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The restored 1898 Haussmannian façade of Hôtel de l'Europe at dusk

Est. 1898 · Rue de l'Université, 7e

The House

A Parisian sanctuary on the Left Bank since 1898 — where Haussmannian heritage meets quietly impeccable modern hospitality. A door kept open for four generations.

Founded as the Hôtel de l'Europe et de la Paix · Independently held by the Marek family since 1962

Four turning points · A continuous presence

From the Hôtel de l'Europe et de la Paix to today

A house is the sum of the moments that shaped it. Four chapters, each a small door into the next — read in order, they form one continuous line from 1898 to the present.

  1. 1898

    A House of Two Names Opens on Rue de l'Université

    The Hôtel de l'Europe et de la Paix is founded as a Left Bank residence for travellers arriving in Paris by rail and river. The Haussmannian façade — five storeys of dressed limestone, wrought-iron balconies and tall first-floor windows — is classified by the Ville de Paris and remains, in every detail, the door our guests step through today.

  2. 1907 — 1939

    A Belle-Époque Clientele, and a Quiet Literary Reputation

    By the early twentieth century the house is a known address for diplomats, musicians on tour at the nearby Salle Gaveau and writers who favour the seventh arrondissement for its quiet. The hand-lettered guest ledger — still in the family's archive — records names that return, year after year, to the same rooms on the upper floors.

  3. 1962

    The Marek Family Takes the Keys

    Joseph Marek acquires the house and renames it simply Hôtel de l'Europe. Three generations on, the family still runs the property as an independent — 64 rooms, no chain affiliation, and a concierge team whose average tenure now stands at eleven years. The door on Rue de l'Université has never closed.

  4. Today

    A Four-Star Independent on the Left Bank

    Sixty-four rooms and suites across five floors, including four signature Eiffel-view rooms; a courtyard brasserie; a wine cellar of 1,800+ bottles curated by sommelier Élise Vaugirard; nightly turndown from a housekeeping team of twenty-two. Four-star rated. Independently held. Trusted by 1,200+ travel advisors in forty-seven countries. Recognised as the #4 Small Hotel in Paris by Condé Nast Traveller (2024) and awarded the European Hotel of the Year — Boutique at the 2022 International Hotel Awards.

A note from the family

Three generations, one door.

We did not inherit a hotel. We inherited a habit — to remember a guest's name, to leave a room better than we found it, to keep the courtyard fountain running through the coldest January. The house is older than any of us, and we are merely its current keepers. If we do our work well, you will feel that continuity in the small things: a key returned to your hand with a quiet good evening, a glass of something cold waiting on a hot afternoon, a suggestion that turns a fine trip into the trip you will tell your friends about.

Welcome. The door has been open for over a century.

— The Marek Family, Paris

In the House

Objects, faces, rooms — a century in pictures

A small, deliberate selection from the archive and the day-to-day — the surfaces, the people and the small in-between objects that make a house a place rather than a building.

Carved limestone capital on the 1898 façade
The Façade · 1898Limestone capital, Rue de l'Université
Brass room keys on ribbon beside an open guest ledger
The KeysBrass, weighted, hand-numbered
The courtyard fountain in the inner garden
The CourtyardThe fountain has run, without pause, since 1962
A hand-lettered page from the original guest ledger
The Ledger · 1907A page from the original guest book
Sommelier Élise Vaugirard in the house cellar
The CellarÉlise Vaugirard, sommelier — WSET Diploma
A guest room prepared for nightly turndown service
The Turndown · 19:00Nightly, by the housekeeping team of twenty-two

Proof & Provenance

A house measured in years, families, and returning guests

The numbers a heritage property can stand behind — the figures our travel advisors keep on file, and the ones the press repeat year after year.

Years on Rue de l'Université
127years

Continuous operation since 1898, under two family stewardships.

Family stewardship
3generations

Independently held by the Marek family since 1962.

Partner travel advisors
1,200+in 47 countries

Booking direct, without commission — the longest part of our trade.

Press & industry recognition
#4CN Traveller 2024 · IHA 2022

#4 Small Hotel in Paris, Condé Nast Traveller 2024 · European Hotel of the Year — Boutique, International Hotel Awards 2022.

9.1/10 across 3,400+ verified Booking.com reviews · Average direct booking value €612 · 38% of guests return within 24 months.

A Direct Invitation

Step through the door the Marek family has kept open since 1962.

Two minutes from the Eiffel Tower. Sixty-four rooms. One independent house. The best available rate is the rate you book direct with us — no commission, no algorithm between you and the front desk.

Plan Your Stay

Best available rate, confirmed in under one minute · Complimentary electric Citroën Ami shuttle within the 7e · Direct-only perks for travel advisors