Welcome to another episode of Seeing The World In Steps hotel adventures. This time around I would love to share with you my Chambre de bonne! I decided to stay at the brand new Hotel Camille Paris Gare de Lyon, a very new hotel near the Gare de Lyon area and under the Tapestry Collection. The hotel just open 3 months ago before my stay. This will also be the first time I will be staying under this brand. The location in the 11th Arr is super good. Sadly, I only had 2 nights in Paris and it is going to be a short stay since I am arriving late in the evening and leaving early on the following day. I barely had 36 hours in Paris. Excited to see how it will be and what my experience would be like at a Tapestry! 

Booking Process & Pre Arrival 

I book my stay in Paris rather last minute and prices were rising. I decided to try out a brand new hotel in Paris and this is also one of the newest hotels in town. I will be staying 2 nights at the brand new Hotel Camille Paris Gare du Lyon. This will also be my first time staying at the Tapestry Brand. Before checking in, I was pre-upgraded to a Deluxe Room with View sadly no suites are available. It is still a lovely 3 tier upgrade from the Guest room that I booked. this is also their best available room. I paid about 200 SGD a night including the tax. Hotel Camille Paris Gare du Lyon, Tapestry Collection by Hilton rooms and suites are spread across 7 categories. You can find the breakdown below. 

Rooms
Single
Guest
Guest with City View
Deluxe
Double with City View
Junior Suite with City View
Signature Suite

Checking In

I arrived close to 11.30pm after arriving from Antwerp via train and then I had to take the RER train to Gare du Lyon. The hotel is very near to the station although with the entrance being incorporated into the typical Parisian buildings it might be a little hard to spot the entrance in the evening. I love how cosy and chic the hotel have which is so typical of a boutique hotel. There was a long wait to check in given that two groups had just arrived ahead of me and there is only a lady working the night shift. She was a gem though and check-in was fast. Look at how gorgeous this lobby area is!

King Deluxe Room with View

I was assigned a room on the highest floor, level 7 room 701. It is just off the elevator. Let me first just share about this as it is one unique aspect of the entire property. I would have expected the typical small European lifts especially in such a historical Parisian building but this is totally out of the world. Check this out! It is so classic! While it is cool and nice, it isn’t very practical. It is basically a one-man lift.

The room was chic and I love it the moment I enter. It is certainly nice to stay in a hotel this new and I love the vibes. The Tapestry and Curio Collection are slowly becoming my favourite brands under the Hilton Portfolio. My room was the first one on the right and as with hotel rooms in Paris, they tend to be on the smaller side. This is already considered spacious by Paris standards already. It is basically in a rectangular configuration. Immediately after entering, you can see the entire place in one look. You can find a luggage rack to your right, just by the side of the door. 

You have a super small desk just by the entrance which I assume acts as the working desk in the room as well. It’s super small and not comfortable for working at all but who works when you are in Paris. You can find a lamp and a Nespresso coffee machine for the room left here which takes up even more precious space for the mini desk. I hate that they give out those fake Nespresso capsules. Seems a bit on the cheap side when the real ones aren’t expensive at all. At 0.5 Euros a pop, that should not be difficult to do for a hotel charging close to 140 euros a night. 

You can find the large and plush king-size bed in the middle of the room. It’s super comfy and one of the best beds I ever lay on. Check out how gorgeous this setup is with the frame and the painting above it. Classy and chic at the same time. Another factor is definitely how new the entire place is where all the furniture and mattress are barely used. I love the colour contrast of the entire place. The beddings are top-notch and the sheets are smooth. I love the pillows which provide awesome neck support. 

Surrounding both side of the bed you can find nightstands which comes with a side lamp. On one side of the room you even have an alarm clock. Outlets can be easily found on both sides of the bed.

At the corner, you can find a decent size TV mounted on a wall. At the first look, it might seem that the placement isn’t ideal since it is at an angle but thankfully the mount can be adjusted to alter the angle. There is a healthy selection of cable and local TV channels. 

