Opening Shot is a column that peeks inside new hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops with interiors to drool over.
Location: Paris
Architect: Jean-Michel Wilmotte
On offer: Located in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, one of Paris’s original grand hotels reopened its doors after a four-year renovation, downsizing from 233 rooms to 184, 47 of which are suites, and restoring many of the art deco elements while integrating a new contemporary design. Since debuting, in 1910, the property has served as a stomping ground for cultural icons like Josephine Baker, Ernest Hemingway, and James Joyce, who wrote a portion of Ulysses in one of the suites.
Standout features: Lutetia Brasserie will reopen in September under the control of chef Gérald Passedat, who brings his culinary successes from the south of France to the City of Light. Though Wilmotte reimagined every space, even adding a wellness center that focuses on the Indian philosophy of Akasha, he took care with the building’s standout features, restoring artist Fabrice Hyber’s colorful glass roof in the salon and Bar Joséphine’s original fresco.
