GalaxyChris

What property ? I am interested for a future trip.

sashimibiz

I used a FNC for the stay.

Breakfast was buffet style and was solid not amazing nor bad, certainly not worth 39 euros they charge for it though.

I wouldn't recommend spending cash here. Granted from what I've read they're notorious for offering bad service to those who use points so it may very well be that .

sashimibiz

Hilton Maison Astor! I used points to redeem a night and from the moment I stepped in they were extremely accommodating and friendly. When I went to check in my room wasn't ready so they offered to stow my luggage so I could go and enjoy the city. When I came back without any questions they had my key ready and everything. Breakfast was solid as well. Room was a bit smaller than the Westin but it had a bit more charm as well. I had a double on the 7th floor.

My only qualm with it is that its location is kinda far out of how way for me. though metro is a viable option. For me at least for some reason I always find my self in the 3rd & 11th arond. While I'd love to book it for my family on my upcoming trip I might go with the Renn Vendome. I usually stay at the Moxy in Bastille while in Paris but considering I'm taking my mother with me I'd like to opt for something a bit nicer.

krakendown

I will provide an update on the room, service and checkin. We had an amazing time Precovid, I understand some things have changed however we felt like the location is most important as we don’t plan to be in our rooms all day.

UASPG

After not getting back its pre-COVID cleaning team, closing its Concierge dept., having its staff reduced, the hotel just lost someone from its management team.

I don't know if it is the hotel trying to reduce its operating expenses to look better to an eventual buyer or staff knowing that it is only a matter of time before the hotel is sold and closed for renovation or getting tired of working with a reduced team.

If you pay a little attention to the (outsourced) security tem and the behavior of some of those guys, it is easy to figure out that the hotel did not pick up a top-notch company.

UASPG

Lowest room rate in May: 657 euros! One night is even priced at 801 euros.

Yesterday, I was looking to add 3 nights to an earlier booking and those nights were at 850 euros (showing as "sold out", today).

jpdx

A quick review to answer my question from January:

As UASPG noted above, rates are eye-watering. For my recent 5-night stay, the Westin showed rates (base room) of €640 2-3 weeks prior to the stay, then €740 a few days prior, and then sold out for all room categories. The various Rens and Marriotts also inched up to the €500 range, Courtyard GdL over €300. Points requirements in Paris, of course, are hard to explain -- for my dates, 5 nights at Marriott Opera were 200k, at Ren Vendome and AdT 360k-ish, but Prince de Galles only 280k. Long story short, regardless of the strenghts and shortcomings of the Westin (to be detailed below), if one manages to snag a €147/nt BRG, it's a deal worth keeping.

So how was the stay?

In anticipation of small/old rooms, I applied SNA. Seven room types are available, mostly non-suite. I selected only the Premier suites Junior Suite with Eiffel tower view. To my surprise, the latter was approved a couple days out.

At arrival, no mention was made of an upgrade, but when I arrived at the room, it was a large junior suite on the 2nd floor, rather old, but with very high ceilings and I'd say at least somewhat impressive.






Only problem, my SNA had cleared for a Junior Suite with Eiffel Tower view. Which was not at all evident when looking out the window. In fact, my room overlooked a narrow side street. I went back to the front desk and inquired. The agent (who was super friendly, btw) looked confused and said, "can you not see it? It should be there."

So I snapped a picture of my view and went back to inquire. Although I have stayed at numerous "ocean view" rooms with questionable views, I found this rather weak:


Can you spot it in the distance?

jpdx

Minutes later, the phone rang and I was told that there had been a mistake. I had actually been upgraded further to a Royal Suite, but housekeeping had failed to unlock the connecting doors. That happened within minutes, revealing this:












The Royal Suite also had a pretty spectacular view:



(Sorry for the split posts. FT software didn't let me do it in a single one).

I had a bunch of friends over, and despite the rather terrible upkeep and cleanliness, there was a certain wow factor. Furniture is old and covered in stains. I found this to be a useful warning mechanism, because the impulse "I'm not gonna sit on that" is a good one; if you do, the couches basically collapse under you (one may have emitted a plume of moths) and after 10-15 minutes, back pain is pretty much guaranteed. The bathrooms are a sight to behold -- freeway rest stop quality (on par with the deflagged Sheraton Kona and the 1960s horror movie style handicap-accessible bathroom at Westin Kyoto). The size of the main shower exceeds that of many entire Parisian hotel rooms, and the various overhead/side sprays can be overpowering (think Kramer with the illegal Serbian showerhead). The bed was comfortable, although sleep quality wasn't amazing, mainly on account of paper thin walls. Housekeeping rather terrible, garbage wasn't picked up two days in a row in the living room, toiletries refilled haphazardly, and with a seemingly random assortment of products (Lalique, Omnisens, standard Westin stuff). Breakfast was rather strong by Parisian standards. A small buffet of tasty hot/cold items, plus egg dishes/pancakes delivered upon request. Restaurant staff greeted my by name on day 3.