Below the TV, you can find a chest which housed the mini-fridge. It looks very out of the place and weirdly placed. Although the extra storage area was very much welcomed in a room this small. 

By the side of the window and next to the wardrobe you have an armchair which was again another badly placed furniture since it affects the opening of the wardrobe! When you shift it, you can’t access the window and the mini-fridge. While I get the idea that they would like to increase the amount of seating in the room beside the desk chair. This is a badly conceptualised idea. Instead of helping, it gets in the way. Won’t a elegant ottoman in front of the bed be a better idea?

The wardrobe was installed by the wall and if you will even call this a wardrobe! I was surprised that there are no hangers to be found!!! That’s ridiculous for a hotel! Unbelievable! This is the main area that I didn’t like about the room. Inside this so-called “wardrobe”, you can find a safe deposit box, a kettle as well as some packed tea. 

The view and the little Parisian balcony is the greatest draw of the room and naturally my favourite spot as well. This makes everything worth it and the view is so charming. Brew a cup of tea and savour it as you watch the city light up. Ce la Vie! Check out some pictures of the place. It really makes me feel like I am living like a local. Sound insulation is great as well and I was not disturbed by the street noises. 

The bathroom is near the entrance area and I have to say that it is spacious by Paris standards. However, this is another badly designed area, where it is more of for show rather than practicality. It comes with a super small circular sink that’s good for looks but not for use. Toiletries are from Nuxe a local brand from Paris and generously provided.

The bathroom lacks sufficient storage and hooks for towels but you can find an ironing kit in the toilet. It is extremely inconvenient that there are only 2 hooks in the entire room to hang something up in the entire place. That is insufficient especially during winter.  

I do love the white facade of the place. The showering space was alright and I love having a hot shower with excellent temperature control and water pressure. The fittings were high quality as well. 

Breakfast at Lobby Lounge

Breakfast is served at the Lobby Lounge which just located on the ground floor just off the reception. The area is very cosy and chic as expected in a boutique hotel. Especially when the hotel is this new, the area is super gorgeous and chic. It seems so Parisian and I love the decor. The seats, the white marbles and the gold trimmings just seems so classy.

Thanks to my Hilton Diamond Status, breakfast is included for 2. Breakfast cost 18 Euros if not included in your room rate. The price seems reasonable for Paris given that a meal outside at a cafe will probably be even more with just juices, pastries and coffee. Breakfast is served from 6.30am to 10.30am daily. 

It consists of a small buffet set up with mostly continental items. There might not be many items but everything was super fresh and very high quality. You can of course find great pastries after all this is Paris. From what I can tell, these were delivered daily from a local baker. There is a good selection of cheese and cold cuts, cereals, yoghurt and fruits. The smoked salmon is especially good. Complementing this you can also find toast and baguette with all sorts of jams and spreads. Hot items consists of scrambled eggs and bacon which was delicious. I love how creamy their scrambled eggs are. 

Drinks-wise you can find fresh juices, hot chocolates, natural and sparkling mineral water. Coffee was served by the staff and you can get any artisan coffee drinks you want. This is one breakfast that you should not miss if you are staying here. 

Conclusion

This is an excellent offering in Paris and a great addition. It is a gorgeous room but they are some inherent issues in the design like the lack of towels, the wardrobe and the placement of furniture. I am unsure if this is just cause they are still working out the kinks or limited by the configuration. There are plenty of Hilton properties in Paris and it depends on which district you prefer to stay in. I will definitely recommend Hotel Camille if you are looking to stay in the Gare de Lyon area. I enjoyed my stay and wish that I could have more time here in the hotel. The location is good with great transportation links to all areas in Paris. The surrounding is very chic to walk and stroll too. It seems that I have a liking towards the Tapestry Collection and would certainly be interested in trying out more of them. 2 nights and a late arrival together with an early departure simply isn’t enough time for Paris and this hotel. The only part that I didn’t like is the lack of a proper wardrobe and hangers which is unacceptable. Next up, my adventures in Paris.