Booked the property on points around 36 hours prior to stay for an amazing value (25K points vs. 305 EUR cash price) and perfect because I need to get to Gare de Lyon early in the morning. The hotel is extremely convenient, about 5 minutes from stepping out of Gare de Lyon hall A to stepping into the hotel. It’s not hard to miss either—tall, and with a kind of post-modern styling that contrasts with the surrounding buildings.

The hotel itself is a lot different than a standard Courtyard (and is perhaps emblematic of the direction they want to take the brand?) Compared to those in the US especially, it feels like an entirely different chain. If you removed the branding, I wouldn’t blink twice if you told me it was something else.

Check-in: exceedingly friendly staff, perhaps too much for my taste (they tried to show me how to use the elevator). Can’t fault them for that though. Very smooth, the lady I talked to was at least trilingual (heard her handle English, French, German).

Public spaces: didn’t ask about food/breakfast, but there’s an attached restaurant (that has its own separate ‘hallway’ entrance from the front). Gym in the basement, reception area is small. Didn’t explore too much. Building footprint is small on the upper levels.

Room: Large, mine had a nice view of the station. Totally new color palette—beige, blond wood, off-whites, chrome steel with almost no color besides the throw pillows. Feels a bit like living in one of those very neutral IKEA sample rooms you see at the stores. Bed seemed standard, sofa was comfy, bathroom was standard.

No work table, more of a counter by the window. My only gripe was the chair was kind of uncomfortable, a low-backed riff on the Jacobsen egg chair that everyone has ripped off for the past 50 years. I didn’t mind at all because I wasn’t in town for work, but maybe you would if you had to put in hours on the laptop there.

Overall: It’s a Courtyard but basically feels like another brand. To me it’s a middle ground between a limited-service design hotel (AC Hotels?), lower budget competitors (Ibis in Europe), and a full-on business hotel. I like it, but I’m not a business traveler, so perhaps Marriott has decided to pivot the brand away from that and towards people like me.