清同治二年(1863),天津開埠后的第三年，基督教倫敦會傳教士英人殷德森(JohnInnocent),在英租界維多利亞道(今解放北路)與咪哆士道(今泰安道)交口處，臨河建造了一處西式房屋，占地6畝多。前面是洋式平房飯店，后面是鐵板頂棚貨棧，取名 “利順德” ,有“利順以德”之意。這是外僑在天津開辦的第一家飯店，也是中國首家涉外飯店。
光緒十二年(1886),天津怡和、高林兩家粵籍買辦梁炎卿與英籍德人德璀琳、英人殷德森合資，在旅館原址上，加以擴建改修，成為英國古典露明式3層平坡屋頂?shù)拇u木結構建筑，在當時英租界中是最大最高的一幢建筑。此后，英文名稱ASTOR HOTEL和中文名稱“利順德飯店” 并用。
光緒二十三年(1897),利順德飯店實行董事會領導下的股份制。1924年，由飯店董事長威廉·海維林和副董事長梁炎卿主持，拆除了北側的部分主樓，進行擴建，1929年建起2500平方米的磚混結構4層樓房一幢。至此，兩幢樓房建筑面積共8360多平方米。飯店主樓3層，沿街布置，轉角部位有一個5層的古城堡式的塔樓。首層臨街設置雙跑扇形退縮式臺階，為主入口，入口設旋轉的木門，上有半圓形雨棚。內設客房、餐廳、圖書室、臺球室、舞廳、酒吧等等，有帶獨立衛(wèi)生間的客房40套。

·利順德飯店

1943年3月，利順德飯店被日軍接管，改名“亞細亞飯店” ; 1945年日本投降后，交還原主，恢復原名。
1952年因業(yè)務不振，飯店董事會決定，移請?zhí)旖蚴腥嗣裾芾?，更?“天津大飯店” ,承擔中外賓接待任務。1984年由天津市旅游總公司與香港哥羅洋行有限公司合資經營，恢復 “利順德大飯店” 名稱。在主樓東側面向海河興建一座現(xiàn)代化建筑，并重新裝飾了原建筑。
在利順德飯店的經營史上，曾有許多外國領事館、外交人員和名人在此下榻。如英國領事館將其作為大型會議的處所； 美國領事館先行在這里辦公；加拿大和日本領事館在籌建期間也暫時住在這里； 德國、丹麥、荷蘭等領事館或外交人員是這里的貴賓。
特別是，近代發(fā)生的重大的歷史事件，在利順德多有反映。1863年2月，普魯士皇家領事在津建代辦處，轉年升格為領事館，也建館于此，此后改為北德意志聯(lián)邦領事館，1871年改為德意志帝國領事館。
先后有《中丹(麥)條約》、《中荷(蘭)條約》、《中巴(西)條約》、《中法新約》、《中葡天津條約》等等，在利順德飯店內簽訂。
赫伯特·克拉克·胡佛(1929～1933年，美國第三十一任總統(tǒng)),從光緒二十五年(1899),到光緒三十二年(1906),在天津生活期間，曾住在利順德飯店，后來，長期居住在馬場道6號西耬(今天津市第20中學)。胡佛、德璀琳和張翼，簽訂所謂“移交契約” (副約),騙取開平煤礦及所屬的唐山細棉土廠，就是在這座飯店謀劃的。
在此居住過的還有國內外的許多重要人物。
目前，利順德大飯店是全國唯一列入國家重點文物保護單位的 “老字號” 飯店

·利順德飯店內的英宮廷式樓梯

In 1863,three years after Tianjin was opened up as atreaty port,a British missionary called John Innocentconstructed a building near the Haihe River as a hotel.The Chinese name is Lishunde. It was the first hotelestablished by foreigners in Tianjin.
In 1886 (the 12th year of Emperor Guangxu),Liang Yanqing,the comprador both of Jardine Mathesenand Conllin,co-operated with Dertring and Andersonto enlarge the hotel to a 3-story classic building of brickand wood. It became the largest and highest building inthe British Concession. The hotel was named as "AstorHotel" in English,but still called it "Lishunde Hotel" inChinese.
In the year of 1897,Lishunde Hotel was reformedinto a stock company under the directorate. In 1924,the hotel dismantled the north building and enlarged itinto a 4-story building with a construction area of 2,500square metres. The main building had three stories alongthe street. At the corner,there was a 5-story tower. Thestages led to the first floor as the main entrance. Therevolving wooden door at the entrance was covered bysemi-circle rain shed. Inside of the hotel were guestrooms,dinning hall,reading room,billiards room,dancing hall and bars. It had 40 guest rooms withindependent toilets.
In March 1943,Astor Hotel was occupied by theJapanese army,who changed its name to "Asia Hotel".In 1945,the Japanese surrendered and returned the hotelto its owners. Its original name was resumed.
In 1952,the hotel`s board of directors decided totransfer the hotel to Tianjin Municipal Government dueto poor operation. The hotel was renamed as "TianjinGrand Hotel" to receive guests from home and abroad.In 1984,the Tianjin Tourism Company and a HongKong company set up a joint venture and resumed itsoriginal English name and Chinese name respectively.To the east of the hotel`s main building,a 7-storybuilding of steel and cement was constructed by theHaihe River. Renovations were carried on the hotel.
In the history of Astor Hotel,many diplomatsand elites had lived in the hotel. For example,the UKConsulate used it for conference; the US Consulateonce used it as offices; and the Canadian and JapanConsulates set up temporary offices for their futureconsulates. It also received diplomats from Germany,Denmark and the Netherlands.
More important,the hotel also mirrored theoccurrence of many events. In February 1863,thePrussia Imperial Consul built its agency here andpromoted it into a consulate in 1864. Later,the consulatewas changed to North German Consulate and thenreverted to German Imperial Consulate.
Besides,it also witnessed the signing of the China-Denmark Treaty,the China-Holland Treaty,the China-Brazil Treaty,the China-France New Treaty and theChina-Portugal Tianjin Treaty.
During 1899-1906,Herbert Hoover,who wasthe 31st US President through 1929-1933,lived in thehotel and signed the so-called "Takeover Agreement"to diddled the Kaiping Coal Mine and the TangshanCement Plant with Dertring and the Qing official ZhangYi.
Astor Hotel has become the only Chinesehotel listed as a key cultural relic site under nationalprotection.

·利順德飯店投資興造的 “利順”號艦船在甲午海戰(zhàn)中立功