History
Opened in April 1974 as part of the creation of the International Centre of Paris, Hotel Concorde La Fayette was developed to provide an answer to the expansion in leisure tourism and business travel that was impacting the area of Porte Maillot.

The Porte Maillot area has historical significance because it was here on 13 July 1842 that the Duke of Orleans, the eldest son of King Louis-Philippe, died when he jumped from a carriage after the horses bolted.

Between the two wars, the funfair 'Luna Parc' stood on the site now occupied by the Paris Convention Centre and the Hotel Concorde La Fayette. At that time, the town council was making plans to develop this important gateway and invited various architects to submit proposals, including A Perret, Le Corbusier and Gilbert, but none of their plans came to fruition. After the war, the site was occupied by a number of temporary government ministry buildings.

In 1960, the increasing number of tourists and conventions coming to Paris encouraged the Tourism Committee and the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry to initiate a development programme for the Porte Maillot area. This resulted in the development of the Palais des Congrès and the Hotel Concorde La Fayette, both of which opened in 1974. The architect Guillaume Gillet was a prominent figure in France who had already designed a number of key structures including the School of the Magistrature of Bordeaux, the New Century Palais in Lille and the Pont de la Bourse.