Etoile
I just got back a couple of weeks ago and Le Meridien Etoile was one of the nicest European hotels I have ever visited.
I arrived for a 2 night stay late in the evening. I asked if there were any upgrades to suites available but it was a weekend and it was 11pm, so the answer was no. However, they made a point of telling me that I HAD been upgraded to the Executive room. There was a sign there at the desk that said something like "Executive rooms $75 extra". It might've been 50, and it is Euros, not dollars, but you get the picture.
When I got to the room I was exhausted and had planned to go right to bed, but I loved the room so much I stayed up, took a hot bath and dried my hair with a real hairdryer (they'd been scarce in the hotels we'd been in that trip) and laid on the bed watching tv. I have photos of the Executive room- it really amused me. The glass wall between the bathroom and the bedroom was a piece of art in itself as I noticed when I left the bathroom light on. And the TV system was great! I could listen to it through speakers in the bathroom as I bathed. They had a professional type blow dryer, which for me, after all the wall units in Europe, was a Godsend.
One thing I loved was that they had ice machines with big paper cups on the floors, and a coffee machine that also served hot cocoa! I'm a big cocoa fan, especially in the evening before bed. Since I don't drink tea or coffee, I really was tickled to see the cocoa.
The only drawback, in my mind, is the size of the rooms, but that happens all over Europe. Small rooms are the norm. I enjoyed the Executive room, and love putting the key card in the electric switch/holder as you enter the room- without it, you have no lights. It's energy saving and keeps me from losing key cards, so I loved it.
The next day I went shopping and I knew I had to pack for the flight home. I asked at the desk again if they might have a suite opening that day and they really looked for me. They even called the day manager in to talk to me. The funny thing was that they did have a suite (and they'd had it the night before when I'd asked) but they didn't think I'd like it! It was in a different part of the hotel and it wasn't remodeled. One of the ladies actually said to me that it wasn't remodeled so as a Platinum member I would probably not like it! As if that card makes any difference in the things I like! I told them all that I didn't think it could be that bad.
They gave me a key to look at it, thinking I would never downgrade from an executive room to a non-remodeled suite. I was expecting a mess when I walked to the suite, but it was just a regular suite! It did not have the modern trappings that the other room had, but it was a good-sized living room attached to a separate bedroom and bath with bathtub. As much as I enjoyed the modern Executive room, I MUCH prefer having space.
The bedroom was to the side, kind of tucked away and very quiet. The bathroom was older, but fully functional. There were no speakers to listen to as I bathed but other than that, it was fine.
The extra space was wonderful as I needed to completely repack my bags, and the bed was very comfortable. The desk clerks were surprised that I liked it. I just laughed and told them that it was fine, that I liked the charm of the older room and the space. They were happy to have an executive room open (they must've been pretty well booked) and my room went to a man next to me checking in who paid the extra fee for the executive room.
The best part about the hotel was the area! I was in walking distance to just about everything I wanted to see (or had time to see) and they had a shopping mall directly across the street where I bought some stuff for my nieces and nephews and a new bag to pack all my new stuff in. The Arc is literally just down the street, as is the Champs Elysee.
If I were planning to return to Paris anytime soon, I would certainly choose this location again. The room and suite were more than satisfactory and the people who worked there were very kind. My last trip to Paris had not been a good one, and this trip was made especially better due to Le Meridien Etoile. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat!