jbandy10

Wondering if anyone has any thoughts on my predicament here. I'm debating between a 5 nights points stay at Le Roch for my wife and I or a cash stay at $145 a night at Hyatt Regency Paris (very good rates for that hotel). I was initially favoring the Le Roch heavily because of location, but upon Google Maps investigation, it looks like the Hyatt is on top of a subway station and is actually quicker to some sights than the Le Roch, funny enough. Obviously the Le Roch neighborhood is more quaint. That's for sure.

I am Hyatt Explorist with a couple club certs to burn, so obviously an upgrade opportunity there at the Regency. I'm also Marriott Gold, but it sounds like upgrades at Le Roch are not happening. I can expect a cozy room.

My pros/cons list:
-Location: Le Roch gets the edge for me, although Regency is not too far behind
-Room size: similar
-Views: Regency wins for sure
-Neighborhood: Le Roch
-Service: Sounds like Le Roch is going to be on a different tier here
-Pool: Le Roch pool looks amazing. Don't think Regency has a pool.

I know this is an odd comparison. I've legitimately narrowed it down to these two though. Renaissance Republique was in the running at one point, but no more.

It's also worth mentioning the biggest advantage of the Regency: I get to keep 240,000 Marriott in my pocket for only $750.

bhrubin

It all comes down to what you prioritize. It sounds like Le Roche is the more interesting and nicer property in a nicer neighborhood. But the Hyatt Regency is cheaper.

Often, you get what you pay for. Saving points doesn’t help you use them.

Good luck.

Cardboard55

I didn't use it (or even remember to go look at it), but reports from my wife are that the pool at Le Roch is very small (but nice). Not sure how much of a factor that is, but I just thought I'd mention it since the pool is on your list.

jbandy10

We would actually prefer a smaller pool, tbh.

IDK. The enticing cash rate of the Hyatt Regency at around $140 a night is very, very good for paris. I could do a lot of damage with 240K marriott at another property like Ritz budapest.

CIT85

This is what I would do, Hyatt Regency Etoile at $145 a night is a great rate. The rooms are small, but nicely done after renovations. Use the 240K Marriott points for another great property where there aren't other good options, or add more points and use towards Venice Gritti Palace or Florence St. Regis, among the best former SPG properties.

I have stayed at PdG (before renovation), Westin Vendome, W Opera, Renaissance le Parc Trocadero, Park Hyatt, Hotel du Louvre, Hyatt Madeleine plus the Hilton properties, Hyatt Regency Etoile is currently the lowest priced but delivers very good value. I've stayed HR Etoile 5 times over the past 4 years because of value and Suite Upgrade plus the Regency Club.

Club Access award delivers excellent value at HR Etoile with good breakfast in the morning and evening hors d'oeuvres. You also have a good chance for upgrade to Eiffel Tower view room.
Club Access award works well here

Cardboard55

I thought I'd add a little more color to our stay at Le Roch, for others who might consider it.

Generally small boutique hotels are not our style. We tend to more often stay at larger hotels and resorts (Four Seasons, Montage, etc.), and that's the feel we're used to. But in this case, it seemed hard to beat the bang-for-buck at Le Roch, so we decided to give it a shot. As I said in my first post, it was a very nice one-week stay, and we didn't regret staying there for a moment.

We booked a "Deluxe Indulgence Room with Hammam," but we ended up upgrading to the Saint-Roch suite upon arrival (a paid upgrade, but at a reasonable upcharge in our opinion). They actually showed us both rooms before deciding. The Deluxe Indulgence room was very nice, but on the small side, and we were very glad to have the extra space in the suite. The suite also had a great outdoor patio which we enjoyed a lot. I've never had a hotel room with a steam room (as part of the shower), but I made more use of it than I expected. As a nod to bhrubin , we found the air conditioner to keep the room PLENTY cold, though I will say that the thermostat seemed a little fiddly (at times, changing only a single degree made a BIG difference in room temp, at other times it seemed to do nothing; it's possible I'm just too much of a dummy to operate it properly). We found the room to be nice and quiet, and we both slept very well.

