This luxury hotel was owned by Compagnie Internationale des Grands Hotels, a subsidiary of Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL)
Established in 1905, Grande Hotel de Wagons Lits Ltd. of Beijing (earlier called Peking), served an upper class clientele. This was the only hotel in the Legation Quarter which accommodated travelers coming from Europe by the Trans-Siberian Express. The original building of this hotel was built in Flemish-Gothic style. However, it was soon replaced by a larger building in 1914. In 1922, the Hong Kong Hotel Company took control of 85 percent of the Shanghai Hotels Limited which held 60% of the share capital of the Grande Hotel de Wagons Lits. In 1950, this hotel was sold and subsequently destroyed.