Hilton Arc de Triomphe hotel
51/57, rue de Courcelles Paris, 75008, France
Telephone: +33 (0) 1 58 36 67 00

Hilton website link
Property's website link
Link to Google maps with location marked

General Manager: Geraldine Dobey
Personal Assistant to the GM: Mira Kirev
Guest Relations Manager: Quila Hingrai

We just had a very nice stay and met / spent some time with the bamboolas, who kindly invited us to their 7th floor room with balcony to watch the Bastille Day fireworks over the darkened Eiffel Tower. Photos linked to hotels-rates.com pages.


Getting there: From CDG, PIJD in the other property (non-review) thread states "Taxi from CDG including tip and luggage was 55 Euro, going to the airport from the hotel 50 Euro. Of course coming in it was a Sunday and we left on Bastille day so traffic was not bad both directions."

We used the comfy, air conditioned Air France "Les Cars" No. 2 bus/coach (€15 single, €25 return online, 10% more purchased as boarding, half price for children). The bus leaves from several locations (Gate C2 between Terminals 2C and 2A in our case) and makes one brief stop at the Convention Centre / Porte Maillot before stopping at avenue Carnot and the Etoile. From here it's a cheap taxi ride (about €5) or a ten minute walk down avenue de Hoche to the gates of Parc Monceau, take a right on rue de Courcelles and a block further is the hotel on your right. Doable with a wheeled case, but note there is some crushed granite and a few cracks in the sidewalks.

Not so good if traveling with more than wheeled baggage, though a taxi from L'Etoile stop to the hotel is under €10 iirc.



We took nearly 1.5 hours from airport to Etoile because of horrible traffic and some construction on the Peripherique, and a half hour to the airport on a Saturday morning. This route is much more sensible than taking the Roissybus to Opera Garnier, but allow some slack time for traffic, depending on day and time. The bus is fairly comfortable, though leg room is lacking in most seats, and has underdeck luggage storage (they handle the luggage) and two "pens" on board for smaller luggage (e.g. if it can be taken into an aircraft cabin, it will fit here).


Arrival was uncomplicated if somewhat early - we were advised to go to the Executive Lounge whilst they put our room on priority for housekeeping and enjoy some beverages and light snacks, and we did. We were checked in there, and found the staff most helpful - but do not ask for help making bookings or arrangements, as they are prohibited from doing so and doing the job of the concierge desk downstairs. The Executive Lounge is open extended hours and is on the sixth floor (card key required for access to the floor from the lift). It is comfortable, doesn't have much in the way of views, has a balcony for outdoor eating as a smoking area. It can get quite crowded here - we had some folks who seemed famished and ate, ate and ate some more (if they allowed people to take out items, it would be picked clean!)


Lounge hours:
0700 - 1030 buffet breakfast
1200 noon - 1500 / 3 PM Snacks, coffees, wines and beers
1500 / 3PM - 1800 / 6 PM tea time with pastries, coffees, teas
1800 / 6PM - 2100 / 9 PM hot and cold snacks, wines, beers, liquors, coffees, teas, soft drinks
2100 / 9PM - 2300 / 11 PM chocolates selection, coffees, teas, soft drinks

At least during summer, there is a Family Lounge set up on the ground floor in two of the adjacent function rooms - they do not scrimp and there are snacks and beverages, as well as a nice play area for the children.

The Lounge offers complimentary WiFi, has a separate area with a television, and a variety of seating (indoor and outdoor, as mentioned previously). (Those not entitled to complimentary WiFi will find it costs €8.50 per hour or €21.99 daily.) Juliette Coste is the Executive Lounge Manager; the Lounge hosts / hostesses are helpful, warm and welcoming; other lounge staff can get behind in bussing tables due to the popularity of this Lounge, which sees a lot of turnover throughout the day.

