"Our guests like us because we're like a townhouse in the middle of Paris", says M. Roland Linhardt, General Manager of the Lancaster. "We are known for our personalised service and the ability we have to make people feel that they are someone. At most hotels people check in and out without anyone at the hotel ever knowing who they are, but here I make people feel that they are someone. At most hotels people check in and out without anyone at the hotel ever knowing who they are, but here I make it a point of personally greeting every guest. If I am unavailable when a guest arrives, I will ring them at the first opportunity to ensure that they are being properly looked after".

Situated only a short walk from the Champs'Elysees, the Louvre, the Lido and of course the Eiffel Tower, the Lancaster was originally built in 1889 as a private house for M. Santiago Drake del Castillo who converted the premises into four flats - one for each existing floor. The house remained in the Castillo family until 1925, when Santiago's successor, the Countess sold it to one M. Emile Wolf who set about transforming the building into an hotel, which he named the Lancaster. Monsieur Wolf retained the period features and added four more floors between 1925 and 1928. It was during this time that the Lancaster's reputation as a haven of luxurious privacy in the heart of Paris was established. M. Wolf took great pride in saying: "I don't have clients, I only have friends!"