Last edit by: skj
I'm making this thread a wiki since there are issues that keep getting repeated (breakfast and transportation from/to CDG). Feel free to add whatever you feel is important - stick to facts of please and not one off exceptions (eg if you get an upgrade to the Presidential Suite on an award stay without any status - that's definitely a one off that doesn't belong in the WIKI - obviously you can do a regular post on it).
Public transport to the hotel from CDG
The best option is to take the Roissy bus to Opera. From there, the hotel is about a 5 minute walk.
The next best option is to take RER B to Chatelet-Les Halles. All trains from Roissy/CDG head south into Paris so no worries there. Some go express all the way into Paris (Gare du Nord, so Chatelet-Les Halles is the second stop); others are locals, in which case there are a lot of stops; some are half-express, half-local ... but all stop at Chatelet-Les Halles; and there is no point waiting for an express because it is rare if ever that an express will overtake a local. So get on whatever comes first. At Chatelet-Les Halles, transfer to RER A for one stop to Auber (which is joined to Opera station). You will be heading westbound, toward the termini St. Germain-en-Laye/Poissy/Cergny. You have to go up the stairs and back down for the Auber-bound train. Do not race across the platform for the RER B because that will be heading eastbound, to Gare de Lyon, Nation, Vincennes (and, depending on which one you get on, eventually Eurodisney!) The walk from the Auber exit closest to the RER stop takes about 10 minutes.
Public transport to the hotel from Orly
Take the Orlyval train to its end at Antony, then switch to RER B to Chatelet-Les-Halles and continue as above. In this case you can just cross the platform from the RER B to get the RER A headed to Auber.
Breakfast
The breakfast at Cafe Jeanne is free for Globalist members but is 40-50 euros per person otherwise. A modified but still very good version of this buffet breakfast is also available in the room and is also free for Globalists. Tips are not covered but then again the theory in France is that the service charge is in the price.
Museum tickets & pass from the concierge
You can buy "skip the line" tickets to the Louvre or Orsay for 18€ each, which is higher than the regular tickets via the Louvre & Orsay websites. But being able to "skip the line" obviously adds some value. They will also sell you the two day Paris Museum Pass for 55€. That is a 7€ markup.
Phone/data recommendations:
Lebara worked really well for me. What you need to do:
• You must unlock your phone (you can do this for free online with ATT through their website if you are out of contract)
• Order free SIM card at Lebara.fr a few weeks before your trip. I don’t think it took more than 2 weeks for my SIM card to arrive
• Activate SIM card at https://www.lebara.fr/activate-sim-detail?isoCode=en_GB or search “activate SIM” at Lebara.fr
• Load your SIM card with what you need. I paid 10 euro for 3G of data, unlimited SMS and local calls for 10 days (this should be plenty for most tourists)
LeFrench Mobile did not work so well for me: I paid 20-30 euro for local and international calls for my sister but was only able to make local calls and SMS
restaurant recommendations:
Nearby:
(We're here on 1 Oct 2021 and it appears this restaurant is closed permanently ...) Le Cap Bourbon- good, inexpensive, our server was nice and attentive (by French standards), great local crowd, menu has English translation
We ate a local Thai restaurant - Yo - its about a 5 minute walk from the hotel and very busy. I had a guinea fowl green curry - a first for me. Very good food and friendly service.
Other:
L'Avant Comptoir is a wine bar with great,relatively cheap eats and a great atmosphere and friendly, English-speaking staff. Standing room only and tight.
Public transport to the hotel from CDG
The best option is to take the Roissy bus to Opera. From there, the hotel is about a 5 minute walk.
The next best option is to take RER B to Chatelet-Les Halles. All trains from Roissy/CDG head south into Paris so no worries there. Some go express all the way into Paris (Gare du Nord, so Chatelet-Les Halles is the second stop); others are locals, in which case there are a lot of stops; some are half-express, half-local ... but all stop at Chatelet-Les Halles; and there is no point waiting for an express because it is rare if ever that an express will overtake a local. So get on whatever comes first. At Chatelet-Les Halles, transfer to RER A for one stop to Auber (which is joined to Opera station). You will be heading westbound, toward the termini St. Germain-en-Laye/Poissy/Cergny. You have to go up the stairs and back down for the Auber-bound train. Do not race across the platform for the RER B because that will be heading eastbound, to Gare de Lyon, Nation, Vincennes (and, depending on which one you get on, eventually Eurodisney!) The walk from the Auber exit closest to the RER stop takes about 10 minutes.