The hotel itself is very art deco - as I understand it, the owning family also was involved in "Compagnie Générale Transatlantique" (AKA "The French Line") and the idea here is to enable guests to relive the the epoch of grand transatlantic vessels - the ceiling painting in the lobby actually graced the ceiling of the Normandie in the 1930s. (I am not so old I remember the Normandie, but I did travel on the CGT's SS Ile de France, which was built to the same standards and décor, but refurbished after World War II - the hotel was definitely with some some reminiscence for me - I am "that old".)


We were extended an invitation to the monthly HHonors member reception, held 6:30 - 8:00 PM Tuesday July 12 in the salon "Lafayette", a function room on the ground floor, hosted by the most gracious General Manager Geraldine Dobey, who was previously manager at the Hilton Paris on avenue de Suffren (RIP), also held positions at various London properties, and her management staff. (She was accompanied by her management staff and gracious Personal Assistant Mira Kirev, and they all made sure to make rounds and "work the floor". Among others, Guest Relations Manager Quila Hingrai was quite attentive and inquiring about our needs. In my opinion, this is a committed staff and they really want to make sure guests are treated well. Ex-GM Serge Ethuin went on to manage the Cavalieri / Waldorf=Astoria in Rome.)

We were given a King Nonsmoking Executive room on the Executive level, quiet and with views of the courtyard (Andalusian Patio). The room is comfortable, bathroom in marble, decent HVAC as far as we could tell, good lighting and storage space, flatscreen TV, automated minibar (move an item and you own it), courtesy Ethernet hardwired HSIA (only) by Swisscom, very good quality linens and toweling, luxurious ivory coloured terrycloth robes, slippers, Crabtree & Evelyn "La Source" products in larger size than in most Hilton properties. Turndown service included Valrhona chocolates. As it was Lady JDiver's birthday, Guest Relations also sent up a nice cake for two, Champagne and floral arrangement. Room service is available 24 hours.


Housekeeping was meticulous - my own personal idiosyncrasy is I wish they allow guests to specify in the future as to whether we want linens and toweling changed daily (some properties do this with a tag), as IMO it's far from necessary (we certainly do not do that at home) and do think it should be an option for those concerned about saving water and energy. (Perhaps this is only the case in Executive rooms?)

The best rooms (and the Presidential suite) are on the top seventh floor - the bamboolas are repeat guests, so they had a room with balcony and view of the Eiffel Tower (distant) and the fireworks on Bastille Day, of course. If you like Art Deco, a la Hilton Paddington, you will really enjoy this property - and the service levels are really top notch. We had a most pleasant stay!


The Purple Bar offers a variety of beverages and snacks and is a pleasant place to slow down for a while. It is open 1000 - 0200 (10 Am to 2 AM).



Le Safran (Saffron) restaurant offers an extensive menu and weekday buffets at lunch, as well as a "menu" (price fixe offering) and Sunday brunches. We had our choice of breakfast - Lounge of Safran. The Lounge breakfast is quite adequate, in my opinion, and the Safran breakfast is quite opulent. Open 1200 - 1500 (3PM) for lunch, 1830 - 2300 for dinner, 0700 - 1030 AFAIK for breakfast.


Merci beaucoup et félicitations pour un excellent hôtel et l'attention portée aux clients.

Nearby dining: Le Parthenon across the street is a decent and economical "fast food" kind of place for a quick, informal munch, ranging from confit of duck and frites to a hamburger.

We agreed to dine at Il était un oie dans le Soud Ouest, a reasonable walk from the hotel, but they were closed for the La Fête Nationale. Ah, well... so we booked Bistro 17ème at 108 avenue de Villiers (17ème arrondissement, natch), easily walkable (left on rue de Courcelles to the circle at Place du Maréchal Juin, second street on your right is Villiers). Google Maps directions via Courcelles and Wagram here. Call 01 47 63 32 77 to book.

Bistro 17ème for €42 per person (all included, see English PDF here) allowed us to select from 9 each entrées (starters) and main dishes, 11 desserts, and they gave us a starting glass of sparkling wine - coffee was also included. More on their website here and in my more extensive post in the France Forum here; they are part of a chain of seven that have the same offer. Good food and a good value in Paris! ^