I really don’t know what to say. I really want to like this hotel, the staff was very pleasant and tried to help me in what I was looking for, but it just doesn’t work. First the hotel has a problem trying to figure out what it wants to be. It is an upscale property ready to serve its guests, I think the staff wants it to be, but someone somewhere is really working against it, wanting it to adhere to some version of a hotel rule book that I cant figure out and is far away from what those of us who are Westin loyalists would expect.
The hotel’s lobby area is awesome and the location perfect. The check in staff did what it could to try and help, but I was one of five people trying to sort out challenges as we checked in at 4 pm in the afternoon, not a good sign. We had a confirmed reservation on a hotel email for a junior suite with a connecting double for our kids, but that was not going to happen, or happen in a way that one would expect. I’ll save the drama but the hotel seems to be restricted with some pretty unusual room layouts and design that one would think would have been reconstituted before they went forward and started to renovate the rooms. My fellow challenged travelers had two rooms reserved and the hotel assumed it was a mistake and only had one room available, others were just confused by the room type they were given. That I got a first hand feeling for as the front desk manager took me on a tour of several different choices of where to put us (very nice of her and she is a reason I want to write a great review). I was exposed to five different configurations of rooms, none of which really met with what you would expect in a modernly designed property.
And I guess that is one major problem with this hotel, they are trying to use what is pretty standard Westin expectations of what a room category is to a very old and confusing room layout that can never live up to the guest’s expectation.
They have set themselves up to fail right at the get go. Nothing sets the tone for a hotel stay like when you first walk in your room and after touring 10 different rooms in the hotel I bet people are disappointed 80% of the time.
A large room, say 600 sq ft, huge by any standard, with two large queen beds and one small table with two worn dining room chairs and a small lcd flat screen on a desk almost twenty feet away from the beds is defined as a junior suite (room 3108) and then a wonderfully renovated king bedded room (room 4113) with a separate sitting area with a ridiculously stained and ugly green sofa and only 450 sq. ft. is also a junior suite. The smaller room makes sense, you have well defined areas that you can use to sleep and dress and hang out, watch tv and/or and eat in. The bigger room does nothing for anyone, there is no “separation” between the two areas. I can see why the hotel wants to designate it as different from the standard rooms, but it provides no functional use to anyone as a suite, junior or otherwise. It is just an overgrown room.
A combination one bedroom suite (3119 & 3121) has two full beds side by side with a connecting parlor barely large enough for a queen pull out sofa, but yet this combination has two huge bathrooms that have been perfectly restored. The only challenge is that the sofa would never be accepted by the Salvation Army it is in such bad shape and after sleeping on it for three nights I was dying to sleep in an American Airlines Business Class seat it was so bad.
And when they renovated the rooms they just painted over chips, cracks and holes in the molding and doors instead of replacing or even filling them in. It is really strange that the property would leave those challenges but every day four resources were outside our room scrubbing down our door and the cracked and chipped painted over molding in the hallway, very odd to say the least.
Room service was perfect, and I mean perfect, nailed it every time with a few special requests thrown in here and there. Requests for irons and pillows were handled as well if not better than any other Paris hotel we have been (George V, Meurice, Marriott, Prince De Galles, etc.). The concierge staff we used (Bruno) could not have been better, helping us retrieve a lost camera, finding a great car service, a great restaurant to watch a world cup game.
But then there is the club lounge, off limits to Starwood Platinum guests (I have no idea who gets this or why). I was told this is because the lounge is very small, but actually the lounge is larger than most Starwood lounges, they just cut off two thirds of the room by putting plants in the middle of two rooms. There were never more than seven people in it whenever I visited and the place can hold seventy easily – I know this as that is how many people were there for a paid breakfast each morning as the main dining room was being renovated and this is where you could eat if you did not want room service. The hotel actually posted signs on each floor and in each room begging guests to order room service as the main restaurant was closed for renovations, but then does not offer any reduction in even the standard exorbitant service fee.
There must be a master plan for this property that I can’t figure out. Trying to get served in the Terrace restaurant is harder than winning Powerball. Walk into the bar and you can have a drink in 2 minutes flat. The Molten Brown cosmetics were nice, but towels reeked of smoke in non smoking rooms (Come on Westin, have the courage to go smoke free world wide!)
This is just an impossible property to fall in love with. For everything you will like, it will get counterbalanced with something that just does not make sense. We were missing Do Not Disturb placards, and when we asked for some they told us they would prefer we not use them as it disturbs the housekeeping staff’s ability to make up the rooms efficiently. HUH? Isn’t that the purpose? Far be it from me to have my needs interrupt the housekeeping staff.