Overall: The rooms are of course, ancient, but I must say, I don't get the handwringing on the last couple pages. It's a Westin! Having been to a number of "How is this a Westin?!" Westins gone (Macau, Nagoya, Dresden) and current (Leipzig, Seattle, Tokyo), this one blends right into a collection of hotels well past their prime. How many truly spectacular Westins are there, Hamburg, Sendai, maybe Hapuna (for the beach)? This place is in desperate need of investment, and the €150-250 mil quoted above probably won't be nearly enough to bring it to luxury status, but as long as one doesn't pay those insane €700 rates, it's not a bad place to stay.

UASPG

Good team at the front desk and at the restaurant for the breakfast (it did not re-open for lunch or dinner). Just ok bellmen team (some might want to remove their hands from their pockets).

chanp

Any recent stays?

Have this for 424 a night or the Ren La Defence for 181 a night.

Ratings on the Bonvoy app arent really good for this property.

Stayed at the Ren Vendome last month and it was average.

UASPG

"Have this for 424 a night or the Ren La Defence for 181 a night.": interesting rate although La Defense might not be a great location. I will check the reviews, though.

"Stayed at the Ren Vendome last month and it was average.[": you are being nice by using the word "average".

chanp

Ended up at the Westin, small room but with a great view.
Breakfast is ok, nothing outstanding, although I just did it one morning. Walls are super thin, so if you have someone noisy next to you, you may struggle even sleeping.

UASPG

Clue on when the Westin Vendome will close its doors: the Paris City Hall requires all hotels to have all their rooms open for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

bmwe92fan

We ate here now on a points stay (agree the cash room rate here is out of control) - property is the same - tired everywhere - but we got upgraded to the ambassador suite and we enjoy are enjoying the room - at the back of the hotel so it’s more quiet. The property definitely needs a refurbishment soon - but it has for a while - we stay here only for the location - for the food we like and shopping - not to see the sights….

Some really strange COVID rules - they put the tv remotes in plastic bags with notes not to remove them from the bag - and they won’t touch anything personal at all - like hanging up a robe - they just leave it wherever you did - and don’t be looking for a heavenly bed - they are long gone here!

Also -- the free wifi is PAINFULLY slow -- only 7Mbs -- no option for premium marriott customers to receive free higher speed -- and the cost to upgrade is quite expensive....

UASPG

I believe that the sale of this property is almost completed. The value of the USD against the GBP and the EUR and the income boom in the gulf countries has probably made things a lot easier to find an acquirer (Dubai Holding, than owns Jumeirah Hotels?).

Henderson Park had purchased the building for 550 M euros 5 years ago and it was reported that they wanted 800 M euros to sell it.

The present hotel will not close before the 2024 Paris Olympic games, as the city requires all hotel rooms to be available during the event.

In the meantime, the management, most likely under pressure from the present owner, is squeezing all expenses although the room rates have not been that high for a long time. All guests can probably notice the following:

- The rooms are getting quite old as broken or damaged furniture is not being replaced (those almost 2 years to go are going to be very long) as you can see on the pictures.

- The cleaning team is subcontracted and obviously is not at the same level as in-house employees. The present cleaning staff often gets in the rooms right after a brief knock at the door (when they knock) instead of respecting the Marriott policy of waiting for a few seconds between the 2 sets of knocking. The amenities are not always replaced (I had 3 days without shampoo, for example). I had one day without bottles of water and had only one evening bed turn down service during my stay. Also, when the front desk calls them to clean up a room, they do not always respect the request.

- The Concierge desk will not re-open.

- The pens and writing pads in the rooms have disappeared.

- When you call the front desk, the call is disconnected after 3 rings and it takes 4 or 5 calls to be able to speak to an associate.

- I tried to call Room service twice but nobody picked up the phone during those 2 instances.

- The hotel still has old magnetic key cards which do not work after a few days while the hallways in this hotel are long.

- Too many of the bellmen at the entrance door (when they are there – some guests have no choice but to carry their luggage inside, when they arrive to check-in), as well as subcontracted security staff have their hands in the pockets of their pants and rest their back or shoulders against the walls.

- Additionally, there is the Stink bug issue. When you open the windows, you take the risk of inviting them in (it happened twice during my stay). I don’t know if traps would help to catch those nasty bugs.

Where is Marriott in all this, to get the hotel to comply with the Westin standard?

Well, the hotel does not seem appealing, but, when you get the chance to get a room overlooking the Jardin des Tuileries, it helps you forget a little all the issues the hotel has. Then, most of the hotel staff is nice and helpful, but you can definitely tell that there are not enough associates (things have certainly not been easy for them since the hotel re-opened).