"Left Bank Art Nouveau institution Hôtel Lutetia now looks even better than it did during Paris's Golden Age when James Joyce wrote bits of Ulysses here. That's thanks to renovation architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte (and collaborators such as Francis Ford Coppola), who reopened the hotel in 2018, determined to honor the Lutetia’s former glamour. The 184 rooms include 47 suites, and feature Hermès silk throw pillows, Art Deco-style Poltrona Frau furniture, and Statuario marble bathrooms. Larger rooms have balconies with views of the Eiffel Tower, and, in keeping with Lutetia’s social legacy, special attention was given to the public spaces: The famous bar that lured artistic luminaries is now Joséphine (named for Baker, who was a regular) with a menu that includes Champagne-topped cocktails and croque-caviar sandwiches. At Brasserie Lutetia, Chef Patrick Charvet, a veteran of Michelin-starred kitchens (Les Trois Marches in Versailles and Grand Véfour in Paris) dishes out poached langoustines and aloe vera-soaked oysters. Exquisite pastries are served inside the sun-flooded Saint Germain salon, just as in Joyce’s day—but now under a graffiti-colored glass roof by conceptual artist Fabrice Hyber. Lutetia’s masterful restoration reminds us that this has always been a grande-dame city at its core." - Sandra Ramani, Lindsey Tramuta
