drzoidberg

Is it worthwhile to upgrade from the "Classic" room to the Business Class room? How is the quality of the English breakfast?

christianj

I would say it depends on what your are paying for the upgrade and how important a real breakfast is for you. If the price is close to what you would pay to eat breakfast at the hotel then that might lead me in that direction. There are however numerous places in the direct vicinity of the hotel to grab a coffee and a pastry for breakfast (which is our idea of breakfast since we are not big sit down and eat tons of food early in the morning people)

We did not have a Business Class room but I imagine that they are basically the same as the other rooms but with a Nespresso machine and a couple of other small details.

Note... If you have the CC Visa and are using points to book the hotel then it might make more sense due to the already great discount you get from the one night free award booking option...we are doing this in Athens Greece this summer where 2 nights in a Business Class room is only costing us 57k points due to the Visa card...when it would usually be 38k per night or 76k for the 2 nights in a regular room.

drzoidberg

Thanks christianj!

I've been very impressed by the Super Buffet Breakfasts that I've experienced at other RBlu properties, so hopefully this English Breakfast isn't any less lavish. And no one should starve in Paris.

tc fly girl

I can't tell you how much this thread helped us on our recent weekend in Paris. Thanks to all of you for your reviews and insight. It sure made our transportation decisions easier and smoother. Our review:

http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/...ce-part-1.html

Not big D

We had a nice stay here in early April . Used points and went for the business room because we were traveling with our 15 year old daughter and would need a roll away . Room looked out the rear of hotel at a court yard and other businesses . Breakfast was sit down with service , very good . Staff was pleasant .
We did get charged $50 euros/night for having a child over 12 in the room. ouch

mintcilantro

Thanks for posting your reviews.. I have booked six nights at this hotel and it is good to know what you are getting. We won't expect luxury and will be out and about so won't have time to enjoy the hotel unlike a beach resort vacation.

I had plenty of carlson points so I had also booked 4 overlapping nights at le dokhan. I will cancel that reservation as it seems this is a better location for a first time paris stay

niehaubs

Anyone stay in the junior suite of this place? Thinking of paying the upgrade for the space, the hopefully better comfort, plus the breakfast. Currently booked at the old rate in standard rooms, CC Gold level. The dates ate in January to the veranda is not going to be a huge use for us.

This is our final destination after the Park Hyatt Milano and Zurich, so I am trying to soften the (perceived) downgrade on the way out of Europe

trippinbilly

Thanks for reviews. planning 3 nights before visiting our son in Bordeaux in the spring.

Susan4

Just wondering. I have Gold status and will be using points to book a standard room for 2 nights.

missydarlin

Hi Susan4

Here is the main review thread for that property. It looks like breakfast may be included if you upgrade to the Business rooms, but are not part of your Gold benefits.

But being on the Champs Elysee, there will be no lack of outside options nearby.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/carls...ees-paris.html

Susan4

Thanks Missydarlin.

alben

My wife, my daughter (who will be 14), and I will be staying at the Radisson Blu Champs Elysees in March 2016 as it will be spring break for us. Both my wife and I hold the CC Premier Rewards Visa Signature card, which automatically give us Gold status.

We plan on staying in Paris for 7 days / 6 nights. This May I booked the room on points before the last night free benefit was discontinued. Our options were limited since we are a family of 3, and standard rooms are not available to us in any of the downtown Paris properties. Apparently this is the norm in Europe vs the US.

This is the room we booked for 4 nights: 1 night 105K points + 1 night free (wife) and 1 night 105K points + 1 night free (me).
Club Carlson - Premium Award-Business Room
ROOM DESCRIPTION:
- +/- 28 square metres
- English breakfast, premium movies, newspaper, bathrobe and slippers
- Free broadband and in-room NESPRESSO coffee machine
- Room type / Bed type / Smoking preference confirmed
- Supplement of 50 Euros for an extra bed for children above 12 years old
- VAT included

Here is the question: We need this room or a similar room for 2 more nights. The room currently prices out at €530 per night. Ouch! It doesn't appear that there are any discounts applicable for the room on the CC website when using AAA or a Corporate ID code (I am a union professor). In other words it appears that I will need to pony up €530 a night (€1,060 for two nights) to complete my stay in Paris, or move to another hotel.

Looking at other hotel chains in the area, doesn't seem much better. As soon as you request a room for 2 adults and 1 child, the reward points required or the price skyrockets. Plus it would be nice not to have to move to another hotel.

So what is everyone's thoughts? Should I just pony up for an additional €1,060 for 2 additional nights and be happy knowing I got the 1st 4 nights on points? Are they really going to charge me an additional €50 per night for an extra bed for my 14 yr old daughter even on a premium award stay and Gold status? Ouch.

whimsey21

I think it is highly likely that they will charge you the supplement for the extra bed. my experience with the CE was that they stuck closely to the stated rules. As to whether to switch hotels, that comes down to your tolerance for the inconvenience of a move vs your tolerance of the (steep) cost, as I'm sure you can find a cheaper alternative (both chain and non chain). When I was in a similar situation last summer, we moved to a different hotel for 2 nights- my kids and wife have gotten used to having to do that in order to maximize points redemptions. I personally don't think the Radisson is worth the cost you're looking at, and would be happier saving some cash and dealing with the move.
If you have any Hyatt points, I'd suggest looking at the hyatt l'etoile. It is quite close to the CE, and you can upgrade from a much cheaper room rate(for a standard room) to a suite that will accommodate your family for 7500 points/night. That was a great deal for our family, as the suite also came with lounge access, which fed us well for those two days.
By the way- i just processed that your booking/pricing the premium room. As a gold you'd have a good chance of being upgraded to that anyway (minus breakfast). So if you do want to avoid changing hotels, consider booking a standard room for the last 2 nights. I'm sure it would be quite a bit cheaper, you could probably keep the same room, and a good breakfast is easy to get in Paris for much less than you'd save on the room.

alben

Thanks whimsey21 for your thoughts. i had briefly thought about the standard room to business upgrade based on being gold. However I don't want to depend on it. The hotel doesn't have very many rooms, and if they don't offer me the upgrade when I check in, and not have business rooms available, I'll be stuck with no room at all, as we are a family of 3, which probably cannot occupy a standard room legally.

whimsey21

It's worth contacting the hotel directly to ask about whether you can occupy a standard room with 2 adults and 1 child. The standard room aren't much different than the bus rooms (I think the bigger question is whether the room shape will accommodate the rollaway bed, as the rooms are fairly small). If not, there are lots of cheaper options for the last night as I mentioned before- we had a list of 4-5 decent options for my family of 4 when we went to Paris last summer, all of which were well below the cost you're looking at on the CE.