Uniter

I'm going to have to agree.

We stayed for four nights (award stay) last week at the Hilton Arc de Triumphe. The hotel was beautiful and the service was great, but as you can see below, the rooms were small.

Upon check-in in the lobby, I was given a card for the elevator and told I’d been upgraded (HHonors Diamond) and needed to check in at the Executive Lounge on the 6th floor. Going upstairs, we helped ourselves to early afternoon snacks (mostly smoked salmon and veggie sandwiches with a wide selection of drinks) and saw our room. My son's reaction: "This room is very small."

Sadly, he was right. Our room, although on the executive floor, was tiny. Just barely enough room to walk between the beds and the dresser. There were two queen beds, though. And since we spent as little time as possible in the room, it didn’t really matter too much.

The executive Lounge was amazing, though. They had a great breakfast spread of breads, pastries, meat, cheese, fruit, eggs, potatoes, eggs, bacon, yogurt, fresh squeezed juice and coffee served to table (plus you could use the cappucino machine). Snacks were available throughout the day consisting of various nuts, chips, salsa, and assorted other savory snacks, along with sodas, beer, wine, and bottled water. Around 3 pm (afternoon tea time) they put out finger sandwiches – smoked salmon, chicken, and cucumber usually. The dinner snack was more sandwiches and a hot item (it differed on the night, but there were chicken wings, fried pasta, small ribs, etc), plus the nuts and chips. (After a long day of touring, we usually came back and made a meal of the stuff). Later in the evening, they put out chocolates that were quite excellent. Wine, liquor, champagne, and other drinks were available all day. We made such great use of the lounge (which was a few feet from our room) that we didn’t mind the small room. They had lots of magazines, newspapers, and a TV with BBC playing most of the day as well.

The concierge service in the lounge was excellent as well. Arriving in Paris, our luggage was lost by BMI. I mentioned it at check-in and they asked for the contact info and said they’d follow up for us. Lo and behold, our bags arrived the next morning at the hotel.

In fact, the service at the hotel was quite good. Upon arrival, they sent up a complementary puzzle for my son to try (it had a picture of the hotel on it). It was too tough for him, but a nice gesture. Each night, turndown service left us a special treat. One night, chocolates, another a small incense kit, another a potpourri kit…. it was fun to see what we’d get each night.

Location wise, we were on a quiet street, not far from a nice park (Monceau -- good playgound), which is also where the nearest Metro was located. The walk to the Arc was a bit long, but certainly manageable. Overall, it was a bit out of the way, but quiet and nice and near a number of good restaurants.

While I did not go, my wife spent one morning at the spa (free for Diamonds and perhaps Golds) downstairs. She went on and on about how amazing it was! Just the thing she needed. Beautiful tiles everywhere and a “hyrdo room” – a very large room with a large whirlpool tub (4 feet deep). The tub had places to stand, sit and lie down with four different kids of jets and sprays. There was also a steam room and sauna. They had free mineral waster and hot tea available.

So room size-wise, you might be better off at the Hilton Paris. But aside from that, this hotel was outstanding.