Paris1972-Versailles2003

I have mentioned this wonderful hotel in my many posts on Paris, However, I , again, found me older pictures of my working days , and is the reason of this new post for you and me ; memories forever, I have great memories of the hotel which worked in a top management position, and would like to share it with the world, Therefore, let me tell you a bit on the Intercontinental Le Grand Hotel of Paris !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

Briefly , I was part of the management group that control all the Intercontinental Hotels in France, such as the l’Inter (now a Westin) and Le Grand as well as the wonderful  Café de la Paix. These two in Paris were my main, also the former Holiday Inn Disneyland (now a Grand Magic), and Crown Plaza (pl de la République, as well as the Carlton of Cannes (now a Regent hotel chain) ; all in my time, owned by the Intercontinental Hotels Group, Owned outright not franchise or managed but owned at that time ok. This Intercontinental Paris Le Grand obtained its fifth star in 2017, My office were in the mezzanine area on the L’Inter (Westin) off the general public but we could walk all over, and I did as my job will take me to see the restaurants/bar personnel as well as the rooms. The walks between the l’Inter and Le Grand were sublime passing by the Place Vendôme into the Place de l’Opéra !!! The Intercontinental Le Grand Hôtel at the corner of 2 rue Scribe,and 12 blvd des Capucines, has a wonderful bar with leather sofa seats and piano music to soothe your soul in Paris, You do not have to stay in the hotel to come in.

My brochure description follows as such : From the lobby entrance on the first floor (2nd fl US), and around the cours Scribe or courtyard, you have on your right the Salon Menuel, Salon Sonate, Salon Concerto, Salon Adagio,and on extreme left the Salon Auber, On the first floor upper level mezzanine (2^nd fl US) you have on the right hand side the Salon Delibes, Salon Debussy ; Salon Mozart, Salon Massenet, Salon Messager (oval corner) ,Salon Charpentier, Salon Lulli , and Salon Chopin, The main are on the street level (1^st fl US) as you climb the stairs on your left the main Salon Opéra (historical monument of France), straight ahead the Salon Ravel, and on your right the Salon La Vérriere (also a restaurant patio bar),In the basement or below street level you have the Salon Berlioz,a big oval room and across it you have the Salon Gounod ;and Salon Bizet. Pics below from the Salon Opéra !!!

As far as restaurants it has the La Verrière-in the heart of the hotel-is the framework of gourmet lunches and meetings throughout the day; The Le Bar welcomes its hosts in privacy and conviviality. As for the Lounge club, it is revealed with discretion …The ceilings of the Café de la Paix (see post) were done by Charles Garnier who did the Opera as well, and many others, they are historical monument of France and the intricate work you see, has even more value than those in the hotels. You do not have to eat in to just past in and see the ceiling. This is an institution in Paris since 1862, as well as the hotel, The Dermo Ocean Spa Algotherm, nestled on the first floor (2^nd fl US) of the hotel and offering an atmosphere worthy of a luxurious Parisian apartment. Our spa has four individual cabins and a double cabin. Pics below from Le Café de la Paix !!!

At the Intercontinental Le Grand Hôtel have taken place for gala dinners, balls, prestigious receptions during which crowned heads, political personalities and famous artists have rubbed shoulders since 1862, At the Salon Ravel , a flamboyant decoration between the deep red of the velvet, the golden ornaments and the pampilles chandeliers. At the Salon Opéra, superb volumes with the very high dome and the succession of mirrors, all under the brilliance of a masterful crystal chandelier. As at the time, dance under the masterful crystal chandelier; Everything shines with a thousand lights. Play with the reflections of the vast mirrors between marble and graceful female statues colonnades. A magical framework for your private events, a place of history to live your stories. Finally discover the Salons Berlioz, Bizet,and Gounod, etc.

How to get here well walk, ok too far you have the Roissy Bus shuttle directly serves the hotel at the Auber station. There is a Vélib bike station by the Opéra Garnier , From the train station I used to walk to the hotel was the Gare Saint-Lazare about a 10 minutes walk, by us visitors might take a bit longer, The Metro Line 3: Opera and Havre-Caumartin stops, Line 7: Opera , and Chaussée d’Antin La Fayette, line 8 Opera, and RER A: Auber station. By the bus take lines 42 and 52: stops Capucines-Caumartin , lines 20, 29, 81,95, N15, N16: Opéra. And, yes sometime came by car and thereafter always my fav parking Edouard VII, opposite 23 rue Caumartin, parking Olympia, 7 rue Caumartin, and parking Vendôme ,Place Vendôme, (because close to L’Inter as well),

A bit of history I like tell us that the Grand Hôtel was inaugurated on May 5, 1862 for the coming of the Universal Exposition of 1867, by the Empress Eugénie (Eugenia de Montijo) , wife of Napoleon III, at the time of the splendor of the Second Empire and the major works of Baron Haussmann. Paris then turned into a modern, clean, open and ventilated city. The hotel originally offered 800 rooms and suites (4 floors welcomed customers and a floor was reserved for staff), a restaurant « Table d’hôte », Le Café de la Paix, a tea room (Café-Divan ) and numerous fairs , There was a lounge to accommodate princes, press fair, conference room, correspondence , fairs reserved for female customers, ball, diners-concerts, billiards, etc. Each room and suite of the hotel was equipped with a fireplace. Only the most luxurious suites had a bathroom, but customers had a bath service offering many hydrotherapy treatments, baths, showers, friction … The rooms were in the second empire style. Certain current parts of the hotel have retained their original decor: the salon Opéra ,the old ballroom , the ceilings, columns and paintings of the walls of the Café de la Paix, the ceiling of the imperial suite … from its Inauguration, the Grand Hotel Paris was the place where you had to be to see and be seen. Kings and queens, Maharajahs and Sultans from around the world went down there. The hotel has turned into a crossroads of artistic life by welcoming artists, actors and creative currents. Victor Hugo organized banquets there and Emile Zola killed Nana, her decadent heroine and at the tragic end, in a flowery room of the fourth floor. During the Great War or WWI, the hotel was partly transformed into a military hospital, but the era of jazz entered fanfare with new names which quickly became famous such as those of Joséphine Baker who sang at Olympia nearby or Noel Coward and Marlène Dietrich who were one of the most regular customers. With the famous restaurant of the Café de la Paix, it is a part of the history of the French capital that the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand hôtel retains.

The official Intercontinental-Le Grand Hotel : https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/gb/en/paris/parhb/hoteldetail

The official Café de la Paix : https://www.cafedelapaix.fr/en/

The official Algotherm spa at Le Grand : https://www.algotherm.com/at_en/dermo-ocean-spa-paris

The Paris tourist office on Intercontinental Le Grand Hotel : https://parisjetaime.com/eng/accommodation/intercontinental-paris-le-grand-p2995

For reference, the Paris tourist office on the quartier Opéra or neighborhood of Paris: https://parisjetaime.com/eng/transport/quartier-de-l-opera-p1912

And again , the Paris tourist office on the 9éme arrondissement or district of Paris : https://parisjetaime.com/eng/article/explore-paris-s-9th-arrondissement-a828

There you go folks, this was a wonderful chapter in my experiences in my belle France, I truly recommend you staying on them if you can, they are tops le chic chic of France you won’t go wrong there, I say ! They are an institution of Paris ,and France ! Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Intercontinental Le Grand Hôtel of Paris as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!