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Renaissance Vendome Paris [Master Thread]

Renaissance Vendome Paris [Master Thread]

Old Sep 3, 2019, 10:06 am
  #106  
 
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Originally Posted by hockeyinsider
That should work, but I would recommend the manager if you have an issues or extra-special requests.

Raïs Boukhedouni, Front Office Manager <[email protected]>
I can confirm this is still the correct contact but a slightly different email address. I received an email from him this morning in response to a request I made for a stay next week. It came from [email protected].
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Old Jan 2, 2021, 12:42 pm
  #107  
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Just had a great NYE stay here. I booked a room for 4 with points and we were upgraded to the 2 bedroom family "suite". It was really just two rooms with a private corridor, but on the 5th floor with terraces in each room and the master bathroom. And the rooms were large for Paris. On NYE there was a balloon in the kids room with juices and some high end chocolate. In our room was a nice bottle of Champagne also with chocolate and a kind note from the hotel. Free elite breakfast was worth over 120 euros per day and very French 5 star. On top of all that, they offered free parking at Place Vendome which is worth over 40 euros per day. This was easily my best Bonvoy experience under COVID. W Barcelona takes second place.
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Old Aug 16, 2021, 5:29 am
  #108  
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We just completed a two night stay here. I feel slightly guilty for posting a negative review, because our reservation was moved over from Marriott Opera, which reached out a month or so ago with news of a summer closure due to low occupancy. I had scored a super low BRG of €124 at the Marriott, so kudos to the owners for honoring the reservation and moving us to the Ren.

The Ren was at 100% occupancy throughout, which I appreciate makes things tough for hotels.

When we arrived, an agitated American sat at the front desk, complaining about her room. She had booked a La Petite room for herself and her two 20-y/o-ish daughters, and upon seeing the room realized that they'd be unable to even open their bags or walk around. What did you expect of a 170sqft room? Well, as we and the entire lobby learned, she demanded to be moved (as Gold!) to another Bonvoy property.

SNAs failed, so I was expecting that we'd be getting one of those 170sqft rooms. But to my surprise, we received an upgrade to a Prestige room on the top floor (despite our low rate, and the fact that we didn't do what half the posts on this threads are about, reaching out to the hotel to request an upgrade). Room was some 300sqft, with some nice design touches, but really nothing special. AC didn't work properly, so the room remained at a balmy 25 degrees C until well after dark, when lower outside temperatures helped bring it below 20. More problematic was the low water pressure. At 9.30am on Saturday, apparently everybody was showering, and we had a mere trickle. Don't recall ever experiencing anything like this at a hotel, although I do have childhood memories of campgrounds in former Yugoslavia with similar water pressure. We went to breakfast unkempt and showered afterward.

Breakfast was just ok. The physical space is pleasant enough, breads/pastries/yogurt were fine, but the omelets were salty, rubbery and borderline disgusting, and the fruit salad was awful. It's a great benefit on paper (compared to the eye-watering sticker price), but really not up to par.

On our last day, we requested late check-out. The hotel denied it, arguing that it is "guaranteed, but on demand, and we are full, so we cannot." I hate being a pest, and considering the 100% occupancy and our low rate, we gave in. I was traveling with medication that requires refrigeration, so being kicked out of the room early caused some problems.

I wouldn't say no if I were offered another opportunity to stay here at €124, but at their usual rates of €350 or so, or as a Cat 7 redemption, ZERO chance I'd return.
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Old Aug 16, 2021, 8:10 am
  #109  
 
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Originally Posted by jpdx
We just completed a two night stay here. I feel slightly guilty for posting a negative review, because our reservation was moved over from Marriott Opera, which reached out a month or so ago with news of a summer closure due to low occupancy. I had scored a super low BRG of €124 at the Marriott, so kudos to the owners for honoring the reservation and moving us to the Ren.

The Ren was at 100% occupancy throughout, which I appreciate makes things tough for hotels.

When we arrived, an agitated American sat at the front desk, complaining about her room. She had booked a La Petite room for herself and her two 20-y/o-ish daughters, and upon seeing the room realized that they'd be unable to even open their bags or walk around. What did you expect of a 170sqft room? Well, as we and the entire lobby learned, she demanded to be moved (as Gold!) to another Bonvoy property.

