highly skilled experts – as part of his extensive reimagining of Hôtel Lutetia between 2014-2018.
No corner of the property was left untouched, from restoring the facade and foyer (the hotel is the largest example of Art Nouveau architecture in Paris) to reimagining the guest accommodation and adding an impressive subterranean spa with a generous pool, hammam, sauna, plunge pool and a jacuzzi which we enjoyed making good use of after a workout in the well equipped and stylish state-of-the-art gym.
The total cost of getting Hôtel Lutetia back into ship-shape? Une petit £179,000,000, a drop in the ocean for its current owners, property group The Set, who own some of the most OutThere properties in the world, which mix heritage and tradition with a modern design and service sensibility (think of London’s Café Royal and our long-time Bangkok favourite, The Siam).
At the end of WWII, the hotel was chosen by the government as the reconnection point between concentration camp survivors. Families from all over France travelled to Paris to look for the names of relatives amongst the thousands of names displayed on boards which lined the walls of the gallery, a space which now connects the entrance with the bar and bistro, and also plays host to some very high-end brands. The property maintains a place of affection with locals, many of whom regularly frequent the communal areas, alongside welcoming international guests, giving the Hôtel Lutetia an informal, lively atmosphere synonymous with Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Photography courtesy of The Set Collection