It is surely functional for a stay, but it will never be a magical experience like other Parisian properties as you always feel like you are in some type of competition with the hotel, if you get this, they are going to get that back from you. If you are an experienced Starwood traveler, don’t expect the attention and extra feeling that you are special that Starwood does at other properties. Expect a great location, wonderful public rooms, people that will be extremely helpful as long as you don’t butt up against a “policy” that they can not change or rationalize, don’t look too closely at your room’s renovated walls or doors, enjoy the Westin bed and for no reason venture into the Terrace restaurant and you will have a very nice but mildly frustrating experience in this old but weirdly.
Review by scasner.
Posted at July 17, 2006 9:25 AM
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8 experiences with westin paris
December 29, 2005 10:11 AM. john said:
I popped my head into the new Westin last week since I was in the neighborhood. It doesn't look much different from the IC. I'm not sure what work Starwood has done on it, if any.
December 29, 2005 1:16 PM. Dean Foster said:
I would not be surprised if this hotel was reclassified as a luxury collection hotel. It will need some significant investments for upgrades, but it's off to a good start judging by the public areas. As an older more "traditional" property, it has more of the feeling of an lc than a westin.
December 30, 2005 12:11 AM. Robbie said:
I am surprised to read that this hotel is not up to usual Westin standards. I had high hopes. Regardless, I will likely stay there when in Paris next month on business. I hope to have a better experience and will let you know how things go. Thanks for creating this site. Finally a Starwood-centric community!
February 6, 2006 2:31 AM. tinkky said:
very well written and informative.
thanks
March 19, 2006 9:04 PM. Neal said:
Months after a disapointing stay, I'm still frustrated by the service & communication from the Westin Paris.
Over Christmas, they charged my parents for the room that I had used points to reserve. It's been a frustrating experience getting those points credited back and getting my points for my paid part of the stay.
Compared to my treatment as a Plat at other Starwood Properties in Europe (Grand Bratenge, Westin Madrid, Europa & Regina, St. Regis Rome, etc.) this hotel's service is like a Four Points in comparison.
Negative comments aside, the location is amazing and the common aeas of the hotel are top notch. There are so many great cafes and restaurants nearby, and I advise taking the metro as it's so clean, efficent and close to the hotel.
June 7, 2006 2:02 PM. Gary said:
The Westin Paris is a 2-star experience for a 4-star price.
As long as you know that going in, you should not be disappointed. I'm sorry I didn't heed the reviews that warned that this hotel was in desperate need of renovations and did not merit its 4-star reputation. I have only myself to blame, but I hope this review will at minimum make future potential Westin Paris guests go into a booking there with their EYES WIDE OPEN.
My wife and I have been to Paris 9 times, and that was easily the worst hotel in which we've ever stayed in Paris. We've stayed in little 2-stars that cost us 100 Euros a nite (like the Hotel Palais du Bourbon on rue de Bourgogne in the 7th, superb value for the money), in quaint 3-stars like the Parc St. Severin (superb!), and we've stayed at the Sheraton Prince de Galles (5-stars) on Avenue George V, which merited its 5 stars in every way. Each hotel completely met our expectations. Let's face it, you expect more from a 4 or 5-star hotel than you do for a 2-star hotel, but the bottom line is that one should always receive what one pays for.
Our stay at the Westin Paris was June 1 thru June 6, 2006. I am a Starwood Platinum member, and for 64,000 points, I booked the Westin Paris, when I could have had the Sheraton Prince de Galles for the same price. I chose the Westin due to its superb central location, near the Louvre, the Marais and everything that we love about Paris.
We've stayed at the Sheraton Prince de Galle, same price/same points redemption, and it was wonderful. The Westin was not. Six months after affixing the Westin nameplate to what had been the Intercontinental Hotel, we saw no signs that significant renovations were being conducted to a physical plant that had been visibly allowed to deteriorate badly.
I knew we were in trouble when we arrived and sat down on a couch in the front lobby and I saw the fabric had frayed on all the piping on that couch. How hard is it to put new furniture in the front lobby?
I had asked my Platinum Concierge representative a few days in advance to inquire about getting us early check-in, but when we arrived at noon, our room (a junior suite on the Club Floor) was not ready. It was still being occupied by another Platinum member who we were told would not be leaving until the maximum 4PM checkout time allowed for Platinum members. The woman at the Front Desk promised us the room would be ready at 5PM. To my surprise and the hotel's credit, they offered to allow us the use of a small guest room to shower and nap in, a "waiting room" until our room was ready. We were grateful for this, and it was, again to the hotel's credit, perhaps the single most generous gesture I've ever seen a hotel provide for a guest, especially since they were under no obligation to give us the use of such a room in advance.