Public transport to the hotel from Orly
Take the Orlyval train to its end at Antony, then switch to RER B to Chatelet-Les-Halles and continue as above. In this case you can just cross the platform from the RER B to get the RER A headed to Auber.
Breakfast
The breakfast at Cafe Jeanne is free for Globalist members but is 40-50 euros per person otherwise. A modified but still very good version of this buffet breakfast is also available in the room and is also free for Globalists. Tips are not covered but then again the theory in France is that the service charge is in the price.
Museum tickets & pass from the concierge
You can buy "skip the line" tickets to the Louvre or Orsay for 18€ each, which is higher than the regular tickets via the Louvre & Orsay websites. But being able to "skip the line" obviously adds some value. They will also sell you the two day Paris Museum Pass for 55€. That is a 7€ markup.
Phone/data recommendations:
Lebara worked really well for me. What you need to do:
• You must unlock your phone (you can do this for free online with ATT through their website if you are out of contract)
• Order free SIM card at Lebara.fr a few weeks before your trip. I don’t think it took more than 2 weeks for my SIM card to arrive
• Activate SIM card at https://www.lebara.fr/activate-sim-detail?isoCode=en_GB or search “activate SIM” at Lebara.fr
• Load your SIM card with what you need. I paid 10 euro for 3G of data, unlimited SMS and local calls for 10 days (this should be plenty for most tourists)
LeFrench Mobile did not work so well for me: I paid 20-30 euro for local and international calls for my sister but was only able to make local calls and SMS
restaurant recommendations:
Nearby:
(We're here on 1 Oct 2021 and it appears this restaurant is closed permanently ...) Le Cap Bourbon- good, inexpensive, our server was nice and attentive (by French standards), great local crowd, menu has English translation
We ate a local Thai restaurant - Yo - its about a 5 minute walk from the hotel and very busy. I had a guinea fowl green curry - a first for me. Very good food and friendly service.
Other:
L'Avant Comptoir is a wine bar with great,relatively cheap eats and a great atmosphere and friendly, English-speaking staff. Standing room only and tight.
Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme REVIEW - MASTER THREAD (Aug 2011 onward)
#3526
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 400
It isn't clear from the OP that the property was aware it was a special occasion.
If this was supposedly such a special occasion, I certainly wouldn't have waited to post a complaint on FT after the fact.
If you read the reviews, you should realize certain parts of the hotel are past their prime, but many still seem to enjoy the property.
Last edited by speedytimmy; Sep 19, 2017 at 6:02 pm
#3527
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 400
These parts of the review also comes across as a little odd:
"Had used a suite upgrade."
"Also they won't confirm the suite upgrade until you arrive."
If you have a confirmed/tier suite upgrade, that is/should be blocked in advance.
This being done on arrival, especially at a PH property - not true.
"Had used a suite upgrade."
"Also they won't confirm the suite upgrade until you arrive."
If you have a confirmed/tier suite upgrade, that is/should be blocked in advance.
This being done on arrival, especially at a PH property - not true.
Last edited by speedytimmy; Sep 19, 2017 at 6:32 pm
#3528
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountain Time Zone
Programs: AS Million Miler/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/ IGH Ambassador
Posts: 5,980
These parts of the review also comes across as a little odd:
"Had used a suite upgrade."
"Also they won't confirm the suite upgrade until you arrive."
If you have a confirmed/tier suite upgrade, that is/should be blocked in advance.
This being done on arrival, especially at a PH property - not true.
"Had used a suite upgrade."
"Also they won't confirm the suite upgrade until you arrive."
If you have a confirmed/tier suite upgrade, that is/should be blocked in advance.
