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The Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris, located at 45 Boulevard Raspail, in the
Saint-Germain-des-Prés Saint-Germain-des-Prés () is one of the four administrative quarters of the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France, located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Its official borders are the River Seine on the nor ...
area of the
6th arrondissement of Paris The 6th arrondissement of Paris (''VIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ''le sixième''. The arrondissement, called Luxembourg in ...
, is one of the best-known
hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
s on the
Left Bank In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography. In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrain alongsid ...
. It is noted for its architecture and its historical role during the
German occupation of France in World War II The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...
.


History


Early years

The Lutetia was built in 1910 in the
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
style to designs by architects Louis-Charles Boileau and Henri Tauzin. It was established by
Boucicaut Boucicaut may refer to: Persons * Jean I Le Maingre ( -1367), called "Boucicaut", Marshal of France * Jean II Le Maingre (1366-1421), son of Jean I, also called "Boucicaut", Marshal of France * Geoffrey Boucicaut, son of Jean I, governor of th ...
family, owners of the Bon Marché department store, which sits opposite it facing Square Boucicaut. The Lutetia is located at the intersection of Boulevard Raspail and rue de Sèvres, adjacent to the Sèvres-Babylone Métro station. The hotel is named for an early pre-Roman town that existed where Paris is now located. Famous guests over the years have included
Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...
,
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
, Marianne Oswald,
André Gide André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French writer and author whose writings spanned a wide variety of styles and topics. He was awarded the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature. Gide's career ranged from his begi ...
,
Peggy Guggenheim Marguerite "Peggy" Guggenheim ( ; August 26, 1898 – December 23, 1979) was an American art collector, bohemianism, bohemian, and socialite. Born to the wealthy New York City Guggenheim family, she was the daughter of Benjamin Guggenheim, who we ...
, Fritz J. Raddatz and
Josephine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...
.
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...
wrote part of '' Ulysses'' at the hotel. Dawn Powell lived at the Lutetia for three months in the fall of 1950, during her only visit to Europe.


World War II

In the late 1930s, the Lutetia was a frequent gathering place for anti-Nazi German exiles, among them
Heinrich Mann Luiz Heinrich Mann (; March 27, 1871 – March 11, 1950), best known as simply Heinrich Mann, was a German writer known for his sociopolitical novels. From 1930 until 1933, he was president of the fine poetry division of the Prussian Academy ...
, Willi Mutzner and the young
Willy Brandt Willy Brandt (; born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and concurrently served as the Chancellor ...
. In the Nazi regime's propaganda of the time, these exiles were disparagingly called "The Lutetia Crowd". The war began in September 1939, and numerous refugees fled to Paris from conflict areas and places occupied by German forces. The Lutetia attempted to accommodate as many as possible. Because of its reputation, it was filled with a number of displaced artists and musicians. However, the French government evacuated Paris beginning June 14, 1940 and the Germans entered and occupied the city. A number of the Lutetia's residents escaped; others were captured by the Germans. The hotel itself was requisitioned by the
Abwehr The (German language, German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', though the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context) ) was the German military intelligence , military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ...
(counter-espionage), and used to house, feed, and entertain German officers such as Alfred Toepfer and the French collaborator Rudy de Mérode. When Paris was liberated in August 1944, the hotel was abandoned by German troops and taken over by French and American forces. From then until after the end of the war, it was used as a
repatriation Repatriation is the return of a thing or person to its or their country of origin, respectively. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as the return of mi ...
center for
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
,
displaced persons Forced displacement (also forced migration or forced relocation) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR defines 'forced displaceme ...
, and returnees from German
concentration camps A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploit ...
.


Recent history

As Paris returned to normality, the Lutetia was restored to its previous state as a luxury hotel. It was acquired by the Taittinger family in 1955. In the late 1980s, designer
Sonia Rykiel Sonia Rykiel (; ; 25 May 1930 – 25 August 2016) was a French fashion designer and writer. She created the Poor Boy Sweater, which was featured on the cover of French ''Elle'' magazine. Her knitwear designs and new fashion techniques led her t ...
opened a boutique in the building, and supervised a major redesign intended to recreate the Art Deco style of earlier decades. Taittinger's Groupe du Louvre controlled the hotel for many years as part of their Concorde Hotels & Resorts chain. Following Taittinger's sale to Starwood Capital in 2005, Starwood sold the Hôtel Lutetia to the Israeli Alrov group in 2010 for 150 Million Euros. Alrov closed the hotel in April 2014 for what was planned as a 100-million Euro renovation. The building's contents were sold at auction in May 2014. It reopened in July 2018, following a $234 million restoration, managed by The Set Hotels group. The
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group International Limited is a multinational hospitality and management group focusing on luxury hotels, resorts, and residences, with a total of 43 properties worldwide, 20 of which it either wholly or partially owns ...
announced a management contract for the hotel in December 2024. The hotel was rebranded as Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris on April 4, 2025.https://www.hospitalitynet.org/announcement/41012402/mandarin-oriental-lutetia.html


Access


Bibliography

# Pierre Assouline: Lutetia, Paris : Gallimard, 2005 ()


Gallery

Image:Hôtel Lutetia at day.JPG, Hôtel Lutetia Image:Hotel Lutetia Paris 08.jpg, Hôtel Lutetia Image:Paris 75006 Hôtel Lutetia facade balconies 20080104 (01).jpg, Hôtel Lutetia Image:Photo Hôtel Lutetia Paris France 2007-08-01.jpg, Hôtel Lutetia Image:Le Lutetia.JPG, Hôtel Lutetia at night Image:Lutetia-night-2005-mcb.jpg, Hôtel Lutetia at night Image:Paris - Hotel Lutetia.jpg, Hôtel Lutetia at night Image:Hotel Lutetia Paris 09.jpg, Hôtel Lutetia lobby Image:Hotel Lutetia Paris 07.jpg, Hôtel Lutetia lounge Image:Hotel Lutetia Paris 06.jpg, Hôtel Lutetia lounge Image:Hotel Lutetia Paris 04.jpg, Hôtel Lutetia lounge Image:Hotel Lutetia Paris 05.jpg, Hôtel Lutetia lounge Image:Hotel Lutetia Paris (9).jpg, Hôtel Lutetia interior Image:Hotel Lutetia Paris 01.jpg, Hôtel Lutetia interior Image:Hotel Lutetia Paris 02.jpg, Hôtel Lutetia interior Image:Hotel Lutetia Paris 10.jpg, Hôtel Lutetia interior Image:Hotel Lutetia Paris 03.jpg, Hôtel Lutetia bar Image:Hotel Lutetia Paris 12.jpg, Hôtel Lutetia hallway


References


External links


Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris official website
* Auction Catalogs 05/19/2014
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lutetia Hotels in Paris Hotel Lutetia Hotel Lutetia Hotel Lutetia Hotels established in 1910 Art Nouveau hotels Hotel buildings completed in 1910 Intelligence agency headquarters German occupation of France during World War II 1910 establishments in France