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Paris luxury hotels (consolidated thread)

Paris luxury hotels (consolidated thread)

Old Oct 15, 2016, 2:46 pm
  #361  
BLV
 
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Originally Posted by scented
I hope they don't change their gorgeous healthy breakfast, which is easily one of the best in the world.
I haven't stayed at this property but PHV's breakfast, from briefly comparing it to La Reserve's online description, seems to be very similar - standard "gluten/lactose free" stuff with various "detox" ( how over/misused this word is, I feel) juices. What might I be missing?
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Old Oct 16, 2016, 9:57 am
  #362  
 
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We left La Reserve Paris earlier today and I cannot help but feel a bit disappointed by it, but only a little bit. The hard product is absolutely top-notch, of that there is no doubt. After 4 days in the suite, the only criticism I could walk away with is how slippery the wooden floor is, which will undoubtedly take a few lives at some point. But it is so beautiful to look at, so pros and cons, I guess. It's pretty easy to overcome: if you are fond of your neck, do not wear socks.

The downside was the food. We did not try their Michelin star restaurant, but between 3 breakfasts and 2 dinners (can't say I'm not perseverant), nothing impressed either of us. In particular the dinners were very bland and stood out only for how expensive they were. The dining room was so empty that last night there were 2 couples (us included) in the dining room at 9pm, but that could just be that the locals already know it's not worth bothering with. On the plus side, breakfast was included, so on the first morning I could look at the 160 breakfast bill and just ignore it, whilst pretending that's normal.

With only 40 rooms, it has the capability of offering Aman levels of service. It could truly do something special that pushes it beyond a stunning hard product and onto a level of a hotel ranked amongst the best. It started so well, with the pre-arrival introductions, questions, reach outs and information being beyond impressive. But it just failed to gain the momentum after that point. I was talking to another GM before we left about how impressed I was with La Reserve's pre-intro, and he made the salient point that the issue with stay lists if that if you fill them out and then they do not deliver on them, you wonder you you bothered. Now La Reserve did actually really go above and beyond with the stay list, but I felt that they considered this greatest achievement and were patting backs rather than following it through with the rest of the service.

For example, we do not drink, so this is in the stay list. The room has no alcohol, but every single meal we had someone asks us whether we wanted a glass of champagne/wine etc. The Beaumont and The Goring can successfully remember their guests and have 50-80% more rooms, whereas we were asked our name and room number countless times at La Reserve, even by staff who had previously already asked for it. The Beaumont also works on anticipating when their guests will arrive and greeting them accordingly, but even though La Reserve knew all the details, the arrival was all very standard. When we came to leave, they knew what time our train was, but I had to try and organise the late checkout, so then you wonder why they asked for the information. We had a handwritten note to say they hoped we enjoyed our first night, but it was delivered after the second night; we never met management, nor had a farewell from anyone.

This is why I say it is only a slight disappointment. I felt they had everything in place to exceed customers expectations, set the tone for it, but then don't quite deliver on it, all in minor areas. Anticipating clients needs is tough, but it is a helluva lot easier when there's only 40 rooms. I had high expectations going in, some from reviews, some from it being recommended, the majority from their pre-arrival interaction, and their service was very friendly and very good, but it was not what I hoped it would be. It did not wow me, nor did it beat other city hotels I have stayed in. La Reserve is a new hotel which has been heavily invested in, both from the hard product and the management, so I have little doubt they will step it up.

I'm a Paris amateur - my only experience is between La Reserve and Le Bristol (unless you want to count when I visited in 2009 with no money and stayed in some place that resembled the Bates Motel). Given the choice I would definitely go back to La Reserve.


Reception


Private balcony view of the sunset


Library with grand piano


Library


Library


Library and mini bar


Cigar lounge
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Old Oct 16, 2016, 10:03 am
  #363  
 
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Fantastic pictures. Shame to see the service ended up being a disappointment. Like you said, a ton of promise here, so excited to see what happens over the next couple of years.
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Old Oct 16, 2016, 10:59 am
  #364  
 
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MacMyDay, I hope Didier Le Calvez reads this. It is weird for you not to meet management at all, given the nature of the suite. Also many service aspects are very underwhelming indeed. They could get away with that in many markets, but certainly not Paris. MikeFromTokyo mentioned they are re-thinking their F&B offerings, so that might help. They are only as good as their last meal.

