La Samaritaine reopens in center Paris after €750 M investment by LVMH

Part luxury department store and part 5-star luxury hotel with a dozen restaurants, La Samaritaine has bloomed with Parisian spring after 16 years of hibernation to claim the spotlight in Central Paris.

Set in the Right Bank, across from the oldest stone bridge in the city, Pont Neuf, the heritage building holds prime real estate along the Seine, with the Louvre museum 5-minute walk away to the west, the Notre Dame Cathedral a few meters to the east, and the recently opened Bourse de Commerce-Pinault Collection 5-minute to the north.

At its opening week, La Samaritaine attracted different Parisian crowds: the ones who knew this historic building from before its closure due to safety reasons, and the young ones that have always seen this retail-giant dormant in the quais of the Seine river. LVMH and DFS group, LVMH-owned luxury retail operator for the store, are confident this brand new opening will activate the first arrondissement dynamics, specially after the pandemics crisis.

The five-star hotel, Cheval Blanc Paris, along with its four restaurants and Dior spa, will open later on September 7. All 72 rooms and suites offer views overlooking the Seine, for rates that start at 1,500 euros. As for today, 97 housing units, nurseries and offices are still under construction for a step-by-step full comeback.

Before the reopening, critics stated that the renovations would disfigured the classic facade and historic architecture of la Samaritaine. The final result is a modern and elevated version of the 19th century department store. From the floor tiles to the panels in the upper-floor, surrounding the restaurant Voyage, with 4,575 square feet of masterfully restored peacock frescoes, a classic Art Nouveau motif.

Find out more about this iconic Parisian department store here.