oliver2002

Stayed at this new (for Hilton) property in early November, weeks after it had (re)opened as a Tapestry property. Rates were rather reasonable (for Paris): 170€ for a triple, 150€ for a double room. We were a party of 7, needing 3 rooms, so I booked carefully expecting the (sadly usual) Paris broomcloset sizes with low expectations. We were all pleasantly surprised!

The hotel is located literally a few steps away from the Gare de Lyon. The hotel gallery picture of the young lady gazing out the window at the iconic station building hits the spot. So location is certainly king. You can be in any part of Paris with public transport in no time. The area has a number of eateries, all typical for Paris and French food. We ate two nights at the 'Garnement' and loved it. The Bistro de la Gare on the corner was rather Parisian meh, good enough for a drink in the evening... L'Européen on the other corner was very tempting to the seafoodies in our party, which were in a minority so we didn't manage a visit.

The former 'Hotel Azure' was completely redone this year and the interiors, rooms and bathrooms are fresh and clean. Some exterior signage still hasn't been changed and the entrance glass doors still have remnants of the old branding. The staff is using the hilton software (and were struggling with the new features) and my diamond recognition was 'oh you are a diamond, wow, that must be a lot of stays'. No upgrade or anything They did, however add free breakfast for all of us (7) in 3 rooms. Each room was replenished with two bottles of water each day, don't know if that was for status or standard for all.

The breakfast was a buffet, offered from 7-10 on the weekdays and 7-11 on the weekends, in a full restaurant setting in a nook and the main lobby. The breakfast consisted of many hot items (bacon, sausage, eggs, roasted tomatoes, etc), yogurt, cereals, sliced meats and cheeses, and pastries. The breads/pastries appeared to be fresh daily. Coffee specialities, tea and hot chocolate was served by a friendly lady who also sometimes asked for our room numbers

We all got rooms facing the inner courtyard, the better rooms (featured in the hotel photo gallery) seem to facing the street, which may not be a good idea assuming the sound proofing is the usual french level The rooms all have individual air conditioning units and the nightstands reflect the current trend of usb charging (two USB-B outlets, no place to plug in your adapters etc)

oliver2002

oliver2002

Layout of most of the floors. We had a x05 (pictured above), a x06 and a x09 spread over multiple floors. x01-x04 seem to be the better kind with street facing views.

oliver2002

Entrance of the hotel, sadly I didn't notice the bus was right in front of it The part above the entrance is still painted blue/azure.



View of Gare de Lyon if you turn around from the same spot:

oliver2002

Some views of the tapestry interiors:

oliver2002

Breakfast area and lobby. There is a breakfast nook of similar sized, didn't take a photo of it though

fwfdan

Staying here now (arrived earlier today...) upgraded to a "king view room" which is pretty nice Juliet balcony (stand in the room and look out!). I thought this was a 4* hotel - it is a 3* so my bad. No bar or food offerings other than breakfast. Lobby area is nice (which also serves as the breakfast area)

website says mini bar in the room (we thought that meant a small fridge) but nothing in ours... good espresso machine though! based on the layout plan on the door we are in the smallest room they have and it is tight (I think 14m2 based on TripAdvisor replies from management to complaints about room size). but pretty good storage cabinet on each side of the bed so we could unpack. Nowhere to really put luggage except the hall... bedside table is a shelf on each side of the bed about 3 inches wide and 10 inches deep! Lots of electrical outlets.

So far the smallest room of our trip but interesting enough the shower could easily fit two (or three if you are into that!)

Thing that bugs me (and I know it is an American thing) is that there is NO ice available. We pack zip lock bags when we travel so we took one to dinner and asked the very nice waiter if he could fill it! So I guess we troll the neighborhood bars for ice every night (and we always troll the neighborhoods for bars!) Unwinding with a cocktail in the room is part of our vacation end of day routine.

pauleeepaul

Ice is definitely an American thing

fwfdan

I just don't get having a room temperature cocktail! We have traveled enough to get used to one or two cubes, but a hotel with no ice just baffles my mind. We have wine with us and would love to get it cool....

Zurich

Stayed here for four nights mid May.

We came in by train at Gare St. Lazare. Continuing to Gare de Lyon from where it is only few steps to the hotel was surprisingly easy by metro! Metro no. 14 is the only accessible metro I read. And it proved to be true. My partner and me had a larger suitcase (rollable), he had a cabin size suite case and I had a bag. We easily walked all the way down to the respective metro platform using escalators and one lift. The ticket machines are multi lingual and easy to use. Having arrived at Gare de Lyon we followed the sign for exit "1 Bd. Diderot". Only the very last part of the surfacing procedure was a flare of about 12 steps. Crossing two traffic lights, walking 50m and there we were. - The less accessible parts were the few steps in the hotel between reception and the elevator :-)

We arrived at 15:00hrs and were puzzled that the receptionist said he will inquire if our room is ready (official check-in time was 15:00hrs). It was. He gave a run-down of the Diamond benefits which I completed with "a room upgrade upon availability". He answered that we had a King Deluxe with view. I replied that this was exactly the category I booked and paid for. To be honest, I checked in advance and saw all rooms gone. They must have been pretty full. They had reserved room 703 for us which is on top floor and at the end of the small hall way. On the upper floors there are less rooms than on the lower floor. However there was a staff room opposite our room and we had door banging throughout the afternoon when the house keeping ladies assembled there.

