The GRAZIA Retreat: The Mandarin Oriental Lutetia

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Every season, Paris unveils a handful of addresses that quietly become the epicentre of the fashion crowd – the places where editors regroup, designers whisper, and the city’s creative tempo sharpens. This year, all eyes are on the newly reimagined Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris.

Originally opened in 1910 by the Boucicaut family, the Lutetia has long been a cornerstone of Left Bank elegance. Its transformation into the Mandarin Oriental Lutetia on April 3, 2025, marks not just a renovation but a renewal of one of the city’s most defining institutions.

From the moment guests slip past its iconic revolving doors, the energy shifts. Marble gleams softly under warm light, Art Nouveau lines hold their century-old poise, and Mandarin Oriental’s unmistakable touch brings a refined stillness: service that is warm yet invisible, precision in every detail, and an atmosphere engineered for effortless calm.

Suites overlook Saint-Germain-des-Prés — the bouquinistes, the rooftops, the kind of panoramas that make the Left Bank feel like a living story.

Brasserie Lutetia sets the tone for the day with the scent of butter and a distinctly Parisian hum, while the Akasha Wellness Spa offers a cocoon of serenity far from the city’s usual crescendo.

Evenings find their gravity at Bar Joséphine, where the lighting is golden, the martinis exacting, and the crowd an artful blend of fashion insiders, creatives and locals who know the power of the room.

What sets the Mandarin Oriental Lutetia apart is its duality. It honours its storied past while leaning confidently into the present – heritage without heaviness, elegance without ornament. It mirrors the Left Bank itself: expressive, intellectual, quietly magnetic.

For travellers moving between runway shows, exhibitions and after-dark soirées, it is the ideal Fashion Week base – polished, soulful and deeply attuned to its neighbourhood.

In a city fluent in luxury, the Mandarin Oriental Lutetia stands out as one of its most compelling new chapters.

mandarinoriental.com/en/paris/lutetia/