Before and during the stay, the staff were very friendly and helpful. I found them very responsive via email before we arrived, which was great given the time difference. We didn't use the concierge for booking much (only one dinner, and airport transfers), but they seemed knowledgable and gave good advice when we asked them. We're not big breakfast eaters, so we only partook twice, and it was fine but nothing special. Breakfast service was pretty slow (even by Paris standards, especially considering we were the only ones in the restaurant), but otherwise no issues. And as I said before, we had dinner in the restaurant our last night in town and it was quite good. We would eat there again. We didn't try the pool or spa (though as mentioned earlier, my wife did go down and take a look at the pool).

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay there and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. Next time we visit Paris, I think we might try one of the higher-end options, but I would happily stay at Le Roch in the future.

jbandy10

Did you feel like you were "settling" here, or does it kind of stand up to the PdG and FS in its own way?

bhrubin

I can deal with a weird thermostat that errs on the side of colder!

Thanks for sharing. Glad you enjoyed the stay.

Out of curiosity, what was the upcharge to get that suite if you don't mind sharing?

Cardboard55

I've never stayed at either of those, so I can't make any direct comparison.

It obviously is a differerent thing. I guess I'd say even taking that into account, it's probably a bit below those, but it's mostly minor details. For example, at the best hotels, housekeeping has a magical way of servicing the room when you're away and you never see them. Here, a few times we either encoutered housekeeping in our room (despite being away for several hours), and one time we ended up sharing the (small) elevator with a housekeeper and her cart. Also, while the staff were VERY friendly and helpful, maybe they weren't quite as proactive as you might get at a top luxury property (then again, I've experienced much less proactive at far more expensive properties).

To put it another way, at no point did I feel that I was "settling," but if someone offered me Le Roch and FS GV at the same price, knowing what I know now, I'd choose FS.

jbandy10

That was very informative. TBH, I kind of prefer to know who is messing around in my room. I was robbed once at a Hilton 5 star property by housemaids and the hotel did nothing because I couldn't identify the maid and they apparently "didn't keep records of that."

I was really flaking between this property at 240K marriot for 5 nights vs the Hyatt Regency at $145 a night. As good as the Hyatt rate is, my wife and I want a level of luxury that I'm not sure the Hyatt can provide. At 240K, this looks like the best Marriott property in Paris.

bhrubin

If it makes you feel better, if I had the PdG and FSGV at the same price, I'd still choose the PdG. I despise the blue hair and overt formality at the FSGV. At the PdG, should I ever need or want to dine or use the bar or spa at the FSGV, its still right next door. (And yet I've never used anything at the FSGV despite multiple stays at the PdG.) The same for me is true for the Ritz, the Bristol, etc.

Now, if the PdG and Rosewood Crillon or MO or Pen were the same price, that's a different story. Then I'd gladly stay at the Crillon (though I hear about service issues there still) or Pen (possibly the best price/luxury in the city, but its location is less desirable) or MO (even though it lacks as much a Parisian sense of place, it's right in the Vendome). But you can see that even the most celebrated hotels, no matter how prestigious, aren't always so perfect either.

jbandy10

I have a stay here in July. Anymore feedback?

indifly

Would you choose room at Le Roch or Suite at Hilton Paris?

FenwayTim

Just stayed here for a 5 days at New years. Like many design hotels had lots of interesting features and architecture highlights.. The bar is very tiny as is the restaurant. Only had breakfast there and snacks at bar so cant comment on rest of menu but breakfast was very typical French and not bad..
Staff, (especially the many at front desk), super friendly and helpful. Only 3 rooms to each floor in both wings so very quaint hotel and the entrance is also in a narrow side alley, however the location of Le Roch was very convenient for all the things we wanted to do. (example Louvre is 5 minute walk and Tillery gardens even shorter). .. The pool is small as is the seating area around it but it does have a nice swim entrance to the steam room from the pool .... I used the steam every day so that was a nice feature. Gym very small too.
It's part of Design portfolio so don't stay and expect a lot of Bonvoy benefits, but it holds its own pretty well..