There are two elevators. The first one is a historic model, quite modernized, all grids (except for the floor to stand on), takes 3 persons maximum (or the two of us with our luggage). A trainee helped us to a second elevator which we gladly accepted. However, this ended up in the house keeping sector being welcomed by utterly irritated house keeping staff. The supervising house keeper than showed us to our room.

Our room was spacious but lacked a proper seating area with arm chair. We had a small hallway that was shut by a second door. Great thing. However, we found out that the neighboring bath was just adjacent to that hallway and room. And that enabled us to nearly follow conversation from there. On the opposite I did not hear voices from the neighboring room itself. We had a Nespresso machine but did not get original Nespresso coffee capsules (not good). The bed was comfortable. The bath room had a spacious shower (hand held, no rain shower) and a small window to open.

Although on top floor, walls were not sloped because the had built-in cupboards. The window was nearly from floor to ceiling but not wide. Next time I would prefer a room on floor 6 for more daylight. The window did not isolate too well, we still heard traffic when closed. The view was interesting and pleasant. To the right the Gare de Lyon (the clock tower was not in view from our room) and leaning a bit out the column on the Place de Bastille was visible to the left.

House keeping was basically good and very friendly but a bit hit or miss. Soap was replaced on morning 1 and 2, shampoo and shower gel replaced although still more than half full on morning 2, the room was only superficially made on morning 3. Strange pattern.

In terms of location I find this hotel very convenient. We had dinner at the "Train Bleu" in the Gare de Lyon the first evening, we had an opera show in the Opera de Bastille the last afternoon - both perfectly walkable. (I vistited the "Train Bleu" the 3rd time. Perfect dishes, service has gone down and it gets full, full, full with English speaking people. Only that you know if you want to go there for the fantastic interior)

Breakfast offered a rare thing: coffee and tea is served. No eggs made to order (I usually don't care but it was the retro benefit in HGI's "those days"...). Breakfast staff was attentive, cleaning tables rather quickly and if a table hasn't been set yet they were happy to set it up quickly if you chose to sit there.

There was one receptionist (Laetitia) which was an asset to it all. Always well humored, friendly, attentive, patient, focussed on problem solving. This is not based on my own experiences only but from what I observed. On check-out we met the GM who was interested in our experiences. Since we wanted to get to the train station on time I promised to report back by email which I did. And received an immediate reply.

The hotel has preserved its old fashioned charme. It was my first Tapestry hotel stay and I think this sub brand is a addition to the Hilton hotel family.

treppenlaeufer

Had a two night stay here just now and it was OK... for Paris probably good. However, this is not a property to get excited about at all. King with a view was tiny (as expected), with a view and ear onto the busy street outside, and worse: paper thin walls. First evening I had an American on the phone until late at night, the next evening two women who appeared to be tickling each other for extended periods

480 EUR for two nights. Breakfast was ok, though the fruit salad was inedible, and the coffee they bring (from a machine) an insult to coffee culture.
Reception staff very friendly and helpful.

xenophile

Stayed here for three nights over Christmas as Diamond. Was attracted to the very low points price when I booked, I think it was 40,000 points per night, which is a steal. Overall, I enjoyed the stay, but there were some definite minuses. The pluses were the room itself, which was fairly spacious for Paris. We were upgraded to a junior suite facing the inner courtyard. The bed was quite comfortable and the shower was great, but...

...the huge downside to this hotel is mentioned elsewhere: the walls are paper thin and you can literally hear your neighbors as if they're in your room. I thought someone snuck into our room and was urinating in our toilet, but no, it was just the adjacent room. Also, the doors in this hotel slam really, really loudly if you let them. After letting this happen once or twice upon or shortly after arrival, we always carefully closed the door behind us. Not our neighbors! I don't get it, if you know a door slams and you come in late at night and BLAM!!! F those neighbors! Ha, I'm kidding, I assume people just forget, but the doors in this hotel slam so loudly, you can hear them across the floor. I think I was even hearing doors slam on other floors. And if it was nearby, you could literally feel them rattle the roomIt was unlike anything I've ever experienced in a hotel.

But we're easy travelers and were just going with the flow and enjoying Paris at Christmas. The location of the hotel is good, easy access to much of the city from Gare de Lyon. We ate at Le Train Bleu in the station and it was horrid, one of the worst meals I've ever had in Paris. But the interior is beautiful. All in all, a nice stay and I'd stay again if they're practically giving rooms away at 40K/night.

lcylocal

Very quick question. Does anyone have an email address for this property? Staying next week and I need to check they have picked up my request for a baby cot. Will call them if not, but tend to like to have something in writing.

ArnoldB

Booked a King Guest Room and now, still some time out, I noticed that it was changed to "King Deluxe Room". However I can not even find that category anywhere, just "King Deluxe Room Aromatherapy" (what does that entail?) and "King Deluxe Room with Balcony".

the phoenix

Booking 4 pts in Paris, near Gare de Nord and its 191000 pts a night. So for 4 nights, 724000 pts for a premium room that I can't even confirm is appropriate for 2 adults and 2 teens. Is that a low value redemption? My gut says yes.