Once we saw the "waiting room," however, we felt very sorry for whatever person actually would be paying money for it. It was the smallest hotel room I'd ever seen, without exaggeration. Approximately 10 feet by 10 feet, it had a double bed (not a queen, and most definitely NOT Westin's famed "Heavenly Bed" in terms of comfort), a small chair, a small table, and a TV. There were no closets, the suitcases had to be set on the floor in front of the bed in the small walk area between the bed and the bathroom. In place of a closet or a bureau with drawers, there were two mirrors that hid small drawers built into the wall in which you could store your clothes. The chair and the table were wobbly, beat up, chipped paint, something that you wouldn't have in your house. The wallpaper was really old, and worse, in the bathroom, it was peeling badly. This was a room that would shame a 2-star hotel, and someone was going to be paying big money for that room later that day.
But we were still grateful for the chance to recuperate from the grueling flight to Paris from Montreal, and since we weren't spending more than a couple very short hours in that room (so we thought), the size and condition of the room didn't matter to us. After refreshing ourselves, my wife and I went out for a bit of a lookabout thru the Tuileries. We returned to our "waiting room" at 5PM, I called the Front Desk as instructed, and the person told me the woman in our junior suite had departed even later than planned, at 4:55PM, and that housekeeping was already working on it and would have our room ready for us no later than 5:45PM, and he would call us in our "waiting room" as soon as it was ready.
Foolishly, I believe him, and so we killed 60 minutes waiting for the call that never came telling us our room was now ready. At 6PM, I called the Front Desk again, and I asked to speak to the Duty Manager. He informed me that our room was still not ready, that housekeeping had just started cleaning our room, and that it would be 7:15PM before the room would be ready. He disputed that anyone on the Front Desk had told me it would be ready prior to 7:15PM, demanding that I produce the name of the person who "allegedly" had told me that. Of course, I did not have a name to give him, never suspecting I would be lied to about the room's readiness. He also said that while he regretted the inconvenience to me, surely I would understand that they could not remove the belongings of another Platinum member even if she had violated the 4PM late checkout policy. Given that explanation, here's a word to the wise Starwood Platinum members: 4PM late checkout actually apparently means checkout anytime you want, the hotel won't do anything to force you out of your room.
After hanging up with the Duty Manager, I decided to walk to the room that was allegedly being readied for us. I had a sense that someone was being less than forthright with me. You know the rest: there was no one there from housekeeping. The room that "housekeeping was already working to clean up" had seen no one at all since the very late-departing Platinum guest had abandoned it. I knocked on the door, just to see if anyone was inside. No answer. And then, from down the hall, came a 2-person housekeeping crew. One of them spoke English, and she told me she was sorry the room hadn't been cleaned, but that the hotel had a big group dinner that evening that required a lot of set-up, and many of the housekeeping staff had been diverted away from their regular duties to do set-up for the dinner. I thanked her for the explanation, and went back to the waiting room. At last, one truthful person!
7:15PM came and went, and finally at 7:30PM, I called the Duty Manager again to inquire about the status of the room, since he had once again failed to call us. He said it was indeed ready, and that we could check in, a bellman would be up with the keys. At last he arrived, and at 7:35PM we finally walked into our Club Level junior suite.
Once again, what greeted us was old, wobbly, paint-chipped furniture, a soiled couch, frayed carpeting, stained wallpaper in the bathroom, and peeling paint/rotted wood railings around the window railings. And there was no Heavenly Bed, either, just a hard mattress without an ounce of comfort, and horrible foam rubber pillows. It was a fairly large room, but absolutely no renovations had been done to this room either.
This is the only Starwood hotel I've ever stayed at where if you were on the Club level, you still weren't allowed in the Club Lounge. Instead, I learned via the internet just before we left that the Westin Paris hotel management had changed its policy and was charging 50 Euros A DAY to get into the Club Lounge, regardless of my Platinum status.
The highly touted "piano bar" noted on the Westin Paris website was closed on Saturday night (!!!), the website says the pianist entertains Thursday thru Sunday from 10PM to 1AM! Instead people were told they could get drinks in the indoor courtyard, where the piano player quit at 10PM. It was obvious to us that the hotel management had decided not to invest money in staffing the bar properly or paying the piano player, even if it was an advertised feature on the hotel website.
The Westin Business Center was inoperative much of the time we were there. There were 3 computers in the Center: one was locked for use only by the Hotel Administrator; one computer was broken with a hand-written paper sign placed over the keyboard saying such, and one computer was available to hotel guests. I never was able to find time on that single computer without enduring at least a half an hour wait in line with other guests to use it. On one of the days we were there (Sunday), none of the computers were operative.
The final coup de grace was our checkout. We left at 5:30AM to get on an early flight home, and the front desk presented me with a bill for 448 Euros. I had been charged 90 Euros per nite for the room, even though I had redeemed 64,000 Starwood points for 5 nites. After doing some research, and checking with the manager, the Front Desk person crumpled up the bill, said it was all taken care of!