SNAs failed, so I was expecting that we'd be getting one of those 170sqft rooms. But to my surprise, we received an upgrade to a Prestige room on the top floor (despite our low rate, and the fact that we didn't do what half the posts on this threads are about, reaching out to the hotel to request an upgrade). Room was some 300sqft, with some nice design touches, but really nothing special. AC didn't work properly, so the room remained at a balmy 25 degrees C until well after dark, when lower outside temperatures helped bring it below 20. More problematic was the low water pressure. At 9.30am on Saturday, apparently everybody was showering, and we had a mere trickle. Don't recall ever experiencing anything like this at a hotel, although I do have childhood memories of campgrounds in former Yugoslavia with similar water pressure. We went to breakfast unkempt and showered afterward.

Breakfast was just ok. The physical space is pleasant enough, breads/pastries/yogurt were fine, but the omelets were salty, rubbery and borderline disgusting, and the fruit salad was awful. It's a great benefit on paper (compared to the eye-watering sticker price), but really not up to par.

On our last day, we requested late check-out. The hotel denied it, arguing that it is "guaranteed, but on demand, and we are full, so we cannot." I hate being a pest, and considering the 100% occupancy and our low rate, we gave in. I was traveling with medication that requires refrigeration, so being kicked out of the room early caused some problems.

I wouldn't say no if I were offered another opportunity to stay here at €124, but at their usual rates of €350 or so, or as a Cat 7 redemption, ZERO chance I'd return.
Thanks for the review.

Sorry, I can’t see on mobile what your status is - but I assume it’s platinum or above - I think it’s dreadful that they denied you 4pm checkout. I’ve actually had this issue at a couple of hotels recently and I’ve just shown them the terms and conditions if they won’t back down. If I were you, I’d at least follow up with Marriott corporate, if you didn’t feel comfortable arguing at the time (which is understandable). It’s just infuriating when hotels do this to elites, especially if you have a medical need for access to a fridge. The rate shouldn’t make any difference, in my opinion - the checkout is guaranteed wherever you’ve paid. As a doctor, I’m even more cross on your behalf. I hope you managed to sort your medication out.
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Old Aug 16, 2021, 5:00 pm
  #110  
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Would file a complaint w/Marriott for benefit non-compliance...but who are we kidding, Marriott doesn't give a crap, and this decision likely benefitted their primary customer (hotel owners). so more "noise around the edges"
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Old Mar 9, 2022, 12:39 pm
  #111  
 
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I'm a little surprised that there's very little conversation around this property considering Paris is a very popular destination. I'm considering staying here in June for a short 2 night stay on points. I know the Prince de Galles is the creme de la creme of Parisian properties, but honestly couldn't justify the extra 60k points for a room that we wouldn't be spending a ton of time at. I'm taking an interest in this property because the redemption is reasonable (70k per night), better rated on Marriott and good location being in the Vendome area

anyone have thoughts on this property? Reading the last recent review, I would have concerns since this seems like an older property
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Old Mar 9, 2022, 12:53 pm
  #112  
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Originally Posted by justlaz
anyone have thoughts on this property? Reading the last recent review, I would have concerns since this seems like an older property
My stay, posted above, was from 14 months ago. I don't think the hotel could have aged much since then and it did not seem old to me. It is a very nice boutique hotel with excellent service. At least that was my experience.
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Old May 2, 2022, 6:54 am
  #113  
 
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I just finished a reward stay here for 3 nights. I am Titanium Lifetime status. I got a corner balcony room, which certainly looked a bit bigger than some of the other balcony rooms. It was a pleasant stay. Room and bedding was very comfortable.

Bathroom had both a tub and shower. I only used the shower, but had no issues with either pressure or hot water (though my showers were all in the morning). Toiletries were TokyoMilk by Margot Elena.

The TV only had a few of channels in English - BBC World News, Sky, CNN, France24 – basically if you wanted news you were covered, otherwise, non. However, you can connect your device to the TV and watch from your device, which probably covers most people nowadays. As an elite I received free enhanced internet. It worked without issue. I even did a video conference call during my time at the hotel, and it was absolutely fine.

There is no lounge, so for elites breakfast is served in the restaurant. There was a selection of pastries, cured meats, smoked fish, salads, cheeses & breads, plus you can get eggs to order. Coffee and tea are made to order, plus fruit juice and water.

When checking in they let me know that they did a free cocktail from 6 to 7 each evening in the lobby. I headed down at 6 on the first day to try it out. Each evening the cocktail on offer was the same, a creation called “The Green Beast,” consisting of absinthe, lemon, cucumber and water. It was light, and not very alcoholic tasting. I’m guessing it wasn’t too heavy on the absinthe and probably a lot more cucumber water.

