back to answer a couple of questions....
Breakfast Amenity
At check-in I was offered continental breakfast as an amenity (along with the points and local gift). This is Paris where I normally just grab a croissant from a boulangerie on the way to the office and have a good expresso at the office so I hardly ever take breakfast at the hotel so I took the points. I did however notice that in my key card wallet I had a voucher for breakfast. Just had a look at it and it says...
"Present this card at the beginning of service to receive complimentary continental breakfast for you and one other guest registered to your room each morning during your stay. It's a welcome gift to you - for being one of our best members".
I assume it was mistakenly put in my key wallet as none of the detail is filled in (like validity dates etc!)
Room Cost
I'll preface this by saying that Paris is an expensive city and it is Paris Fashion Week at the moment. My rate for the night was €575 (Fabulous room, not incl breakfast but fully flex up to 6pm day of arrival). The cheapest rate available was for a "Cozy" room at €345 (iirc). In comparison the Westin cheapest rate was around €400 and Le Meridien Etoile was €200 (we have a special corporate rate there rather than the chainwide discount that applies at the other hotels).
I've just had a look for this week and the cheapest rates for the 3 hotels are €340 for the Westin, €209 for LM-Etoile and €460 for the W ("Wonderful" room) (all on public rates - I will get 10-20% cheaper than that with corporate discount).
I think this reflects the pecking order of the hotels and my view. The LM-Etoile is convenient for my office but I find soul-less and the rooms are tiny (even the upgrades). And if you go in the bar at night they hit you for a massive cover charge for the jazz. The Westin is worth a margin over the LM as has much more character, larger rooms and is in a more central location. 50% more seems reasonable to me. I liked the W and if I'm after more than just a bed for the night I think it is worth the price hike over the LM (for location as well as the ambience).