Chang11

"I felt we were being lied to"

When things get this crazy, I suspect a con! Did you get any business cards from the staff involved?

Wow, an Diamond upgrade to a room with a private loo. Was the toilet tissue included with the upgrade?

sassamanlaw

I've been planning on staying at this hotel next Fall but Frequent_Travels' post is making REAL nervous. However, the other reviews, on this and other sites, are not nearly as damning. Is this report an outlier or do things need to be sorted before this becomes a full fledged member of the Hilton family?

stimpy

It certainly sounds like an outlier not to mention the fact that many of us would not have accepted such front desk behavior and would have escalated to the Diamond line on the spot. As I speak French I know there's no way I would have encountered the same problems. But we'll have to wait for future reports or try it ourselves. I'm sure I will try out this hotel sooner or later.

nk15

They have a 4 out of 5 rating but kind of low ranking on tripadvisor, but it can't be that bad, the latest review here sounds like an outlier.

Michael19887

I agree that their 791/1791 ranking on Tripadvisor isn't something to be proud of, and it looks like the majority of recent reviews within the past month or so are negative. I'm not convinced Frequent_Travels is an outlier and hope appropriate compensation was offered for their troubles.

WildcatFan

Looking forward to my trip next Spring for 5 nights to Paris and was seriously thinking about this hotel. Well change my mind. Thank you for your honest review. I will look elsewhere's!!!

Quinlanty

I will be here on October 19th, and report back with as much detail as possible

Chang11

Take a look at the photos on TA taken by people that have stayed there.

dw

I noticed that as well. I suspect it has to do with two things, which affect customer expectations:

1) Now that the hotel is a Hilton affiliate, vs an unaffiliated independent property, people are assuming the Hilton association means something in terms of adherence to basic brand standards that an international chain would have, in terms of property upkeep and maintenance. (It looks like the hotel is in dire need of a renovation, hence why it won't be part of the Curio Collection until 2017, after the planned renovation.)

2) I would not be surprised if the Hilton affiliation has allowed the property to raise room rates, without (yet) putting the needed capital expenditure into the property

nk15

Here is my take on the situation, this seems like a an average, older, historic 3-3.5 star hotel in very good location in Paris. Probably 70% of the 1800 hotels in Paris will be similar to this. They just joined H and will renovate in 2016. Until they fully renovate and get on with the program that they are now Hilton, I won't expect much and I would pay for this up to $250/night (Paris is expensive), but no more (and will not burn 80k points/night on this hotel). So, if you go with your expectations in check, a reasonable nightly rate, a relatively low stakes occasion (no special events, anniversaries, etc.), and a limited duration (1-3 nights), you should be fine. You'll get your double/triple HH points, a very good location, and likely a decent hotel experience. However, I say these somewhat reluctantly, as I almost never stay in less than true 4-star hotels, and never been to this hotel but have plans to stay there soon. And as many of you likely did, I picked this because it is Hilton and I don't have the energy to shift through the hundreds of hotels in Paris. But I am still trying to decide if this hotel meets the "acceptable" threshold for people with fine tastes like us on this forum, lol.

The hotel website says they will be joining Curio in 2017, which means that 2016 will be a renovation year and probably quite messy. After the renovation and full Hilton integration they would likely be a true four star hotel (hopefully) that will be worth $300/night or 80k points. In any case, Hilton needs to keep a very close eye on them.

sassamanlaw

Some of the photos definitely show a property in need of some upkeep. Hopefully they will start the renovation process shortly. I have a reservation at a great rate next September so I'll just keep it and, with any luck, Hilton will require the Astor to bring itself up to Hilton standards.

nk15

This hotel seems it will be paired nicely with $120 nightly rates, long layovers, grey sweatpants, and mistake fares, like the recent one to Paris on Air Canada, lol...

Chang11

That is a great rate for Paris, though wonder if that includes a in suite toilet?

GrjApp

What is a "scald proof" shower/tub? An excuse to provide a lukewarm shower?

I went to check the room descriptions to see if any are actually specifying en-suite vs shared bathrooms. That's the only reference to bathrooms and it's in the Amenities list for each room. I didn't see any that does not list a bathroom (and a telephone in the bathroom too fwiw).

Have an upcoming stay, just a one-nighter, so will stick with that and see how it works out.

nk15

For some reason, they are also listed as "HHonors Reward Category: Distinctive Rewards". I am not sure why and what that category means, but my guess is because of city/location and it allows them to charge 80k points for a standard redemption. Objectively, this hotel in its current state shouldn't be more than a category 3 or 4 in the 1-10 system.