Paris, the City of Light, is nicknamed the City of Light for a reason, and one of its most famous symbols of luxury and progress is the Grand Hôtel, now known as the InterContinental Paris Le Grand. Inaugurated on May 5, 1862 in the presence of Empress Eugenie, the hotel was conceived as an impressive edifice that would unite art, science, and industrial progress under the auspices of the Second Empire.