Hôtel Lutetia is the grande dame hotel on Paris’s Rive Gauche. This historic property is especially unique because typically hotels in the Rive Gauche are tiny, boutique properties hidden among residential buildings. Hôtel Lutetia is a luxury palace hotel with a truly unique grand exterior. Inside, the rooms are modern and luxurious, with marble bathrooms, iPad-based automation, sumptuous linens, and Etro toiletries. We loved the dark, glossy wood-paneled halls and dark blue color theme.
If you’re traveling with small children, the Hôtel Lutetia offers one of the best welcomes we’ve ever experienced in Paris. Our room was set up with a beautiful Stokke crib that looked like it actually belongs there, a baby bathrobe, a hooded towel, a Petit Prince stuffed lamb, and tiny baby slippers.
The hotel staff even surprised us with embroidered pillowcases at turn down with all of our initials. The spa was also accommodating, allowing us to bring Baby J for a nap by the pool with dad while mom got a massage. As it turns out, he loved lounging by the pool in a bathrobe and slippers. He didn’t make a peep.
Bar Josephine serves some of the most inventive cocktails in the city and has live music most nights of the week. We love this bar so much that we actually had a coworker come from across town to meet us there because there wasn’t anywhere else we’d rather be. We also discovered a new-to-us jazz ensemble from California — Leslie Lewis and her husband Gerard Hagen who also perform at Chez Papa frequently.
Brasserie Lutetia serves gorgeous seafood towers and perfectly executed classical French cuisine like sole meunière and steak frites — a must even just for lunch or dinner if you’re not staying in the hotel. The brasserie also serves an incredible breakfast. We recommend the detox juice and lobster omelette.
The stunning spa features a gorgeous pool and fitness center, and the treatments were among the best we’ve ever experienced. We had massages and in addition to the therapist being outstanding, the comfort of the massage tables was remarkable, with numerous sheets, towels, and blankets making the experience utterly luxurious. A major upgrade from typical spa experiences.
We loved the Hôtel Lutetia so much, we extended our stay for an extra night! The concierge service here is fantastic and went above and beyond. We really appreciated the thoughtful recommendations they put together. They even waited on hold with SNCF to change our train tickets on a Sunday so that we could stay an extra night while we were out shopping at Le Bon Marche.
We can’t say enough good things about this hotel. If you’re looking for the unique experience of staying on the Rive Gauche in a world-class hotel, there’s nowhere else we would recommend.
Hôtel Lutetia, 45 Bd Raspail, 75006 Paris, France