This being done on arrival, especially at a PH property - not true.
I had the something at the Maui Andaz
#3529
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Texas
Programs: Hyatt Lifetime Globalist
Posts: 452
We just got back from here a few weeks ago and our stay was pretty good. Not sure what the expectations were from the other poster today but here is how it went for us.
We arrived way early and they took our information down and told us they would call when the room was ready as we were going to go for a walk instead of waiting at the hotel. We got a call at 10:30 AM (within an hour of checking in) letting us know our suite was ready. We used points with the 10% CC rebate which made it a better redemption. Also used a suite upgrade and confirmed on the phone when we made the reservation back in March. Only complaint is the Hyatt system will not show suite upgrade room on confirmation emails for points TSU so we asked for an email from corporate to confirm our upgrade had processed and that we just couldn't see it.
We had one small issue with breakfast on the second day where they wanted to charge us for ordering a bread option (waffle, pancake, French toast) and I had to go to the front desk to confirm what is offered for globalists and it was quickly taken care of. As far as the undercooked eggs, if that was the scrambled eggs, that is how they do them in Paris and they were awesome but you have to like that kind of thing. If that is not to your liking, you can order normal fried eggs which came out correctly for my wife each day or you can specify firm scrambled eggs which are more like what most people would expect. Otherwise I don't know how anyone can complain about a free breakfast that is way better than any domestic Hyatt I stay at in the US.
Ordered room service for dinner one night and it was fantastic. Great French cooking at a reasonable price for the location.
The rooms are clean and have a nice feeling about them. My wife missed the Blaise Moutin (sp?) but the other bathroom products were fine.
The spa was great as usual and I love that we were the only ones down there all but one day.
I highly recommend using Uber for getting around as the most expensive Uber black fare was $22 from the Eiffel Tower area. We also took it to and from the airport and it couldn't have been any easier. Even at rush hour on a Monday morning, it took us no longer than 50 minutes to get to the hotel on a fixed fare.
Everything boils down to expectations and as a US traveler, this place is a great redemption value. Claudio reached out after we left to apologize again for breakfast and they did send up a bottle of wine to make it up. We are not much into red wine and did not open it but the gesture was nice and unexpected. After all of the less than positive reviews, I was glad we had a great time but again, every trip is what you make it!
We arrived way early and they took our information down and told us they would call when the room was ready as we were going to go for a walk instead of waiting at the hotel. We got a call at 10:30 AM (within an hour of checking in) letting us know our suite was ready. We used points with the 10% CC rebate which made it a better redemption. Also used a suite upgrade and confirmed on the phone when we made the reservation back in March. Only complaint is the Hyatt system will not show suite upgrade room on confirmation emails for points TSU so we asked for an email from corporate to confirm our upgrade had processed and that we just couldn't see it.
We had one small issue with breakfast on the second day where they wanted to charge us for ordering a bread option (waffle, pancake, French toast) and I had to go to the front desk to confirm what is offered for globalists and it was quickly taken care of. As far as the undercooked eggs, if that was the scrambled eggs, that is how they do them in Paris and they were awesome but you have to like that kind of thing. If that is not to your liking, you can order normal fried eggs which came out correctly for my wife each day or you can specify firm scrambled eggs which are more like what most people would expect. Otherwise I don't know how anyone can complain about a free breakfast that is way better than any domestic Hyatt I stay at in the US.
Ordered room service for dinner one night and it was fantastic. Great French cooking at a reasonable price for the location.
The rooms are clean and have a nice feeling about them. My wife missed the Blaise Moutin (sp?) but the other bathroom products were fine.
The spa was great as usual and I love that we were the only ones down there all but one day.
I highly recommend using Uber for getting around as the most expensive Uber black fare was $22 from the Eiffel Tower area. We also took it to and from the airport and it couldn't have been any easier. Even at rush hour on a Monday morning, it took us no longer than 50 minutes to get to the hotel on a fixed fare.
Everything boils down to expectations and as a US traveler, this place is a great redemption value. Claudio reached out after we left to apologize again for breakfast and they did send up a bottle of wine to make it up. We are not much into red wine and did not open it but the gesture was nice and unexpected. After all of the less than positive reviews, I was glad we had a great time but again, every trip is what you make it!
