Hôtel Lancaster

The building was conceived as a hôtel particulier, built in 1889 for the politician Jacques Drake del Castillo. Its second life began in 1925, when the Swiss hotelier Emile Wolf bought it and turned it into a hotel. Wolf was a collector as well as a hotelier, and works from his collection are still exhibited throughout the house, including 80 portraits and other masterpieces by the painter Boris Pastoukhoff. With the daughter of a Parisian antiques dealer as his housekeeper, he also furnished the hotel with 17th-century artworks and furniture. In 1970 the Savoy group took the hotel over, and in 1996 it was sold to the decorator Grace Léo-Andrieu.

Marlene Dietrich, a resident from 1937, redecorated her suite and left an Erard grand piano behind. Shortly before the Second World War she received the German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop at the hotel, who tried in vain to persuade her to return to film in Germany; on that occasion she locked the novelist Erich Maria Remarque, whose books the Nazis had burnt, in her bathroom to hide him. Dietrich was not the only famous name to pass through: in Emile Wolf's day, the MICHELIN Guide recalls, the likes of Grace Kelly or Noël Coward could be found in its halls.

The renovation by Studio Jean Philippe Nuel, the MICHELIN Guide notes, keeps the antique elements that give the Lancaster its character, among them furniture chosen by its original owners in the 1920s. For its centenary, the hotel has installed Les 100 mur-mures in the lobby, a memory wall of 100 numbered boxes.

The Lancaster is in the 8th arrondissement, on Rue de Berri just off the Champs-Élysées, yet it is quiet, in the MICHELIN Guide's words the way a private mansion ought to be. Its small private garden is, for the same guide, a rare bit of outdoor peace in bustling Paris. The hotel describes its position as central, close to monuments and museums.

Several landmarks are within walking distance: the Eiffel Tower is about 20 minutes away on foot, the Opéra Garnier about 25 minutes and Notre-Dame about 30 minutes. For longer journeys the metro is close by, with George V station on line 1 and Saint-Philippe-du-Roule station on line 9.

The Suite Deluxe measures 45 m² and adjoins a living room. It sleeps up to three guests in a king bed or twin beds and looks onto the inner patio. The bathroom is in marble, with a bathtub and a shower, and the suite has a Dyson Supersonic hairdryer, a coffee machine, a minibar, a safe, air conditioning and digital international newspapers, with a baby cot on request. It can also be connected to a Superior or Deluxe room if requested, a useful option for families or friends travelling together.

The Signature Suites measure 60 m² and come in four named versions: the Suite Emile Wolf, Suite Monsieur, Suite Felix Ziem and Suite Pastoukhof. They differ in layout. Some have a convertible sofa and accommodate up to four people, two have a large furnished terrace and one has a walk-in closet, so it pays to specify which feature matters when booking. Throughout the hotel, rooms have parquet floors.

The standout is the Suite Marlène Dietrich, 80 m² and named after the actress. It contains the piano the hotel acquired for her, on which she liked to play, and has a bathtub, a dressing table with mirror and a long balcony overlooking Rue de Berri. For larger parties, the suite can be opened to the Suite Monsieur and an Executive room to form a 200 m² private apartment with three bedrooms, three bathrooms and two living rooms.

Monsieur Lancaster is a neo-bistro serving dishes to share in an intimate setting, cooked with ingredients from committed small local producers. Its name is said to nod to the memory of a Parisian lover of terroir cooking, a good friend of Marlene Dietrich who often met her at the hotel and told her of his culinary discoveries; today, in the hotel's words, the executive chef Sébastien Giroud carries on that love story through his cooking.

Breakfast is served in the restaurant from 07:00 to 10:30. Lunch runs from 12:30 to 14:00; dinner, from 19:30 to 21:30, is served Monday to Friday only; and every Sunday brings a Sunday Roast from 12:30 to 14:00. Room service is available around the clock.

The bar is open throughout the day, and from 17:00 each evening CopperBay Lancaster takes over with cocktails and tapas. Its Hexagone list comprises ten original creations celebrating the terroirs and distilleries of France, while the tapas menu features Provençal specialities such as aubergine caviar, black-olive tapenade and marinated anchovies. On Thursday evenings, the Vinyl Club brings DJs playing vinyl selections from 18:00 to 22:00.

The Lancaster Private Spa occupies the eighth and top floor, with a terrace whose panoramic views run from Sacré-Cœur to the Eiffel Tower. Besides an imposing whirlpool bath, it has two treatment tables, so that two people can be treated together, a hammam and a terrace with a day bed for resting after a treatment. The spa opens daily from 09:00 to 20:00, by reservation only, and two people can book it for private use, with the hammam, whirlpool bath and terrace to themselves.

Treatments are provided in partnership with KOS PARIS, whose eco-responsible treatments the hotel presents as a holistic experience. Talm massages, suited to pregnant women, and Manucurist hand care complete the menu.

The fitness room shares the eighth floor and its views of Montmartre and the Eiffel Tower. It is fitted with TechnoGym equipment, including an elliptical bike, a treadmill, free weights and ergonomic balls, and opens daily from 08:00 to 22:00. Private coaching with Orion Personal Training covers Pilates, boxing and strength training. TechnoGym workout bags with a mat, resistance bands and a massage roller are provided in all Signature Suites and on request in other rooms.

For families and groups of friends, executive rooms and suites can be connected to other rooms and suites, a degree of flexibility the hotel describes as rare. A Maxi-Cosi pushchair is available at reception to make getting around Paris easier for families.

Dogs are welcome, for a supplement charged per pet per stay. Guests with dust-mite allergies can ask for anti-dust-mite pillows and duvets.