I didn't get room service, but it is provided by the restaurant in the lobby called Balagan, which is middle eastern restaurant so the dishes on offer reflect that. I did have a cocktail in the bar one night. The bar is very plush, red velvet lounge. The cocktail I had was very good, but also went straight to my head so I didn't dare try another unless I wouldn't be able to stumble out to find dinner.







I have a report in the Trip Report forum has some additional photos of the hotel.

Last edited by GregWTravels; May 2, 2022 at 7:09 am
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Old May 29, 2022, 5:53 pm
  #114  
 
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This was my first stay at this property, as the Westin, where I stayed earlier for one week, then left France for a day, was sold out for the nights following my return.

I stayed for years at the Westin Vendome, got a very nice suite facing the Tuileries on the 4th floor upgrade, although 5 of the nights were booked on points. That hotel earned my loyalty a long time ago by treating me very well with those suites with an incredible view.

I definitely knew that I would not get a view at the Renaissance, but, with a the SNAs that I had applied to my reservation and a discussion to the Front Desk Manager (the is no Front Office Manager and no Director of Rooms at this property, the last one being understandable in view of the size of the hotel). Two days prior to my arrival, there was still no reply on my SNA's request, which was very unusual. The FDM said that she would contact Marriott and one the next day, I received an email stating that my SNA request had been denied.

When I checked in in the evening, the Duty Manager, who tried to be helpful, told me that there was no suite or larger room available. He said that that there no message from his FDM, who had told me that she would try to find something for me, even if the SNAs were declined. He looked embarrassed but was not available to give me something better than a room that was 2 SQM larger than the one I booked. He told me that he would try to find something better for the following nights (I never heard from them again about this).
My reservation and my profile indicated a "High Floor" request, but I was assigned this small room on the 3rd floor / 2eme etage just above the entrance of the hotel, so I had the noise of the car doors closing when cars were dropping off or picking up guests at night time). My 3-night reservation was at an average of 650 euros per night (certainly the worst deal that I have got in my long guest "career".

On the next morning, on my way to breakfast, I saw the FDM who asked me how I was doing (no mention of the upgrade that did not happened). I told her that the only room of that size that I ever stayed at, in a hotel, was in Narita, where ANA booked me after a flight delay that made me miss my connection).
Having stayed at Starwood, then Marriott properties over 1,500 nights (with well over 1,400 in suites, following upgrades) since the programs started, I have seen (and talked many times to management people) about the training and way to handle customers, but did not recognize anything that this FDM told me that was fitting the Marriott's way. It was more like "If you want a suite or a large room, I would advise you to book what you prefer". She tried to educate me about small hotels (when I recently had nice suite upgrades at the Edition Barcelona, city that she is very familiar with, or the JW Marriott Bosphorus in Istanbul, both small hotels).

Apparently, this person (or the hotel) is not big on "Elite" recognition, as she did not bother to make any effort to offer me anything to somehow keep me at a certain level of happiness, which is what I have always experienced with Starwood or Marriott (but also with Hilton & IHG). No "Is there anything else that I could do to make your stay more comfortable?" at this property.

Breakfast is at the hotel only restaurant. It is small and set up a little bit like The Pain Quotidien, with some large tables which can be shared. It is trying to have a very casual, home style, but that can be awkward.
On the first morning, when I got in, there was a guy standing next to a pole, making the pathway even more difficult, but I thought that he was a guest. It turned out that he was part of the staff, that did not bother to make things easier for the guests. This long curly hair guy had a shirt open almost up to his belly button - definitely another F&B standard. No exchange with him.
On the 2nd morning, it took him forever to bring me an espresso coffee. Just the order, followed by a thank you exchange with him.
On the 3rd morning, I was with my 84-year-old mother (with some asthma issue) and I was trying not to sit right next to other people, to make her feel more comfortable. A young trainee, that I had not seen during the previous mornings, was first insisting that we sat next to a couple when there were several larger tables available, but then let us seat at the table I was preferring. Problem easily resolved, but that previous mornings guy shows up and asked if there was an issue. I started to tell him that it was taken care of, when he interrupted me with "First of all, you are going to change your tone!" and he was not talking about the tone level of my voice.
Totally inappropriate (not to say "weird") attitude, to end up saying that we could sit wherever we wanted, contradicting his trainee. Hard to believe that this guy was given some kind of manager or supervisor position.
My mother, being upset with the rudeness of this guy, asked me if we could leave, so this is what we did, without having had breakfast.

