The Brighton Hotel – Paris, France

It's day eight (for me) in the A-Z blog challenge! This month I'll be sharing all about my Christmas/New Year travels in NYC and Europe – providing insight into the places I went, reviewing the hotels I stayed at, and telling my story. Today's letter is K for "knocked down" (surprised, shocked?, impressed, inspired) by a stunning view from our hotel room at The Brighton, because, really, that's what makes this hotel stand out above so many other hotels in the area! Feel free to follow along as I make my way through the alphabet this month! :)

image from TripAdvisor

Destination: Paris, France
Date: December 2015
Hotel: Hotel Brighton
Brand: n/a
Elite Status: n/a
# of travelers: 2
nights: 1

Hotel: Making the Decision

Just as I came to realize (like when I booked the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand) that Hyatt hotels in Paris were not an option, I decided to start looking into hotel rooms with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Justin and I stayed at a Holiday Inn in 2014 that was suppose to have a view from the hotel room, that we paid extra for, but didn't so I knew that one … and pretty much all of the other IHG chain hotels were out of the question. Just like that. ;)

Don't get me wrong – the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand was amazing! I'd totally stay there again … on points. Your "view", or at least the one I received, is city rooftops not the Eiffel Tower. The customer service was fantastic! And I felt at home from the moment I checked in. But… in my humble opinion, IHG is not exactly a city hotel chain. They are the brand you stay at when you are in a small town with very few other hotels … or schlepping your days away at Panama City Beach with a margarita in hand…

IHG is a fantastic, well-rounded hotel chain with plenty of places to stay all over the world! Some of which are better than others. (Choose the Intercontinental over the Holiday Inn when you go to Paris for a more life-changing stay!) But … for our second night in Paris I wanted something a little different…

Maybe an Accor hotel? … Like the Pullman?

Of course I could have stuck with that decision, but where would the fun be in that?

The Pullman seemed nice enough albeit old. And then they had that security issue in November where they thought someone had brought a bomb into the hotel or something? Remember that?

Anyway, one look at TripAdvisor reviews and I decided to move on. People were saying that the Regina Hotel and Hotel Brighton offered better views and were located nearby.

So I looked them up!

I spent hours and hours comparing the two side-by-side. I reviewed Youtube videos, Flyertalk reviews, and TripAdvisor pictures. Really, there was very little information available to me. Pictures at the Regina made it look prettier, classier even. Brighton looked kind of plain, but the price was cheaper.

So I decided to be adventurous. We'd book the Brighton Hotel and use our saved money to upgrade our room. Sounded like a win-win to me! What's the worst that could happen?

(source)

Getting There

We took a cab.

I know you are shocked and surprised after reading this, this, and this.

But as always, you could achieve the same results (AKA getting there) by walking (! Yes, you could potentially walk from the Intercontinental to The Brighton very easily!), metro'ing (Wait! But why?), or … I think that's it. I doubt there is a bus nearby and you certainly can't take a boat. Maybe you could bike?

Everything!

Location

So yeah, The Brighton is located in the 9th arrondissement and quite close to Jardin des Tuileries, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and the Roue de Paris (ferris wheel). The Place Vendôme, Angelina's (for delicious hot chocolate), and two of the three department stores are also nearby (Printemps and Galeries Lafayette). We won't mention the number of shops and restaurants that line the Rue de Rivoli nor will I state that the metro is also near. Wouldn't want to get your hopes up or anything. ;)

Checking In, Porter, & Elevator

Everything went smoothly at this hotel from the time we emerged from our taxi cab all the way until we got to our room. The front desk staff (who are basically right at the door) greeted us warmly and got us checked in immediately.

When the porter offered to show us to our room he made a point to mention not to take the front elevator. We would have to take the back one.

Want to know the difference?

One was a crazily slimmed down elevator built for no more than 2 people with only the smallest amount of luggage. The back elevator offered a bit more room and was big enough for us to fit our two large rolling bags and the three of us going to the room. So – don't take the small elevator if you are claustrophobic! That would be a bad day! :)

image from TripAdvisor

Room, View, Amenities

When we got up to our room, we found ourselves impressed not at first by the view but by how large the rooms were. Yes, they were quaint and minimal, but what the room lost in elegance, it made up for in size. It was almost like a mini apartment! We had space to spread out in an extravagant way. This, from the looks of it, was no ordinary Parisian hotel!

After the porter left, I got my first view from our room's balcony. Stunning is an understatement. :) Justin and I could see many of the tourist attractions listed above.

And so, since it was nearly time for sunset, Justin and I scraped our trip to a French chateau and decided instead to stake out for the afternoon. I had missed the sunset in NYC when I put my Nexus 6 on time lapse and it stopped after about an hour of recording. With this particular view of Paris, that wasn't going to happen to me a second time!

Justin pulled out the tripod while I wrote notes to friends and family occasionally taking a gander outside while the frigid wind chilled me to the bone. As cold as our room got, I knew that seeing the sunset right in that moment would be something we would never forget. :)

Luckily, the hotel had provided us with water and tea to keep us hydrated. No, there wasn't a fruit basket or fruit juice, but we had plenty of leftover macarons, fruit, and snacks available to us that we had been purchasing during our time in Paris but had yet to eat.

Finally, with the sun down, Justin took a shower using the hotel provided shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel before we left for a late night dinner. :)

Check Out & The Lobby

The next day it was time for Justin and I to move on to Strasbourg; we had an early-afternoon train to catch. … But I still had a few things I wanted to do in Paris, so we asked the hotel if they would hold our luggage for us. And while I went on my last desperate search for Bûche de Noël, they did!

But finally, our time was up.

As Justin used the restroom and confirmed our bill with the front desk, I took in the beautiful Christmas decorations in the lobby and listened as a cute little English girl spoke about being a princess to her mother. :) Of course, the accent got to me. How can you not smile when kids speak of imaginary things in a grand and proper way (like the English do)?

Anyway, Hotel Brighton offered plenty of seating for guests who were waiting (like me).

And I must admit the decorations were impressive. Gorgeous Christmas trees covered in beautiful white ornaments and flowers with complex white paper garland adorning the property windows.

Even though I had not initially chosen Hotel Brighton for its Christmas decorations, they had clearly done a terrific job.

Overall Review
★★★★ (above average)

The combination of the minimalistic yet large room with a view was enough to spike what would be a three star hotel to a fourth one. Yay! The staff was altogether pleasant, but we didn't receive anything particularly special for our stay here (like fruit or juice). We liked how close everything was to our hotel; it made activity scouting easy and fun. Plus, as I mentioned, we were right next to Angelina's, so we were able to wake up a little later and still beat the (touristy) breakfast crowd. The beautiful decorations in the lobby gave the hotel a seasonal feel without being too much – it was just the perfect amount to make you think of the Brighton as a beautiful, cheery hotel.

Would I return?

At $200 or so per night? Yes! Yes! and one more YES!

Two hundred is on the pricier end for hotels I'd stay at, but Paris hotels can be quite expensive. For the level of service I received (which was minimal but good) and for the type of room I had the privilege of staying in, I would happily fork over the money for another amazing stay.

…

But, because I'm me, I probably won't.

There are tons of hotels in Paris and this is just one of them! I am on a search to find the best one! I will never actually know if I found it if I don't try any others. ;)

Your Turn

Would you consider a hotel room at $200 a night a worthwhile purchase if it included a view of the Eiffel Tower? What makes or breaks a hotel room for you?

A • C • D • E • F • I • J