Guess how many reviews I found that were truly helpful?
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…
none.
I only read one in depth review, but it still wasn't incredibly helpful in my decision making.
As such, I have decided to do a comprehensive review of a number of hotels I have stayed at over the course of the year to try and provide you as much of the information as I was looking for as I can. This won't be an everyday thing, but more like a once a week review (until I run out of hotels). I'm hoping it will help google searchers and travel planners as they figure out their vacations and work-travel hotel destinations. I don't necessarily have pictures to complement my writing, but in the future I will try to remember to take pictures for review purposes.
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Destination: Paris, France
Date: April/May 2014
Hotel: Holiday Inn Paris Notre Dame
Brand: IHG
status: Gold
status: Gold
# of travelers: 2
Hotel & Brand – Making the Decision
With hotel status at IHG, Hilton, and Marriott, when Justin and I decided to spend a night in Paris before traveling on to Germany for a wedding, I really wanted to stay in a hotel where I would get benefits and feel like "first class travelers". Paris is such a huge city that finding a hotel in one of the American chains that I had status with was quite easy. From that point forward, I became more concerned with cost, benefits, location, and views. I chose the Holiday Inn Paris Notre Dame, because of the low cost (compared to other chain hotels in the area), reviewers' recommendations of the close proximity of attractions (within walking distance), and the rooftop view. I had also read on FlyerTalk that people with Gold status were usually upgraded.
Getting There
Because Justin and I were driving to Germany the next day (and around Europe during the following 3 weeks), we had rented a car for our stay. This made getting to the hotel complicated since the parking garage was easily a 10 minute walk away. (An easy uncomplicated walk for Europeans, but a long confusing walk for Americans who are used to being able to park at the hotel they are staying at.) Many guests would park in the truck loading zone in front of the hotel to take in their luggage and check-in. We did not, but I definitely recommend it for future visitors to the hotel. In fact, I highly recommend using the metro system for most of your travel while in Paris given that parking is expensive, driving is complicated, and everything is centrally located. The hotel is on a one-way street with only smart car parking in front, so if you miss it, it can be complicated turning back around and getting to the correct street.
Location
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| image from Priceline |
Paris is made up of 20 arrondissements with 1 being the closest to the city-center and 20 being the furthest away rotating clockwise as you go from the city center outwards. The Holiday Inn Notre Dame was located in the 6th arrondissement which is close to many tourist attractions but not quite in the center of the city. Walking around the area, my husband and I found many local restaurants including one amazing créperie, Crêperie des Pêcheurs, where we sampled both a savory crêpe and a sweet one for a reasonable price. We had been looking for a more traditional French restaurant for dinner, but we were so glad we got to experience this little créperie instead.The staff did not speak much English, but if you are familiar with cooking terms at all, you should be able to point to what you want. :)
Since we were in Paris on May 1 and we had a lot of driving to do, we didn't really venture to too many tourist attractions, but we did take a long walk soaking in the beauty of local parks and imagining having the money to shop in all of the boutiques with the gorgeous umbrellas (yes! They have shops just for that!), antiques, and clothing. I do not recommend going during the May 1st holiday however since most shops are closed and all you can really do is peruse the shop windows. (Great idea for those on a budget!)
Hotel Room, Amenities, Staff, View, Price
Because we were only visiting for a day, Justin and I paid the higher price for the room with a view. That turned out to be a disappointment as all we could see from our room was the very tip of the eiffel tower. When we went down to the lobby, they told us that all of the other rooms were booked and that they could place us in a better room the next night, when we would be leaving. We really should have downgraded but with Justin stressed out, we simply paid the high cost for the not-so-great room and let it be. I highly recommend asking for a room on a higher floor and perhaps only upgrading to a room with a view once at the hotel to ensure that you don't get a half-view.
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| from IHG website; rooms were not as spacious as indicated. |
The hotel room with a double bed wasn't entirely bad, but I would not recommend it for a larger party than two. There was no room for a rollaway cot. It was a small room compared to American standards but definitely decent sized for France. We had a corner room with a small balcony and (as mentioned before) a tiny view of the Eiffel Tower (but mostly of rooftops). The room included a desk, bed, two chairs (no tv), and reliable wi-fi, something we found to be scarce in all of Europe. The bed wasn't incredibly comfortable, perhaps a little hard, but we were excited to see little notes left on the pillows indicating that we could ask for whatever pillows we wanted – feather, soft, hard, etc… The bathrooms were normal sized compared to US hotels and were decorated with a modern style. Even with gold status and a complaint about our room, we were not upgraded or even offered a discount which was disappointing but not surprising.
While the staff was not exceptionally helpful with regards to our room, they were incredibly helpful in many other ways. For example, they directed us to where good local spots to eat were, gave us a map of local phone shops that we could try, and inserted a code into the elevator so that we could watch the sun rise from the rooftop. Their English was superb and we hardly had any trouble communicating.
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| my image; view from the rooftop at sunset |
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| from IHG website; rooftop bar as advertised |
The rooftop view at Holiday Inn Notre Dame was surprisingly empty most of our stay except for sunset when viewers clamored up the elevator to watch the beautiful sun set over Paris. Even then, only a handful of people joined us on the rooftop for the lovely view at dusk. We were, however, very surprised to not find a bar or restaurant on the roof catering to hotel guests or serving drinks. The hotel could make a killing if they had provided such an offering. Instead, the rooftop area almost looked forgotten about with dirty (not disgusting, mind you) tables and chairs. It was a relaxing experience but certainly not a highlight for the hotel (despite how it is advertised online).
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| image from TripAdvisor |
As for breakfast, the hotel's offerings were pricey with much smaller portions and fewer choices than most American-style buffets typically offer. The May 1st date, however, meant that there weren't many breakfast options open and available to us as early as we were eating (7AM). We were given the choice between a 9€ pastries option or the 20€ buffet. We choose the buffet not knowing when we would get the chance to eat again; it included eggs, pastries, cereal, a few meat selections, sparkling water, juice, and coffee. While I cannot recommend the food at such high prices and low taste quality, the staff was friendly offering all of the women that came through the restaurant a flower, a sweet gesture to be sure.
Overall Review
★★★ (average)
This is a great, small, reasonably priced (given the location) hotel to stay at in Paris close to many attractions and restaurants with a rooftop view of the sunset. The rooms are small and the views are dependent upon which room you get. Don't expect an amazing view just because you paid for it. I recommend grabbing breakfast at a local créperie if it is open or eating a croissant from a bakery rather than paying the exorbitant hotel fee for a buffet breakfast at the hotel's restaurant. I also suggest using the metro (or walking) over driving while in Paris. You can get a day pass for a few euros in comparison to the 20€ or 30€ fee you will pay in the parking garage. The staff at this hotel is friendly, courteous, helpful, and speaks English which will be extraordinarily helpful to those visiting Paris for the first time. I'm not sure I will ever consider staying at this hotel again, but it is definitely not a bad choice.
Your turn…
Help me make my reviews as helpful as possible for future travelers. Is this a hotel you would consider staying at if you were in Paris? Is there any additional information I have left out that you would want to know? Share! If you have any questions or advice I'd love to hear them!