#3531
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Egham, Surrey, UK
Programs: Mucci Champion des Champions, BAG4L, *A Gold, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, Hertz Gold, Avis President
Posts: 3,416
These parts of the review also comes across as a little odd:
"Had used a suite upgrade."
"Also they won't confirm the suite upgrade until you arrive."
If you have a confirmed/tier suite upgrade, that is/should be blocked in advance.
This being done on arrival, especially at a PH property - not true.
"Had used a suite upgrade."
"Also they won't confirm the suite upgrade until you arrive."
If you have a confirmed/tier suite upgrade, that is/should be blocked in advance.
This being done on arrival, especially at a PH property - not true.
The good news is that the head of operations contacted me and actually agreed with virtually everything I had reported here. He apologised and said that a series of mistakes had occurred and that he and his team were embarrassed. They are using my post as a training aid for his team and they have offered us a free stay to show us the experience we should have had so hopefully all will end well. As he said he can't rerun our wedding anniversary but he will give us an unforgettable memory on our next stay.
#3532
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountain Time Zone
Programs: AS Million Miler/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/ IGH Ambassador
Posts: 5,980
I am afraid it is. I spoke to the UK rep several times as I didn't receive the upgrade email. He told me on three occasions that this property will not guarantee the suite until you arrive therefore there is no email confirmation merely a note that the hotel staff can see that states suite upgrade requested.
The good news is that the head of operations contacted me and actually agreed with virtually everything I had reported here. He apologised and said that a series of mistakes had occurred and that he and his team were embarrassed. They are using my post as a training aid for his team and they have offered us a free stay to show us the experience we should have had so hopefully all will end well. As he said he can't rerun our wedding anniversary but he will give us an unforgettable memory on our next stay.
The good news is that the head of operations contacted me and actually agreed with virtually everything I had reported here. He apologised and said that a series of mistakes had occurred and that he and his team were embarrassed. They are using my post as a training aid for his team and they have offered us a free stay to show us the experience we should have had so hopefully all will end well. As he said he can't rerun our wedding anniversary but he will give us an unforgettable memory on our next stay.
#3533
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 35
A quick question for you guys - I had a King booked on points, which I upgraded via a GSU. I reached out to the property to ask them to make the reservation for 3 adults (since the Park Suite sleeps 3, rather than the 2 in the standard room) and they said that there would be an extra person charge per night. Is that right? I thought extra-person charges didn't apply on award stays.
#3534
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountain Time Zone
Programs: AS Million Miler/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/ IGH Ambassador
Posts: 5,980
A quick question for you guys - I had a King booked on points, which I upgraded via a GSU. I reached out to the property to ask them to make the reservation for 3 adults (since the Park Suite sleeps 3, rather than the 2 in the standard room) and they said that there would be an extra person charge per night. Is that right? I thought extra-person charges didn't apply on award stays.
Good luck
#3535
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,294
#3537
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Philadelphia, LAX, Paris
Programs: UA 1K/2MM, SPG/Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Lifetime HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 3,298
A quick question for you guys - I had a King booked on points, which I upgraded via a GSU. I reached out to the property to ask them to make the reservation for 3 adults (since the Park Suite sleeps 3, rather than the 2 in the standard room) and they said that there would be an extra person charge per night. Is that right? I thought extra-person charges didn't apply on award stays.
#3538
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,327
A quick question for you guys - I had a King booked on points, which I upgraded via a GSU. I reached out to the property to ask them to make the reservation for 3 adults (since the Park Suite sleeps 3, rather than the 2 in the standard room) and they said that there would be an extra person charge per night. Is that right? I thought extra-person charges didn't apply on award stays.
#3539
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Philadelphia, LAX, Paris
Programs: UA 1K/2MM, SPG/Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Lifetime HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 3,298
Does anyone has any info as to how much that 3rd adult will cost in term of cash or points, & if by paying that extra charge, the 3rd adult can join in my complimentary Globalist breakfast each day?