Paris is a favorite city of mine and I'm lucky to be able to visit there frequently on business. While the Montparnasse area is not my preferred location, I got a good deal on the Meridien Montparnasse and decided to stay there on my last trip.

Luckily, the Meridien is right by a metro station and I arrived relatively quickly from the airport. The location is decent, some might even say convenient, even if it's not my favorite area of Paris. There are a slew of restaurants and cafes in the area. When I arrived, I was ushered into the large lobby and quickly moved to the check-in desk. A large tour group of Japanese tourists had just shown up so I ran to check-in before them! Reception was with a smile (always noteworthy in France) and as a Platinum member, I was upgraded to a renovated executive room. The hostess escorted me to the room and gave me a couple breakfast coupons to use at the restaurant.

Keep in mind that this is not a luxury hotel -- bar that from your mind. This is an average business hotel, more like an older Sheraton than a Westin in the U.S. The room lacked the French "flair" I was expecting and was really quite plain, even though my room was renovated. There was a flat screen TV and DVD player, which was nice, but it was a bit crammed. The room and bathroom were clean, which is the least you can expect. The bed was of average comfort, certainly not your typical Heavenly Bed or anything like that. In fact, it was a Murphy bed, which I found hilarious for the first five minutes. The breakfast in the restaurant was extensive. It was, of course, expensive so I was glad to have the coupons. I never did eat a meal there as I tend to avoid hotel restaurants.

My only run-in with the staff was when I went to iron my shirt and found my room was equipped with neither an iron nor an ironing board. I called room service and it took about 15 minutes for them to deliver one to my room. I was hoping to iron and go, so I felt a bit rushed once it did arrive. He came in and set it up for me and was very polite about it. Then he just stood around somewhat expectantly before leaving, maybe hoping for a tip. I'm not sure I'm going to pay extra for something that should have been in my room anyway, not to mention the time it took to get it.

The gym at the Meridien Montparnasse more or less sucks. I walked by to have a look during my stay and never went back. It is essentially a guest room with a few old machines in it.

Overall, given the two Meridiens in the city, this one tends to out-shine the Etoile both in its staff, its location and its build. If the Westin is not available, I would probably stay here again or at the Park Hyatt or one of the independent hotels. It's a pity that Starwood does not have a really excellent hotel in the city. Each one seems to have little quirks about it that make them fall a few notches short of what I would consider other top-notch hotels in Paris, like the Park Hyatt Vendome. Of course, I got a much better deal at the Montparnasse...

Review by AJetSetter.

Posted at January 24, 2007 10:42 AM