Kate_Canuck

I have a long weekend coming up next weekend in Paris and London, as part of a BA Tier point run. To save $ (and enjoy a mid-winter splurge), I'm going to use points for my 2-night stay in Paris and 1-night stay in London.

I've lived in both cities and know them fairly well, but I'm interested in being fairly close to some areas I'd like to explore with my camera, so some of my usual hotel choices (e.g., the great value Marriott Courtyard in Boulogne-Billancourt) are off the menu this time.

I'm trying to decide which properties give me the best splurge-worthy bang for my points (and I'm willing to do points plus dollars, within reasonable limits), keeping in mind that I have varying numbers of points (and status) with each hotel chain.

- Hilton: Diamond Status but relatively few points (and I'm trying to conserve them a bit for a trip later this year)
- Marriott: Gold status (over 300,000 points)
- SPG: Gold status (about 150,000 points)

In London, I pretty much have settled on the Hilton Bankside, because it's different from areas of stayed in before, is close to what I want to photograph and visit, is close to my office in Canary Wharf (I have a workday on Monday), and provides pretty good public transit connections from/to Heathrow. But Marriott County Hall is a possibility.

Paris is the tougher question. I considered the new AC near Porte Maillot for the value, but I think I'd prefer to be closer to the Seine and city center (I want to photograph along the river). So I'm thinking about Renaissance Vendome, the SPG Prince de Galles (big splurge, but hey), or Hilton Opera. Since I have a lot of Marriott points, the Vendome might make more sense (and I'll get free breakfast), but the Prince de Galles is very tempting.

On the other hand, free breakfast in Paris isn't the greatest deal for me because I'm mostly vegan (so lots of things are off the menu for me). I'll probably just end up eating a big bowl of fruit and some bread and confiture, so the fancy breakfast would be wasted on me anyway.

Since I'm travelling alone, I don't need a lot of space in my room. But I would like to have a nice room since I'll be spending some time in it (editing photos, doing a little work).

What do you think? Other suggestions? Thanks

whimsey21

Relative to Paris, I'd suggest reading the thread on the Hilton Opera before staying there. The reviews since opening have been less than stellar; by comparison, both the ren vendome and prince de Galles are quite well thought of. I'd opt for one of those in your situation and disregard the Hilton (I usually discount breakfast when in Paris as I Iike to go to a neighborhood bakery, but I'd likely choose the Ren anyway as I like the location). There's also an extensive thread comparing London Hilton properties; in London you have some nice choices including Bankside, Canary Wharf, and Tower, all of which compete for "best lounge" status (and the Conrad of course). Since you're interested in the area around the Bankside you might as well stay there and enjoy your Diamond benefits.

Kate_Canuck

Thanks - I think I might get better value from spending my scarce Hilton points in London than Paris. I thought about Canary Wharf, but I think it's too far away to enjoy my Sunday in Paris. I'm arriving from Paris on Sunday morning and would end up traipsing all the way out to Canary Wharf and then back again to explore the city, whereas Bankside seems a little closer to the area I want to explore -and maybe doable on foot.

But I'll look at the Tower property again - not sure how walkable that area is.

neo_781

While I can't say anything really bad about the AC Porte Maillot, it definitely does not come to mind when you say "splurge" It is a decent hotel with smallish rooms but well maintained. Its best selling point is that is is a 5-6 minute walk to the Metro (Line 1) and therefore you can be in central Paris within 25-30 minutes.