Originally Posted by BLV
I haven't stayed at this property but PHV's breakfast, from briefly comparing it to La Reserve's online description, seems to be very similar - standard "gluten/lactose free" stuff with various "detox" ( how over/misused this word is, I feel) juices. What might I be missing?
The quality of La Reserve's breakfast is stunning, I do think that. And you are right in that regard that it is somewhat similar to Park Hyatt Vendome's Healthy breakfast. Which I also love! Les Orchidees is one of my favorite spots for breakfast and lunch in Paris -- the glass ceiling, Ed Tuttle's architecture and the countless works of Art (from Sideo Fromboluti to Roseline Granet) make for a great experience. Very charming service as well.
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Old Oct 16, 2016, 11:55 am
  #365  
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Originally Posted by scented

The quality of La Reserve's breakfast is stunning, I do think that. And you are right in that regard that it is somewhat similar to Park Hyatt Vendome's Healthy breakfast. Which I also love! Les Orchidees is one of my favorite spots for breakfast and lunch in Paris -- the glass ceiling, Ed Tuttle's architecture and the countless works of Art (from Sideo Fromboluti to Roseline Granet) make for a great experience. Very charming service as well.
I like PHV and stay there very often. I also love their dining. I just don't know if I can ever put the "Healthy" breakfast down as one of the best in the world if I were to grade it strictly on food and not just food AND interior design (which to me almost doesn't matter as I prefer to have breakfast in my room).

But maybe I have to check out La Reserve's breakfast because it could potentially be that much better? You just intrigued me with "one of the best in the world"
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Old Oct 16, 2016, 12:07 pm
  #366  
 
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Originally Posted by scented
MacMyDay, I hope Didier Le Calvez reads this. It is weird for you not to meet management at all, given the nature of the suite. Also many service aspects are very underwhelming indeed. They could get away with that in many markets, but certainly not Paris. MikeFromTokyo mentioned they are re-thinking their F&B offerings, so that might help. They are only as good as their last meal.
I checked on our arrival and it seemed at least half the rooms were still available, plus at breakfast time there was barely anyone there, so I would have hoped they could have done some of these things better and got to know their guests.

We were upgraded, plus were already on a great deal, so I didn't expect anyone to be treating us above and beyond a normal customer. I do not expect to meet management at city hotels - in fact, I would never expect it at any of them, unless I knew someone there. But it felt like La Reserve was not trying to be a city hotel, but a resort, hence why I rightly or wrongly keep thinking of how it could compete against Aman, in the same sense of Aman Venice or Aman Tokyo (just with good service). How somewhere makes you feel is a very unique and very hard to describe, but having the belief that the hotel is thinking one step ahead of turns it into a definitively positive experience and makes it feel like home. La Reserve just isn't quite there yet. They're all small points not worth complaining about, but worth noting. One of the butlers was really exceptional and had this forward thinking mentality, but ironically we needed so little in our room, as they had set it up so perfectly, so I only met her twice.

I would return.
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Old Oct 16, 2016, 4:44 pm
  #367  
 
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Probably la reserve service will be better as some bristol people are still joining them (for exmple another maitre d'hotel from epicure will be joining them next month)

Bristol : epicure they don't offer us the wine list after a couple of visits and we don't need to precise what we eat or don't eat (and they do customize the canapes / amuse bouche). They have a new employee who asked for our name....DYKWIM syndrom is hiting hard.
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Old Oct 17, 2016, 10:07 am
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I think that the problem with service at la Rserve may lie in the fact that Didier le Calvez is also CEO of La Rserve group, so is often travelling. He needs a really good no 2, I suspect.

He was there when I last stayed and service was on the ball throughout.

I still dream of the breakfast. Wonderful.

I see that they are already addressing the food aspect:-

"On October 17th, Le Grand Salon at La Rserve Paris is transformed into
La Pagode de Cos restaurant.

In tribute to Cos dEstournel, Second Grand cru class and owned by Michel Reybier, La Pagode de Cos invites you to on a culinary spice route journey. Why?
Since its beginnings, Cos dEstournel wine surpassed the ratings of the most prestigious vintages and was exported as far afield as India. Its founder, Louis Gaspard dEstournel became the Maharaja of Saint-Estphe and to celebrate his far-off conquests, he had exotic pagodas built over his cellars.

This originality is echoed by Jrme Banctel in an innovative menu. Gilthead seabream avocado, radish and Siamese sauce tartare; Scallops, lemongrass infused soup; Minced beef, tapioca noodles and coriander; Pineapple caramelized with Pa Mu Tan tea Foodies in search of brand new flavors on the spice route are sure to be delighted with what they discover at La Pagode de Cos.

