The Globe & Cecil Hotel is celebrating its 160th anniversary
Lyon’s oldest hotel, a witness to history, a family-run business, and a favorite haunt of celebrities
When the Globe & Cecil opened its doors in 1866, Rue Gasparin had just been created. The Second Empire was still in power, Place Bellecour did not yet look as it does today, and Lyon was continuing its urban transformation.
Behind this exceptional longevity lies much more than just a story of the hotel industry: it is the story of a place that has witnessed the city’s transformations, weathered wars, and welcomed artists, writers, travelers, clergy, food lovers, and generations of Lyon residents.
A hotel that grew up alongside Gasparin Street
In 1866, the hotel opened its doors. At the time, it was called the Grand Hôtel du Globe et Rome—a name that already reflected its purpose: to welcome travelers from afar to a city then experiencing rapid economic growth. One of the least known anecdotes in the hotel’s history dates back to the early 20th century. At that time, the Globe et Rome was listed in the travel guides used by the Vatican to assist clergy members during their travels.
A favorite spot for big names like Colette and Bocuse…
On December 8, 1908, a famous female traveler walked through the hotel’s doors.
Her name was Colette. The writer was staying at the Globe at the time during a theater tour in Lyon. In a letter to her partner, Missy, she humorously describes the hotel:
“The hotel is awful, old-fashioned, with alcoves (…) but the people seem charming. It’s old-fashioned, but pretty quiet.”
A heartfelt review that ultimately sums up quite well what the Globe already was: a place full of character, far removed from impersonal standards.
Among the treasures discovered in the establishment’s archives is an anecdote that brings a smile to the staff’s faces today: In 1943, Paul Bocuse was an apprentice in the kitchens of the Globe & Cecil. Long before he became the global ambassador of Lyon’s culinary tradition, the young apprentice was already honing his skills behind the hotel’s stoves.
Over the decades, the Globe & Cecil has welcomed many other notable figures: Bernard Pivot, Delphine de Vigan, Jean-Louis Debré, Petro Markaris, Chiara Mastroianni, Benjamin Biolay, Patrice Laffont, Luc Ferry…
Paul Bocuse at the gathering of the Lyon White Toques. © DR
A family business since 1966
In 1966, André Auroux, the grandfather of the current owner, bought the establishment. His daughter, Nicole Renart, took over in 1987, and her son, Loïc Renart, has been carrying on the tradition since 2009. Today, the Globe & Cecil remains the historic heart of the Les Aubergistes Lyonnais collection.
