sim510

Sorry I've not read thru 113 pages of posts in this thread. I'm looking for information on Renaissance Vendome. My main question is...does it have an executive lounge? The hotel web site doesn't mention one. Will be using points to book a special 50th anniv trip to Europe. What can a platinum expect? Paris is on the agenda for 5 days.

abbydancer

No lounge. We got breakfast, and they do provide bottled water.

sim510

Thanksfor that quick reply abbydancer. Would you still recommend this hotel? We always enjoy the lounge (when available).

abbydancer

A qualified yes. The location is great. We had a nice room, which, since I was with my sister, had to have two beds. It's an older hotel so room size might vary. The staff was very nice, and brought her an electric tea pot when she asked for hot water.

We were there in July of 2013 and on the 14th just walked about 4 blocks over to the Place de Concorde to see the fireworks at the Tour Eiffel.

We went back to Paris in December of 13 with my husband and our mother. My husband and I stayed at the Rive Gauche Marriott (Sister and I spent 1 night there in July when we went to Paris a day early and Vendome was too expensive). That's pretty much a standard Marriott with decent lounge hours. While the location isn't great, it's very good for Metro access, so the location wasn't a problem.

I think our deciding factor for December was price. (The Vendome stay was points I think)

If I only had a few days, I might pick the Renaissance for location.

Hope this helps.

sim510

Location trumps all else! I've just booked the Ren Vendome using points, plus cash, for jr suite! It IS our 50th anniversary trip after all.....! I was in Paris for a week during summer of 2013, staying in a privately owned apt in the 6e. I can see on the map that the Ren Vendome is really just across the Seine from that apt, which was a superb location!

CJKatl

Congrats! Fifty years is something to celebrate.

While a great location can add so much, especially for an event trip like yours, I just wanted to throw in that many on this board have had great things to say about some of the slightly more remote hotels, like the RG FS. My neighbors, a family of four, had an awesome trip to Paris staying at the CY St Denis for a week. It's Paris, after all. There is so much to do. It isn't like you are staying at an all inclusive resort. My point: While a good location can add to the trip, a bad location in Paris is still awesome, and anyone thinking they shouldn't plan a trip because they don't want to spend the points or cash to stay in the middle of the cultural high points is wrong. The Metro is easy and inexpensive, so even if you aren't staying steps from the Eiffel Tower you will have a great experience. I'd rather be at a more remote hotel in Paris than most other hotels in the Marriott family.

End of rant.

sim510

CJKatl, thank you! Your words of wisdom are appreciated, even though for the two of us, and this trip in particular, location is #1 when booking a hotel. We love to be able to walk to most places. I have no doubts that there are a number of lovely Marriott properties in Paris. Maybe in the future we will try another location. We get to Europe twice a year, to Switzerland and Germany, but these trips are mostly for business and the 2 to 3 week schedule gets crammed full leaving little or no time for a relaxing trip to Paris.

Back to my planning!

(I'm also a CJ)

ohmark

Vendome is a wonderful property (very boutique-like), and maybe the best location of any Marriott. But, you are likely to be assigned a very small room, even as a plat (especially in tourist season). We received a one class upgrade (as plat), from a minute room to a small room. Next time, I would beg, plead, or offer to pay to secure a better upgrade. That being said, it's a fine property and I would stay there again. No lounge, but a comped and bountiful breakfast with wonderful bread and pastries, meats, cheeses, and cooked to order eggs (upon request). Many here also like Parc Trocadero and Arc de Triomphe. Have a wonderful time!

sim510

Ah, but we're doing points plus $$$ to get a junior suite. Hopefully it will be more than "minute" in size.

ChrisJC5

We stayed at the Vendome this past September for 5 nights on points. I was debating whether to do the upgrade for cash and decided against it, but I did initially think I had made a mistake after the first night in Room 206, a terrible room right across the street from the Irish Pub (though we were warned that rooms across from the Pub can be distracting, the Pub was relatively quiet while we were at the Vendome, Aug 31 to Sept. 4). This was the smallest room, the bed was sagging and uncomfortable, and the AC was noisy. After complaining, we were given an upgrade the remaining nights to a "Prestige Room", which was ample space for us and a comfortable room on the other side of the hotel.

The staff was excellent, and the location stupendous for us, right near the Lourve and a block away from the Metro stop at Tulleries Garden. We walked a lot from the hotel and if you're very mobile you can hit a lot of major attractions from the Vendome by walking. By the way, the Metro is very convenient but it's not very user friendly for people with bad knees or walking impairments -- only came across one Metro stop with an escalator and connecting stops/lines can be difficult to navigate.

sim510

No mobility issues yet! We love walking around cities and neiborhoods. So glad that you rate the location stupendous. That's what we hope for.

DH and I used the subway back in the 80s. It was easy. We've not done it since! We will most likely use it again on this trip.

abbydancer

Personally, I think that Paris has one of the best metro systems in the world, certainly the best I've been on. Frequent trains and you're never more than about 10 walking minutes from a stop.

dwcatty

We had a fabulous 7 night stay at Le Parc. Upgraded as a gold to an oversize room, comped the full buffet breakfast every day, and located just a short walk from the iconic view of the Eiffel tower. ^


Here is my full report.

ohmark

Good decision.

SkiAdcock

Here's what I have listed for Paris in the exec lounge sticky. Could anyone confirm if the reports are still current & what date for which property? Thx.

* Paris / Marriott Champs-Elysees / NO LOUNGE/ Cont'l brekkie daily; 07/13 update
* Paris/ Marriott Rive Gauche / Open for soft drinks/snacks; Breakfast in restaurant on weekends (during peak time in the summer through end of September, lounge is open for breakfast); i-net terminals & free wifi; No children under 15 without adult; 09/09/14 update
* Paris / Marriott Opera Ambassador / CLOSED; Full breakfast in restaurant on weekends; key accessible for soft drinks/coffee; 05/14 update
* Paris / Renaissance Paris Vendome / No Lounge; Full breakfast everyday;
* Paris / Renaissance Parc Trocadero / NO LOUNGE; Full breakfast everyday; 08/05/14 update
* Paris / Renaissance Arc de Triomphe / NO LOUNGE; Full breakfast; 1/12 update
* Paris / Renaissance La Defense / CLOSED; Full breakfast in restaurant; key accessible for soft drinks; i-net terminals; 07/06/14 update
* Paris / Charles De Gaulle Airport Marriott / NO LOUNGE; Breakfast coupons and coupon for 1 drink at the bar or restaurant; 05/20/13 update

Cheers.