Well, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me! It took some convincing to get the Front Desk person to give me a receipt showing a zero balance, but I got one (sort of). And I'll be watching my credit card statement closely to see if the 448 Euros shows up charged to me anyway.
My wife and I had a great time in Paris in spite of this hotel. We're feeling much abused by the Westin Paris that we would waste 64,000 points for such an inferior experience. Don't be fooled by the pretty pictures on the Westin Paris website. This is a 2-star experience at a 4-star price. We know from practical experience that the exact same 64,000 points expenditure at the Sheraton Prince de Galles would have produced a marvelous 5-star experience.
July 17, 2006 11:09 PM. John P said:
The Westin Paris is the new nameplate on the former Intercontinental hotel just steps from Place Vendome on Rue Castligone in Paris. The location is excellent. Unlike most of the newer Westins, the Westin Paris is an older more "traditional" property. A grand entrance sweeps guests up stairs, through two sets of rotating doors and into a hallway towards check-in.
Registration was smooth and as Platinum I ahad been upgraded to the Club floor of the hotel. One of the check-in agents escorted me to the club on the 3rd floor. (An interesting note about the elevator: the buttons are hard to see! The elevator is poorly lit and the floor numbers are in black on dark metal.) The club lounge is nothing to write home about -- some tables, chairs and a relaxation area with television. Typical coffee, tea and soft drinks were available as well as fruits and nuts. In the evening, there were a few small "amuse bouches" available with served champagne and other drinks. The small, but tasteful, selection of food applied to breakfast as well -- some breads, pastries and cold meats. From what I understand, it's not yet possible to book a room on the club floor as it is reserved for SPG Platinum members. I was glad to not be paying for breakfast at €30! Usually when I'm in this part of town, I stop by Le Pain Quotidien at the Marché Saint-Honoré to grab a quick bite to eat.
Once I was checked in, I found my way to the small room I had been asigned. For such a large hotel (nearly 450 rooms), I was given quite a small room. Victorian-era furniture was contrasted with the modern LCD television and a phone/fax machine. I was pleased to see that Internet access was free, although I doubt that will remain a feature for long. A Platinum amenity was already waiting in my room for me -- an apple and a bottle of wine. The adjacent bathroom was of decent size for such a small room. The typical Westin products were displayed and I quickly shot my hand under the shower to check for good water pressure. Overall, I did not find the room up to the standards of a Westin. Too many little things were overlooked. For example, some of the towel racks in the bathroom are not so easily accessible -- the hand towels sit on a small ring close to the ground. I also noticed that there was no clock in the room, no radio, and the bed was definitely not heavenly. On my way out for dinner, I popped my head into the gym -- poorly equipped and frankly quite ugly.
All the staff I encountered, from the club lounge to the bellmen, were cordial but still maintained a tinge of that Parisian je ne sais quoi. Next time I'm in the city, I will probably not stay here again until the property is upgraded. The Park Hyatt Vendome or Starwood's Prince de Galles is a much more suitable property for this rating.
November 1, 2007 1:52 AM. Nancy said:
I just returned home from Paris yesterday. Just a little background on my stay. I used Starwood points to pay for my stay.
First of all, my reservation was completely messed up by the Starwood rep. I won't go into that here, but will keep my comments to the hotel itself.
I will say I was promised a Superior room, king bed, no smoking with a seperate sitting room. Needless to say, I was upgraded to the Starwood Preferred Floor (4) to a Superior room with a king bed. Which begged me to ask, what was my pre-upgraded room? It's is no longer available, I'm told.
My first impression of the hotel lobby is the atrium, it's open, stark and cold feeling. The lobby has been redone, but there is no ambiance at all.
We were escorted to the Starwood Preferred Guest Floor, and to our room. What an absolute dump! The carpet was old and stained. The bathroom reeked of mold, the showerhead was crusted over. Peeling wallpaper was the norm. Needless to say I was horrified.
A call to the front desk proved frustrating and I was told they were all full. This I know not to be true, as I heard every single person come off the elevator at night!
The towels stunk, the bathroom floor had pee stains, and their version of the heavenly bed was straight from hell.
The only saving grace was the restaurant decor. It was fabulous! However, I did sit next to a table where management and an advertising agent selling website ideas were having a meeting. I do agree with the other posters comments. This hotel doesn't know what it wants to be. Sleek chocolates on the website, glasses of champagne... that was the image they wanted to show their customer. To attract their senses, as they discussed. Well, I can save you the expense. You've heard the saying, you can put lipstick on a pig? Well, pucker up then. This is a grand prize!
This hotel is a 2 star. At best, it's 3rd star just fizled out.