Braindrain

Call it an "occupational hazard" when a SAP consultant tries to stretch those billable hours.

sapguy

Spent 5 nights (2/4 to 2/8) at the Meridien Etoile, and it was yet another trouble-free but unexciting stay. Chose to NOT take advantage of the Travelzoo rate since non-refundable rates are against company policies and this was business travel.

Was "upgraded" to a newly renovated room on the 6th floor, and got my usual red wine as amenity instead of the 500 points. The Duty Manager handed me her business card (to add to my collection) with a request to call her at x7575 if I ever need "anything at all". They are changing Wifi provider so they gave me one set of instructions but I had to use to old way to make it work - no big deal since I was able to connect without any hassle, and the Wifi charge never appeared on my bill.

Returned for 1 more night on 2/11, and once again was "upgraded" to another renovated room, and everything sort of repeated itself like clockwork. This time, the new Wifi provider was the player so connecting is a bit simpler.

This hotel is for you if:
1. you want a convenient location, across from the Air France bus stop from CDG.
2. you want to be near metro station and RER stop.
3. don't expect a suite upgrade as a Platinum (they kept on saying that "we don't have suite", so I don't even bother asking).
4. be surrounded by lots of decent restaurants which are open late into the night.
5. be across the street of a shopping mall (which contains a high end grocery store) which is open on Sunday, a rarity in Paris.

Don't expect "romantic atmosphere", view of the Eiffel Tower, and the likes, although you could walk to l'Etoile and the Arc de Triomphe if the weather is nice.

adkrick

Just had a very nice stay here from 2/19 to 2/23. Took my daughter here for her 16th birthday present. I found very little to complain about at all.

We were warmly greeted and platinum status instantly recognized. Upgraded to a newly renovated "urban" room on the 3rd floor. A very nice room...no view, not large, but we were not in Paris to hang around the room. The duty manager greeted us personally and wished me a happy birthday...ok so the Platinum Concierge must have bolloxed up the message little, oh well. When we got to the room an employee appeared almost instantly with a fruit basket, bottle of champagne on ice, large evian, and certs for 20 pct off at the Sushi bar. Very nice!

We received free internet and a large evian every day, on top of the 500 starpoints for plat amenity.

As an aside, I booked a non refundable rate ahead of time through starwood, then 48 hours later learned of the Travelzoo rate which was lower by some 10 euros a night. I emailed the hotel directly inquiring if they would perhaps match it, and not really expecting them to. But I got an email back a few days later warmly offering to match the rate, so that was a nice bonus.

All the good things said in this thread about this hotel are true in my opinion, with regards to the location, proximity of metro, train, mall, restaurants, rental car offices. And the rooms, judging by ours, are quite nice. Small of course, but nicely appointed and new looking. On our budget, I thought this was an outstanding value. We were very pleased with this stay and I would pick this hotel again (unless I win the lottery maybe).

bworrell

Just checked in for a one-night stay after some time in Belgium and a flight tomorrow.

I hate having a car in paris, but was returning it at the airport tomorrow. The valet was busy with some taxis so I did self-park at 30eur for 24 hours. Not terrible in my opinion.

Checkin was prompt and the duty manager gave me her card. I didn't ask about a suite upgrade as they said that the executive room was "the best room in the house". In retrospect I should have asked for a corner room as it might have been a little larger.

I chose points for the amenity but called down to switch it to a bottle of wine -- they promptly brought it up.

For only 13.5K points for the night it's a pretty good deal, but will probably pick a more "Paris" hotel next time. We usually pick a small, independent, hotel, but really wanted to use points and not spend money out of my own pocket for this night.

sapguy

If you choose return for another stay in the future, you can go to the Concierge desk to ask for a coupon good for a 25% discount on the parking at the hotel, so in fact the overnight parking will be an even more reasonable 24 euros (quite a deal for Paris and the Porte Maillot area).

bworrell

I happened to see this before we left. Yes... 24euro is not bad at all.

For those that don't have a car the Air France "les cars Air France" bus from CDG (also can go from Orly) is a reasonable 15euro, has nice buses, and is right across the street from the hotel.

pindento

Unfortunately relied on an out-dated posting in the "List of Lounges" thread only to find this thread AFTER booking a string of non-refundable nights at the LM Etoile.

I know this isn't Sheraton brand, but to hear the announcement that lounges are a Sheraton brand standard and that renovations would include addition of lounges for those locations that don't have them, that they'd be opened 7 days in US, etc. ... only to discover that renovation at this location involves removal of the lounge, that just sucks !

For anyone that's been lately, has the Platinum status translated into anything to compensate for the removal of the lounge, or were the b'fast vouchers only a temporary measure immediately after the lounge closure?

Thanks,
Vincent

signothetimes53

Just returned from a 3 night stay this past week at LM Etoile. This was my third stay in 4 years...the first was very good in 2008, the second in 2009 was an ugly trainwreck...this one was decent, albeit marred by one unfortunate incident with housekeeping.

