I've had such mixed experiences with this hotel. Oddly, I've stayed here twice for work and two different academic institutions both use this place to host their guests. I had a 5 star visit and a 2 star visit....so let's call this 3.5
The ROOMS: Small, but well laid-out. They've been undergoing a renovation program to renovate the rooms slowly but surely. The renovated rooms are nice and quite comfortable. The un-renovated rooms are a bit tired. Bathrooms are pretty decent size for a hotel in Paris. Internet was pretty good on my last visit.
The STAFF: This area drives a lot of the mixed reviews. I've had them be *almost* friendly, which is pretty good for employees of a French hotel. I've also had them be awful. My first stay was during a heat wave in July, and my first room had a broken air conditioner. It was such a fight to get them to move me to a different room, and the clerk kept insisting that I would have to pay the difference in rate for the move. This is just exceptionally poor customer service. If a room is defective, you simply move the customer to a room where everything works.
The BREAKFAST: Skip it. Croissant, industrial cheese and baguette, jam, and a coffee. Sad little breakfast room off the lobby. Not worth the 10 Euro they want to charge...plenty of other better, cheaper (kind of like the Daft Punk song) options nearby.
The LOCATION: I like staying in this location (Denfert Rochereau in the 14th district) because you get the perfect balance of location and value. You're right next to an RER stop and a metro station, so it's easy to get wherever you want to go. The area is also not too touristy, so you can dine with locals in some of the cute cafes, bars, and restaurants nearby. You're also near the catacombs, but I've never managed to be available when the lines were short.
OVERALL, it's a place I would consider staying again despite my mixed review. Just hope you get a nice staff person, a renovated room, and skip breakfast. read more