We are currently staying at the HR Etoile. I booked a 2-night stay in a Suite with my DSU and also asked for a connecting room for my children. When we checked in they did not have a suite with a connecting room available (despite my requesting it in April when I made the booking!), but the room they gave us was only 2 doors away. As my children are older, it really wasn't a problem.

I have to say, I feel as thought it is "Throwback Thursday" - the suite is one of the non-renovated rooms, and I feel as though I am back in the 70's. We are on a very high floor, and as another poster commented upthread, the decor leaves a lot to be desired! The corridors are hilarious - mirrored walls and deep blue paint - I feel as though I am on a carnival ride whenever I get off the elevator. It is a bit disconcerting at first, and it took a few seconds to get myself oriented after we first went to the rooms!! The carpets are worse for wear in the corridor, with a lot of bare patches.

The rooms themselves are quite dated. The suite is large, with two bathrooms (one is just a bathtub/shower combo, and a vanity unit - no toilet) and the other is a walk in shower, teeny tiny sink and a toilet. Both are very old and looking a bit worse for wear. But, they are both clean. The hairdryers look like they are from the '70's though!!

The suite rooms are decorated in light beiges and whites, with furniture that reminds me a bit of the Jetsons TV program! Hilarious! The sitting room is huge, with a table/chairs, a sectional sofa and chairs, and lots of lamps dotted around. The bedroom is fairly small, but the bed is comfortable and clean.

The views from the bedroom and living room are fantastic. The view of the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomph from the living room is sensational, and we also have a view of Sacre Coeur from the bedroom.

The staff, so far, have been extremely helpful and friendly, especially in the Regency Club. The Club has a rather interesting color scheme - feels a bit like a bordello!! Red velvet chairs...oo la la!!

The breakfast was decent - and they made a good attempt to offer both a continental selection and an "American" selection (scrambled eggs, hash browns, breakfast sausage). Lots of delicious pastries, selection of cereals, fruit, juices, breads, etc. Certainly a good enough selection for a quick (and free!) breakfast. We found it easy to get a seat in the mornings, and the supply was plentiful.

The evening hor d'oeuvres were quite tasty. Sandwiches, cheeses, breads, with tartlets and macaroons for dessert. A selection of white and red wines, and real champagne was on offer, and I happily sampled the champers (hic!).

I also like where the hotel is situated. I like the fact that it is away from the heavily touristed areas. It is really easy to get to on the Metro (line 1) and REC (line C?)- Port Maillot station, and it is only about 8 or so minutes from the Louvre on the direct line (which also stops in easy walking distance to many of the other sites of interest). The little Mall underneath the hotel is useful and has direct access to the Metro station until 10pm. It has some nice coffee shops and a good grocery store where it is easy to buy things for a picnic. There is also a Bureau de Change which has decent, competitive rates.

All in all, while I would say this hotel is very dated, and a bit rough around the edges, it is a decent hotel for the price. I used cash and points, plus a DSU and am not complaining about the cost - 74 Euros per night. In Paris, to be honest, at the end of August, I consider this a good deal.

I would consider staying here again, and would be interested to see how it looks once the renovations are complete. I suspect the price will jump up quite a bit then.

Oh, and while I remember, the concierge was very helpful in getting us on a tour of the Eiffel Tower which meant we did not have to stand in line for 2+ hours to buy tickets which was huge timesaver for us. We are only in Paris for 2.5 days, and so we didn't want to waste a lot of time standing in line. The tour cost 24Euros per person and included the lift tickets and a guided tour, which turned out to be really interesting. The guide was very knowledgable and had a great sense of humor. Although it was, of course, more expensive than simply buying the tickets ourselves (I think the regular tickets are 15Euros), it made sense for us to pay the extra Euros. We were able to charge the cost the the room.