On the plus side: after being ignored 2 years ago as a SPG Platinum customer, and forced to wait until 7PM to get into my room (which was occupied by a guest who refused to leave), and overall treated like dirt, the greeting I got this week was night and day by comparison. The Duty Manager immediately came out, introduced herself, gave me her business card, thanked me for my loyalty to the hotel, and told me to call her if I needed anything. I was allowed to check in at 11AM, and they "upgraded" me to the Preferred Guest floor. The room was tiny, but it was indeed their "upgraded" room, recently renovated with all the flashy chrome fixtures and the like, and very clean. I didn't expect a huge upgrade, and this was quite acceptable to me. The real bonus was the early check-in, I was pretty tired after my overnight flight from Chicago.

On the negative side: the woman who cleaned my room broke my LL Bean travel alarm clock. At first, I drove myself crazy trying to find it, it was not visible anywhere. I began to think someone had stolen it, but if so, it was a strange "steal", since they left my computer intact. Finally, I got down on my hands and knees to see if it was under the bed. What I found was worse: the little clock had been folded up and positioned directly underneath one of the legs of the bed, and the full weight of the bed had crushed part of my clock's LED displays. The clock no longer could display numbers accurately, making it essentially useless. The manager came up and we both were baffled about why this happened. The best either of us could figure out was that the housekeeper accidentally knocked it on to the floor, and the vacuum cleaner pushed it into the nasty spot that ruined it.

To his credit, the manager offered me free internet (I told him as a Plat I was already getting that), then he offered me free breakfast (I didn't want their free breakfast). I told him I didn't want anything free, I wanted the housekeeper to know what she'd done, and that I wanted an in-person apology from her. I guess I'm just tired of hotels that have such careless standards, and "free stuff" doesn't cut it for me any more. I was half-heartedly promised they would have housekeeping take action. If they did, I never heard about it. Instead, the Duty Manager called me the next night and told me to buy a new clock in Paris and they would reimburse me. I thanked her, but said that it was a cheap $20 clock, and that what I really wanted was an apology from the careless person who broke it.

I never got it. I suppose I was silly to pass on the freebies, but the principle of it was what really mattered to me.

andymo99

I actually consider your request to be a bit out of line. The housekeeper apparently made an error, but to have her give an in-person apology at the request of the guest feels off. At Le Meridien E'toile, housekeepers are generally many rungs removed from guests on the socioeconomic ladder, and it feels like you would be belittling the housekeeper by making her stand in front of you and ask forgiveness for her transgression. It feels a bit like a power play.

I think your request creates an uncomfortable situation for the manager of whom you requested it. Were it to be fulfilled, I think that would be a very uncomfortable situation for the housekeeper. And if I were in your shoes and receiving such an apology, I would find myself in great discomfort as well! Lose-lose-lose.

I am not saying that an apology is unwarranted, but an in-person apology resulting from a guest explicitly requesting it is out of line. In contrast, had the housekeeper broken the clock and proactively sought you out, or left a note, to apologize, that would not be uncomfortable at all (and would be an honorable move on his/her part). But the way that you wanted it to happen... feels really "off" to me.

nonesuch flyer

I booked this hotel for 137 EU a night for a few days in August...

Is this a resaonable price?

signothetimes53

Different strokes.

If I'd gotten a note of apology from the housekeeper, that would have sufficed. But I got nothing. I didn't even get an acknowledgement from the head of housekeeping that the matter had been dealt with.

Maybe you think this is a small matter, but the clock, as inexpensive as it was, was a small Christmas gift from my wife. And it's also a lifeline, since my wife is a Type 1 diabetic, and with me traveling a lot, we use the clock to "synch" our schedules across timezones to check in with each other in the middle of the night to make sure her blood sugar levels haven't fallen too low. We've done that for 25 years, no matter where I am, because the realities of an insulin-related diabetic crash are rather stark, especially when separated by 3,000 miles.

Honestly, I get tired of hotels and employees who treat their guests and their belongings so cavalierly, especially when there is a reality about the value and need such an item may have that they do not understand. That clock was something more than a routine convenience to me, and yes, I wanted that housekeeper to understand that reality. And if it made her uncomfortable, c'est la vie....it might also make her reconsider her approach to cleaning the next guest's room, and use just a wee bit more caution and care.

estnet

so except for the sentimental value - why not accept their offer to replace the clock given all your other "important" reasons to have it?
I too, wish housekeepers were more careful - but given their job (and my guess that the clock if small could have been knocked of the nightstand when changing the sheets and not noticed) and the fact that I couldn't/wouldn't do their job no matter what they paid me, maybe you shouldn't take it so personally about the one maid .

signothetimes53

Already stated: it's the principle here, not the compensation that matters. I'm not trolling for freebies, be it breakfast, or Starwood points, or free internet, or even replacement of the clock.

I just wanted an apology from the person who broke my clock, with the hope that maybe it might make her realize that her carelessness mattered to the guest. Why is that so difficult for you to understand?

estnet

would you feel better if you found out she was fired? That actually could have been the outcome.
I wonder if you really have any idea how hard these people work and how far down the "food chain" they are, how awful their working conditions are, etc.
My take would have been that it wasn't carelessness, but rather an attempt to do the work in the time allotted by the hotel. YMMV

ws8n

What may work in America, may not work very well in France. One thing I learn from travelling different parts of the world is to respect the cultures and habits of the locals, and not to impose my personal ethos.

As the saying goes, when in Rome, do what the Romans do...

Just my 2 cents from someone who just left Paris less than 24 hrs ago....and I'm already missing it