Le-Grand

Bonjour! I just returned from Paris and stayed at a very special hotel … the Paris Le-Grand – InterContinental. Here are 8 reasons to stay here.

1. History
It was built in 1862 in a Napoleonic palace style. Even more important to me is the fact that it’s the hotel my mom and I stayed in on our first trip to Paris in 1998. She loved it back then and she would love it even more now since it was refurbished in 2003 but kept its original features.

Fabulous artwork

2. Artwork
If you don’t have time to go to the Louvre and Musee D’Orsay you won’t feel guilty because the hallways and restaurants of the Le Grand are filled with incredible paintings.

View of Opera House from the lounge

3. Location
The hotel is located in the 9th arrondissement, which is in the center of Paris. It’s directly across the street from the Opéra Garnier and two blocks from Galeries Lafayette. You can easily walk to Place de Vendome, the Louvre, Champs-Elysees, and even the Eiffel Tower. I did it every day!

Hotel’s Cafe de la Paix

4. Café de la Paix
Café de la Paix opened June 30, 1862, to serve the Grand-Hôtel de la Paix. Legend has it that if one sits at the café, one is bound to run into a friend, as the bar is so well-known and popular.

From the other side

5. Rooms  
The hotel has 470 rooms and 82 of them have views of the Opera House.

Great service

6. Service
As expected at a five-star hotel the service was exceptional. On arrival, bellmen descended upon the car, delivered my bags to the room within minutes and the clerks in the club room remember your name and what you ate/drank the day before.

Hotel ballroom

7. Ballroom
There are 23 meeting rooms and the largest is the Salon Opera, which can hold up to 800 (reception style). When you walk in you will realize why it’s a  registered French Historic Monument. The best way to view it is lying down on the floor in the center of the room, just as Sharon Stone did a few years ago at an event.

Philippe Lesigne

8. Concierge
Philippe Lesigne is a long-time employee of the hotel, the chief concierge and a true walking encyclopedia of Paris. Here are some of his tips for exploring the area. 

GOOD TO KNOW:
-I was a hosted guest. That’s a good thing because rack rates displayed on a large flat screen TV at reception go for 760 euro ($982) for classic room and 1,400 euro ($1,809) for a Junior suite (which is what I had).

-The drive from CDG airport takes 30-minutes without traffic and the hotel can arrange a shiny new Mercedes that has four small bottles of Evian, newspapers, magazines, and a heated seat.

-Wi-Fi is expensive 8.50 euro ($11) an hour or 24 euro ($31) for 24 hours or 60 euro ($77.55) for 72 hours. You can use Skype as credit but it’s not a great deal — $10 credit will give you just 56 minutes. The best is to have a Boingo account since you can use it.

-You do need a European plug adaptor

-The bathroom is stocked with L’Occitane toiletries

-The bathroom has long, soft towels, that hang near the top of shower door and right next to the bathtub so no scrambling to find one.

-The shower head is high and to make the water really hot you need to push-in the safety valve.

-At times I could hear/feel the rumbling of the Metro – it sounded like a movie theater’s surround sound

Monoprix (France’s Target) is just a few blocks away so you can by food, clothes, supplies for relatively cheap.

With my mom in 1998
With my mom in 1998
Hotel's Cafe de laix Paix
Hotel's Cafe de laix Paix
With zoom
With zoom
View of Opera House from lounge at Paris Le-Grand Intercontinental Hotel. Credit: Johnny Jet
View of Opera House from lounge at Paris Le-Grand Intercontinental Hotel. Credit: Johnny Jet
Philippe Lesigne
Philippe Lesigne
Beautiful plates
Beautiful plates
Breakfast
Breakfast
Food in lounge
Food in lounge
Club  lounge
Club lounge
Spa
Spa
Gym
Gym
Hotel ballroom
Hotel ballroom
Grand staircase
Grand staircase
Wow!
Wow!
Hotel treats
Hotel treats
Mini-bar
Mini-bar
At night
At night
View from Paris Le-Grand Intercontinental Hotel room. Credit: Johnny Jet
View from Paris Le-Grand Intercontinental Hotel room. Credit: Johnny Jet
Flat screen TV
Flat screen TV
L'occitane toiletries
L'occitane toiletries
Bathroom (reverse view)
Bathroom (reverse view)
Bathroom
Bathroom
Monogrammed pillows
Monogrammed pillows
From the other side
From the other side
My room
My room
Fabulous artwork
Fabulous artwork
Hallway
Hallway
Elevators
Elevators
Lobby
Lobby
Reception
Reception
Great service
Great service
I'm back!
I'm back!
Le-Grand
Le-Grand
Downtown Paris! (30-min drive)
Downtown Paris! (30-min drive)
Their car service from CDG
Their car service from CDG

 

3 Comments On "8 Reasons to Stay at the Paris Le-Grand - InterContinental"
  1. Sarah|

    Great article and loved all the photos, as that’s something often missing from reviews and tip articles — it really helps flesh it out and show the reader exactly what to expect.

  2. K. Reid|

    LOVED THE PARIS LE GRAND INTERCONTINENTAL!! Stayed in March 2012, first trip to Paris, and it was amazing. Breathtaking sites, extremely professional and helpful staff also friendly and kind. It was Fashion Week, so the hotel displayed amazing historical gowns & pieces they had in storage. Prices were high though, but well worth it with the pampering, quality and excellent service & location. Hope to make it back someday. The pictures above are beautiful but don’t capture the full splendor and glory of the real experience. I highly recommend.

  3. tanned|

    the service is worth the price for the most beautiful city in the world! Like it say good location, good hostel, good service, what elsE?

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