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It’s morning in Paris and sunlight filters through the stained-glass ceiling of the Salon Saint-Germain, casting kaleidoscopic patterns over plush velvet armchairs and marble floors polished to a mirror shine. A pianist tinkles out a jazz standard as the scent of freshly baked croissants mingles with the earthy aroma of espresso. This is Hotel Lutetia, a grand dame of the Left Bank, reborn in 2018 after a meticulous four-year restoration. It’s a place where history is alive, breathing, and inviting you to linger over cocktails in the very bar where Picasso once debated art with Matisse.
Originally opened in 1910 by the founders of Le Bon Marché, the Lutetia has always been a magnet for Paris’s creative souls. James Joyce scribbled drafts of Ulysses here; Josephine Baker sipped champagne between performances. But time had faded its lustre by the 21st century. Enter The Set, a hospitality group with a knack for reviving heritage gems. They handed the project to architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who faced a delicate task: honouring the hotel’s Art Nouveau curves and Art Deco flourishes while flooding its shadowy corners with light. The result? A luminous reinvention. Wilmotte ripped out partitions to create airy public spaces, added an interior courtyard dappled with sunlight, and enlisted artisans to restore mosaics, frescoes, and sculptures. The effect is like watching a black-and-white film remastered in Technicolor — familiar yet dazzlingly fresh.
Rooms here aren’t just places to sleep; they’re like stage sets for a Parisian fantasy. Take the St. Germain Penthouse by Coppola, a cinematic love letter from director Francis Ford Coppola. Climb the spiral staircase to its private terrace, and you’re greeted with 360-degree views of the city — the Eiffel Tower winking in the distance, cobbled streets unfurling below. Inside, it’s a shrine to Coppola’s genius: an annotated copy of the original Godfather novel, family portraits, even a vintage camera. Down the hall, Isabelle Huppert’s suite channels the actress’s effortless chic, with a YSL couture gown displayed like art and shelves lined with her favourite books. But the real showstopper? The Presidential ‘Carré Rive Gauche’ Suite, where 17th-century sculptures rub shoulders with contemporary oils. It’s less a hotel room than a private museum, curated by the Left Bank’s top art dealers.
Of course, no Parisian icon is complete without a thriving culinary scene. Brasserie Lutetia, with its gleaming brass and mosaic floors, remains the neighbourhood’s beating heart. Locals gossip over steak frites while tourists marvel at the frescoed ceilings. But this spring, the hotel’s Le Saint-Germain restaurant is stealing the spotlight with a residency by Chef Kazuyuki Tanaka. From March 13 to April 3, the award-winning maestro will serve his signature dishes — think salmon with ginger sabayon or char paired with Sechuan miso — in an intimate, art-filled space. It’s a bold fusion of Japanese precision and French flair, and showcases Chef Tanaka’s talent for balance and texture. The discovery menu on offer during his residency invites diners on a four-and-a-half-course journey through his culinary philosophy.
After dinner, slip downstairs to Bar Josephine, where mixologist Nicola Battafarano shakes up avant-garde cocktails under a restored fresco. Or wander the hushed corridors, tracing the ghosts of Hemingway and de Gaulle. Better yet, book a treatment at Akasha Spa, where a 17-metre pool shimmers under a glass roof — a rarity in Paris. As you float in the turquoise water, surrounded by limestone arches, you’ll feel the weight of the city melt away.
Hotel Lutetia is a living scrapbook of Parisian history, a place where every chandelier and cobblestone has a story to tell. Whether you’re here for Coppola’s penthouse, Chef Tanaka’s salmon, or simply to bask in the glow of Saint-Germain’s golden hour, one thing’s certain: you’ll leave with a souvenir far richer than a keychain — a memory dipped in Parisian magic.
