The only palace hotel on the Left Bank, occupying a 1910 Art Deco building on Boulevard Raspail that has served as a landmark of Saint-Germain for over a century and emerged from a four-year, €230 million restoration with its Art Deco detailing intact and its ambition renewed. The Lutetia's history is more complex than most hotels would advertise: it was requisitioned by the Nazis during the occupation and later became the reception centre for concentration camp survivors returning to Paris — a history the hotel acknowledges rather than obscures. Joséphine Baker, Picasso, Matisse, and de Gaulle all stayed. Bar Joséphine, the hotel's cocktail bar, is named for Baker and operates in a room of restored Art Deco splendour — brass, marble, and the particular geometry of a design movement that believed beauty could be built from straight lines. The Left Bank location distinguishes the Lutetia from the Right Bank palaces: the neighbourhood is intellectual rather than commercial, literary rather than luxurious, and the hotel absorbs that character.
Location
Saint-Germain, Paris
Insider Intel
Champagne or cocktails at Bar Joséphine to honour both the Art Deco setting and Joséphine Baker's legacy — the room is one of the most beautiful bar spaces in Paris and the drinks programme matches the architecture. Afternoon tea in the salon. The restaurant for a meal that takes advantage of the Left Bank setting without leaving the building.
Evening at Bar Joséphine when the restored Art Deco room glitters under the lighting. The Left Bank location means Saint-Germain, the Luxembourg Gardens, and Le Bon Marché are all within walking distance. The hotel's own history — from Belle Époque opening to wartime occupation to modern restoration — rewards curiosity.
Palace classification. The only palace hotel on the Left Bank. The €230 million restoration took four years and preserved the original Art Deco detailing. Joséphine Baker, Picasso, and de Gaulle all stayed here. The wartime history is acknowledged. Bar Joséphine is open to non-guests. Rooms start at approximately €600. Sèvres-Babylone métro is steps away. Le Bon Marché department store is across the street.