And if you dont happen to be a fan of travel, rest assured that the spice route continues to run parallel (albeit with a hint of mischief) to all your usual favorites at La Rserve."
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Old Oct 17, 2016, 10:18 am
  #369  
 
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I want to like La Rserve as the location, hard product and design are all great. But after having visited all room and a few suite categories and having eaten there on three occasions (afternoon tea and a couple of snacks), I still don't get the place. It is always empty and F&B is disappointing and overpriced (even for Paris Palace hotel standards). I hope Epicure-trained F&B Director Marco will quickly leave his mark and bring things up to standard.
The rooms are nice but some suites are odd, like The Presidential Suite which has a bit of a strange layout (it is long and narrow) and it is on the small side (120 or 140 sqm).
In a city with so many great hotels and heavyweights like the FS or Le Bristol, La Rserve simply isn't competitive as it's in the same price range but not at all on par when it comes to pretty much everything else.

Last edited by JohnRain; Oct 17, 2016 at 10:27 am
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Old Oct 19, 2016, 10:18 am
  #370  
 
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Originally Posted by JohnRain
I want to like La Rserve as the location, hard product and design are all great. But after having visited all room and a few suite categories and having eaten there on three occasions (afternoon tea and a couple of snacks), I still don't get the place. It is always empty and F&B is disappointing and overpriced (even for Paris Palace hotel standards). I hope Epicure-trained F&B Director Marco will quickly leave his mark and bring things up to standard.
The rooms are nice but some suites are odd, like The Presidential Suite which has a bit of a strange layout (it is long and narrow) and it is on the small side (120 or 140 sqm).
In a city with so many great hotels and heavyweights like the FS or Le Bristol, La Rserve simply isn't competitive as it's in the same price range but not at all on par when it comes to pretty much everything else.
I think you need to stay there to fully get La Rserve. In fact, there are 3 Presidential Suites and one works better than the other 2. They are all differently configured and decorated.

In some aspects, the hotel is a work in progress and new staff is arriving all the time to further finesse the product. There are plans, for instance, to improve the Spa - Isabelle Gobbo, who was Spa Director for Le Bristol is now at La Rserve and is working on this. The F&B, too, is being worked on, and knowing how meticulous Didier Le Calvez is, having seen what he did at GV and Le Bristol, I expect standards to rise gradually across all departments. Even at this stage, though, I loved staying there. There is nothing of this size and standard elsewhere in Paris.
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Old Oct 22, 2016, 7:03 pm
  #371  
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I agree with everything in MacMyDay's review of La Reserve Paris. I found the food consistently underwhelming and the service just as he describes. But yes, the hard product: wow. I would stay again.
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Old Oct 22, 2016, 7:51 pm
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Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula, Shangri-La, Plaza Athenee, Le Meurice, and Le Royal Monceau Raffles are all running third night free promotions. Any reason to cancel my reservation at the Mandarin? Four night trip in February just to leisurely visit the city / romantic trip. Neither of us are highly familiar with Paris, but have been a few times before.

Last edited by callmedtop; Oct 22, 2016 at 7:56 pm
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Old Oct 23, 2016, 12:53 am
  #373  
 
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Originally Posted by Groombridge
I agree with everything in MacMyDay's review of La Reserve Paris. I found the food consistently underwhelming and the service just as he describes. But yes, the hard product: wow. I would stay again.
I don't suppose you have any examples of the service? I've felt my write up has been one of my worst, as I could not really articulate what the problem was - it's more a feeling. There were no real service failures, just they could have done it better.

The only encounter I had with any member of staff that just felt bizarre was in the spa, where the orange juice was suddenly removed, so I asked for more and they just told me it was all gone. I'm not having much luck with orange juice lately - must be a worldwide shortage. Then about 5 minutes later she came back and asked if I wanted her to go get one from upstairs, implying I had to pay for it. Daily spa limits on orange juice? I have no idea. It was just all a bit weird that suddenly something clicked for her to ask this about 5 minutes later.
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Old Oct 23, 2016, 4:21 am
  #374  
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Originally Posted by callmedtop
Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula, Shangri-La, Plaza Athenee, Le Meurice, and Le Royal Monceau Raffles are all running third night free promotions. Any reason to cancel my reservation at the Mandarin? Four night trip in February just to leisurely visit the city / romantic trip. Neither of us are highly familiar with Paris, but have been a few times before.
Think general feedback is Shangri-La > Mandarin there; perhaps one of the only locations where it is...
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Old Oct 23, 2016, 6:13 am
  #375  
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Originally Posted by callmedtop
Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula, Shangri-La, Plaza Athenee, Le Meurice, and Le Royal Monceau Raffles are all running third night free promotions. Any reason to cancel my reservation at the Mandarin? Four night trip in February just to leisurely visit the city / romantic trip. Neither of us are highly familiar with Paris, but have been a few times before.
Tend to Peninsula at the moment but can change....
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