For my very last city under this trip, I was staying at the Le Meridien Etoile in Paris. It is located in the 17th arrondissement. Near Neuilly Porte Maillot, the location is actually super good in my opinion it is nearby all the main sites that you will want to head to yet outside of the touristy hub such as Champs Elysees or Eiffel Tower. Yet they are a short metro ride away or just a stroll away. Metro Station is just right next door and you even have a RER stop for those who would like to go to the airport or Palace of Versailles. From the airport I took an uber which takes around 45 mins due to the traffic. It is easy enough and cost us 45 Euro for the ride probably the most cost efficient way since there is 3 of us! The Le Meridien Etoile is a large hotel with around 1000 room, it is more of like a conference style so do not expect attentive service at more boutique style places. There is a very classy exterior when we pulled up to the hotel and definitely a parisian feel and vibes
I have at first wanted to stay at the Hyatt Regency next door which boost awesome view of the Eiffel Tower but since the rates are rather similar and I get to earn Marriott points as well as having status I decided to go ahead with the Le Meridien. Paris is definitely one of the most expensive hotel markets in the world. The rates for accomodation are definitely high, expect to shell out more than 400 bucks if you would like to stay in the touristy core! It is rather more of a balance for me. I also luck out with the rates here as it is like a package and came with free breakfast as well! For our stay we paid about 375 SGD per night, thankfully with the Citi Prestige 4th night free that brought the rate down to 285 SGD, for more reasonable! Immediately after entering you can see the lobby cafe and restaurant with the reception by the side.
The hotel was packed and super crowded, we arrive right at the peak when it is the check in and check out timing. Furthermore on the day that we arrived they had a computer system error which makes it even busy. I would say that the hotel is a solid 4.5 stars and the bell boy immediately help with our bags. There was a wait for almost 20 mins at check in given the amount of people. It also seems like they do a lot of group bookings. Hotel was new and fresh. We got a double upgrade to a LM Club Room which is generous! View is blocked though!
The room is located on the executive floor on the 9th, which is the same level as the Le Meridien Lounge. Common area certainly look fresh and nice. I will not say that the room is huge but it look very fresh and new. The room was nicely decorated as well. Immediately after entering the washroom and wardrobe is located near the door. A hairdryer and ironing set can be found in the wardrobe. Beside the wardrobe is a little mini bar set up. You are able to find a fridge and a safe here as well. A bottle of water is provided. Even though it is evian, it is a super small bottle and only 1, kind of stingy!
Then there is the bed with a view of the surrounding building. It is a king size bed. The decor looks gorgeous here with a tv on the wall and then a side table with a lounging chair on the side. I love the little portraits on the wall and the unique lamp as well. It felt super modern as a Le Meridien should be!
The bed is of a good size but way too soft, the pillow was paper thin as well. The bed set up got to be one of the most gorgeous place in the room. The light feature above it was gorgeous as well! Felt like a designer piece.
You can also find a proper working desk in the room with a comfy chair as well right next to the bed. Outlets could be located here as well as around the bed. Kudos to the designer! Wifi is fast as well. Thankfully there is still a three pin plug here as well as my international adapter spoiled back in Scotland! Can’t understand why countries can’t standardise the plug worldwide.
Love the finishing in the room, next up the bathroom. It is kind of weird that the toilet is separated from the shower, located near the entrance which I find it to be very inconvenient. Might make sense for a suite, but for a room, not so much!
However the shower was spacious. I love that there is a cosmetic mirror as well. Toiletries are from Malin + Goetz as per the norm in Le Meridien. It is a shower cum bathtub set up. I love that the shower head is a removable one. The water pressure and temp control was excellent as well.
The Le Meridien Lounge is also located on the same floor near the elevator and it is open from 6.30am to 10.30pm. It is a nice space with comfortable seats as well as a view of the Eiffel Tower at the patio area. On certain timing, it could be rather lovely to sit outdoor with some wine and look at the blinking Eiffel Tower!
In the afternoon there are some snacks consisting of pastries, cakes, fruits. The selection is not huge. Then you can find some can drinks, water, tea, juices and coffee. The staff are a mix bag, I had some lovely one and there is one guy who seems to be a foreign worker and he is super stingy, keep staring as if we are taking too much water and all. English command seems to be weak here as well.
There is also a super huge miscommunication within the staff. The lounge attendant says that is no club lounge access and says not all club room guest have access. This is super weird and when I check with the front desk they say that I definitely got access. We could get breakfast in the restaurant or at the lounge. The lounge offering is not huge with just come cold cuts, bread, pastries, fruits and cereals. Hot stuff consists of just sausages, bacons and scrambled eggs. Food is alright, of course the pastries were excellent after all this is Paris! I do love the fresh juices as well as the shot glasses energiser! Not a huge spread in the lounge.
Evening reception is from 6.30pm to 9pm. You can find some wine, beer as well as some roast beef and lamp chops. The selections is quite bad and it is definitely not a dinner substitute. Perhaps just come here for some kronenbourg beer. It would be nice to see the blinking lights of the Eiffel Tower too but I wish that they could open much later in the night to see the lights blinking in the summer.
Breakfast is served in the Latitude Restaurant until 11am. It is located on the ground floor. There is a huge selection and it is definitely busy. This got to be one of the largest restaurant I have seen. After all it is needed to cope with this crowd. Mainly operated on a free seating style. I love that there are many coffee point around the restaurant to cope with the crowd. I have heard good thing about the selection and it certainly live up to expectations.
There are a lot of choices. From western to asian. I definitely love the chinese porridge on offer which was good! The brioche is very good as well. Apparently they also do eggs to order although there is no information on it. You will have to flag down a staff to order and it certainly isn’t easy with the crowd. The staff as well is also another mix bag, One say that they have run out of omelettes, which another gladly took my order. Ridiculous and lazy! The omelette was delicious though! No change in breakfast offerings from day to day!
Overall, I had quite a good stay and is pleased generally with the hard products. It is a nice hotel with fair pricing and a good location. You could easily get to most places in town. You are near all the buzz as well as the metro. This is a huge hotel as such the service might not be that personalised. After all they can only be this attentive when they have over 600 rooms and guest. I expected more from the lounge staff and yet they are the one that disappoint the most. Elite recognition is not too bad! As per the norm I always feel that Marriott constantly have the better toilets and yet Hilton have the better bedding. I will be back for the price and location. Hopefully a better experience next time!
Seeing The World In Steps 