We just returned from three weeks in Paris, during which time we made our annual Palace Hotel anecdotal evidence gathering tour.
Approximately a dozen magnificent structures feature a Palace plaque on each Palace building. Until recently, all the Paris Palace hotels were located on the Right Bank.
Now the newly renovated Hotel Lutetia, located in the heart of dynamic Saint-Germain-des-Pres in the 6th, has been granted a Palace designation. The Art Deco Hotel was built in 1910 on the initiative of the board of the neighboring Le Bon Marche (Paris’ iconic department store). At that time, the department store was a new concept, and the advisory board of Le Bon Marche was looking for exemplary lodging and dining for its patrons.
We have stayed at Lutetia several times since the renovation and will continue to return, mainly for its historic beauty and wonderful location in the heart of the Left Bank. Renovations closed the fine dining room, “Paris.” The Michelin-starred Paris was for many locals and guests the hotel’s highlight.
Today’s new ownership apparently has decided not to bring back “Paris” or any other fine dining.
Like other Palace Hotels in Paris, Lutetia was requisitioned during WWII by the Nazis and was used to lodge, feed and entertain troops. When the war ended, General Charles de Gaulle ordered that Lutetia become the center for displaced persons and their families trying to reunite with their family members. Lutetia welcomed up to, by some accounts, 2,000 arrivals each day. Even today, many Parisians are nostalgic about Lutetia’s role in helping France get back to living pre-WWII. One shop owner near the hotel told us how moving a recent commemorative celebration was for Lutetia.
Given that we rank Le Bristol hotel as easily #1 in Paris featuring perhaps the finest dining experience in the city, along with what many rate as a top-three wine list, Hotel Lutetia has no hope of challenging Le Bristol Hotel until some obvious changes are made.
Dick & Debbie Young
Paris, June 2022
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