Rarely has the soul of a place been engraved for eternity with its christening name. Beyond the palace, with all it carries of luxury and comfort, beyond the
the “grand hotel…” the Lutetia is Paris.”
Pierre Assouline
“Fluctuat Nec Mergitur”
The Hotel Lutetia opened its doors on December 28, 1910 and has been an important and influential part of the history of Paris ever since. Presciently, the hotel took as its emblem a storm tossed ship above the ancient Latin motto “ Fluctuat Nec Mergitur,” and can be translated as “tossed by waves but not sunk.” Indeed, “Lutetia” is the former Latin name for Paris and, along with this motto, represents a deeply rooted sense of identity for the city. This ‘grand hotel,’ the only five star Grand Palais on the Left Bank, has an unusual beginning and a captivating history — one that begins with a retail and fashion entrepreneur!
In 1853, Aristide Boucicaut, established Le Bon Marché, the first department store in Paris. His concepts and forward looking ideas were wildly popular and drew not only Parisians but visitors from all over the world. It was so popular that his heirs and investors were inspired to build a hotel near the store to house suppliers and out-of-town customers — thus was the hotel Lutetia born.
Designed by Louis-Hippolyte Boileau (grandson of Le Bon Marché architect), the building combined the Art Nouveau style of the time with the emerging Art Deco style. This fusion made the hotel an important and visible cultural landmark of the city. The hotel boasted hot water, telephones and air conditioning, reinforcing the reputation for the elegance and luxury its ties to Le Bon Marché already suggested. It immediately attracted artists, writers, intellectuals and politicians further raising its profile of sophistication. Regulars included André Gide and Antoine de Saint – Exupéry. Then came World War I and almost overnight the entire staff was drafted into military service; the hotel was loaned to the Red Cross to serve the wounded.
The Great War over, the Lutetia roared into the 1920’s and once again hosted a long list of now legendary names: James Joyce and his secretary, Samuel Beckett, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Charlie Chaplin, Henri Matisse, François Truffaut, Isadora Duncan, Joséphine Baker, Peggy Guggenheim, Pablo Picasso and others. In an eerie foreshadowing, Charles de Gaulle spent his wedding night at the hotel in 1921.
World War II would sink the hotel into dark, even sinister, days. The Germans marched into Paris and simply took over and, on June 15, 1940, Lutetia became headquarters for the German counterintelligence unit, the Abwehr.* Four years later the Germans would depart the hotel, leaving in their wake a deep, dark memory hole for those who lived through the time. Once again, the Lutetia hotel would play a major role in history. Charles de Gaulle appointed the Lutetia as the repatriation center for the victims of the German concentration camps, believing its “vast and comfortable” space more appropriate than the more glitzy Crillon or Ritz. The Lutetia ultimately accommodated, with dignity and compassion, 18,000 – 20,000 returning survivors and was closed as the official repatriation center September 1, 1945.
All these events took place while the hotel was still within the control of the Boucicaut heirs but in 1955 Pierre Taittinger, founder of Maison Champagne Taittinger, purchased the Lutetia. (Taittinger created a bespoke champagne just for the Lutetia).
Once again the world’s notables flocked to the hotel. In the 1950’s – 1980’s the hotel would host such celebrities as Jean Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve and Pierre Bergé (partner to Yves Saint Laurent). Fashion designer Sonia Rykiel was also a regular and along with other couture designers held fashion events at the hotel.
In 2005 the Starwood hotel group acquired the Lutetia, imagining it as a new Westin. This disaster was averted when a group called “French Friends of Lutetia” were able to list the building for architectural preservation and in 2010 the Alrov company stepped in and bought the property. In a wonderful twist of irony the Lutetia, once commandeered by Nazi Germans, was now in the hands of Tel Aviv based Jewish owners! The Alrov company hired world famous architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte to restore Lutetia as “the living room of Paris in St. Germain,” as George Akirov described it. And, indeed, this Grand Palais is once again the place for art, music, design, fine wine and dining. This year the Lutetia was selected as one of the 100 best hotels in the world as part of the 50 best “discovery” list.
For armchair voyagers three excellent books to transport you into the world of Lutetia:
- LUTETIA by Pierre Assouline
- THE GENTLE ART OF KILLING by Françoise Dorner
- Inspirations From SUITE FRANÇAISE by Irène Némirovs
* A quick thinking sommelier hid the hotel’s famously large and fine wine collection in a tunnel hidden by a wall. The Nazi’s never uncovered this treasure!
Note: on April 3, 2025 the Lutetia was folded into the management division of the Mandarin Oriental group.