The Renaissance was my plan B, in case the Westin was sold to become a luxury hotel. It is no longer my plan and needless to say that I will not return to this property. I'll probably switch to an IHG hotel in case the Westin is sold out.

Too many tiny rooms in that hotel located in a narrow street (as shown on a picture of the previous post) with a narrow-minded management which does not seem to understand the importance of loyalty (on both ends).
I also noticed an unequal cleaning service and burned my arm on the towel heater that had been set up at the maximum temperature before I checked in - beware of that heater in the small bathroom, if you stay there).
At the end, the responsibility falls with the GM.

I assumed the fact that I am spoiled, but it is only because Starwood, then Marriott have been spoiling me for a long time and I have been trying to be very loyal to them in return (will return to the Ambassador level this year, after a 2-year interruption).

To end on a good note, most of the staff is pleasant, even in the restaurant (in the afternoon, you will see the restaurant staff occupying the adjacent sidewalk during their break, forcing people, some with luggage, to move on the street.

Note: this post is way too long!

Last edited by UASPG; Jul 12, 2022 at 2:25 pm
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Old Jan 19, 2023, 8:48 am
  #115  
 
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Has anyone stayed here recently? I saw online that their on-site restaurant, Balagan, has closed leaving the property without any dining venues. It does say breakfast is served in the lobby but that doesn’t seem ideal. Any word on when they might reopen a restaurant and bar?
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Old Jan 19, 2023, 8:56 am
  #116  
 
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Originally Posted by Ryanjv
Has anyone stayed here recently? I saw online that their on-site restaurant, Balagan, has closed leaving the property without any dining venues. It does say breakfast is served in the lobby but that doesn’t seem ideal. Any word on when they might reopen a restaurant and bar?
Stayed here in May last year. It was still open when I was there, but did not personally try the breakfast nor the restaurants. There's tons of amazing food options in the area and Paris as an international food city, I personally wouldn't bother caring whether the property had decent or free breakfast, why waste the stomach space for mediocre standard American breakfast?
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Old Jan 19, 2023, 9:11 am
  #117  
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Originally Posted by justlaz
There's tons of amazing food options in the area and Paris as an international food city, I personally wouldn't bother caring whether the property had decent or free breakfast, why waste the stomach space for mediocre standard American breakfast?
Some Parisien hotels offer an excellent breakfast. And just because it's a Marriott doesn't mean the breakfast is American. Ren Republique, for example, offered absolutely amazing croissants and pain au chocolat when I stayed several years ago.

I would hesitate to stay here based on UASPG's experience, but would not be so dismissive of OP's interest in a good hotel breakfast.
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Old Jan 19, 2023, 10:07 am
  #118  
 
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Originally Posted by Kacee
Some Parisien hotels offer an excellent breakfast. And just because it's a Marriott doesn't mean the breakfast is American. Ren Republique, for example, offered absolutely amazing croissants and pain au chocolat when I stayed several years ago.

I would hesitate to stay here based on UASPG's experience, but would not be so dismissive of OP's interest in a good hotel breakfast.
The best breakfast that I had in a hotel in Paris was at the Park Hyatt Vendôme, but that was some years ago.

They might have (or not) resolved the attitude issue of some of the staff at the breakfast restaurant, but the rooms will remain small with no view, on a street that can be noisy.
I would be surprised if the "If you need a suite or a larger room, I would suggest that you make the reservation in that category, for a future stay" mentality had changed.
Amending the Modus Operandi of a property is not an easy task.
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Old Jan 19, 2023, 10:18 am
  #119  
 
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Originally Posted by Ryanjv
Has anyone stayed here recently? I saw online that their on-site restaurant, Balagan, has closed leaving the property without any dining venues. It does say breakfast is served in the lobby but that doesn’t seem ideal. Any word on when they might reopen a restaurant and bar?
I just saw that post. What a surprise !

https://en.balagan-paris.com/


https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotel...-hotel/dining/

"Full American Buffet Breakfast

American

The restaurant is open to propose you a full American buffet breakfast. A courtesy breakfast is also available in the lobby. The restaurant is closed for lunch and dinner.
Mon&Fri
7:00 AM-10:00 AM
Tue-Thu
Closed

Sat-Sun
7:00 AM-11:00 AM"

The lobby at this hotel is fairly small, so the breakfast set-up might be awkward. I am also wondering what is offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
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Old Jul 15, 2023, 12:21 pm
  #120  
 
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Have a long weekend stay upcoming, was between this and the Westin purely based on location. Rates here were €150 more but I think the access to the sauna put me over the top.
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