citizenM Paris La Defense — Attraction in Arrondissement of Nanterre

Bit of a mixed bag this one.. and let me tell you why.

On the plus side there's location. It's within very easy walking distance of my office there. And there's very friendly staff, unusually friendly for Paris in fact. Also the whole place including my room was exceptionally clean, german standard clean.

But there's some caveats.. Checkin is supposed to be self service but staff is on hand to help. Needed because the process is not at all simple especially the first time. Also it means your room gets assigned at random really. I like higher floors and a room at the end of the corridor. What I got was directly opposite the elevator on the 2nd floor. The bar/reception area has a constant mix of mellow dance music that's just loud enough to get on my nerves, especially in the morning. The websites states: 24/7 food & drinks which in practice means that after 2230 the food is some chips for sale and after midnight same goes for the drinks. Bar is too hip to have printed menus, everything is with a QR code which I hate with a passion. Food ordered means when your buzzer goes off you have to fetch it. And clear your tray into a cart. Not quite what I'd expect at their prices. Breakfast has a barista taking your room number and making a fresh coffee on a good espresso machine. Shame she's prone to shouting room numbers in French. I'd have been just as happy with a mug of filter coffee that's actually hot. Food selection is fairly basic. There's basic English breakfast fixings. Only 2 kinds of bread and good croissants. Weird muesli but good yoghurt. Haven't discovered any fresh fruit but there was really decent smoked salmon. All in all, seemed a bit of a random selection

Room... My room was, well, small. Big enough for 1 person if you just sleep there but that's it really. Big bed for sure but not really intende dfor two. Even just one reading light at the bed. Room is pretty high tech, an ipad controls everything. You can also download an app but that means you automatically opt-in to their marketing (pretty shady move in these GDPR times). Still it works well with the tablet. Alarm means that on the set time all the lights go on. The TV is big and has a very nice selection of non-French channels and it allows easy chromecast. There's a tiny but silent fridge. Climate control is actually pretty good. Normally aircon during the night gives me a serious sinus problem but not this one. Also clever to have the blinds lower when you switch off the lights upon leaving the room.

Bathroom... tiny. The shower door leaks. The "jungle-like power shower" means a rain shower and a lose shower-head. So you either get trickled on or you have to hose yourself down. The sink is in a cabinet in your room.

The hotel seems to do a lot of repeat business. If it wasn't so very conveniently located I'd say this was my first and last time. Now I may deal with my dislikes as a trade for a 90...

This used to be such a great hotel. I’ve stayed at citizenM Paris La Défense several times over the years. I like the location - away from the crowds of Central Paris and yet within a short train ride from all major landmarks. There are plenty of restaurants and shopping around the hotel, as well as charming Puteaux and Bois de Boulogne within a short walk. Regrettably my most recent stay in June 2025 was disappointing, particularly due to poor “light” housekeeping and an encounter with one of the hotel ambassadors… not a big deal overall, but something I would never have said about my experience with this hotel in the past.

The hotel should consider using a different company for housekeeping as the cleaning person(s) literally did nothing except sort of making the bed during my stay. I actually found one of the pillows lying on the floor when I returned to the room on Day 2. The floor remained dirty, there were black hairs (not mine) on the sheets and the floor, the sink was not wiped down a single time, the mirror was dirty, one of the shampoo bottles remained broken, and the shower glass had soap/water residue that was never wiped off.

On another note, I appreciate citizenM ambassadors who are typically friendly, charismatic, kind, and just awesome. Ryan who helped me with my check-in is one of them. He’s definitely an asset to citizenM. The other citizenM ambassadors whom I met on this trip were… OK. They looked overworked and not too enthusiastic about their jobs. One ambassador, a French girl in her early or mid 30’s (perhaps), was less than friendly and acted as if I were bothering her when I attempted to redeem my free drink coupon at the bar right around the time she was closing in the evening. I asked for a glass of sparkling wine, and humbly inquired if she could add a notch more when she handed me a Champaign glass that was half empty (while there was plenty of sparkling wine left in two open bottles). She replied that she had already pored more than what she was required… end of conversation… she just turned around and walked away. I was fine with whatever amount for a free drink the hotel deemed right. However, there should be a better way to communicate that to guests who spend over €150 per night.

When I received the survey after my stay, I described the issues with room cleanness. I received not even an acknowledgement from the hotel management.

My most recent stay was by no means horrible. I like the citizenM brand (which will be taken over by Marriott soon unfortunately), and I may stay at citizenM La Défense again in the future. I hope my next experience will be more in line with how I knew this hotel in the past. Based on my most recent experience, this citizenM hotel is no longer as good as most other citizenM...

I love citizenM's concept and style, their room format and their wonderful big common rooms. But even between one citizenM and the other there are differences and I've never had a better experience than in the PLD location. This time was better than ever, because it was more important than ever. I travel to Paris with a folding bike, because I can't walk well because of a disability. It was stolen and even though I know Paris well and am not easily thrown for a loop, I was distraught because I instantly have a big problem without my bicycle. Many hours in a police station and a lot of walking and feeling vulnerable later, still dealing with the consequences, I finally made the PLD staff made me feel worthy and safe again. This may sound over the top, but it's true. They went out of their way to make me feel better and made a huge difference. I can't thank you enough. ||||On a more practical and less emotional side: the room did have a few issues, there were a few broken things (maybe by guests) and for the first time (which is still impressive, after many years) a citizenM room showed signs of intensive use. The response was instant, nice, decisive and serious. Very professional.||||For the people who don't know citizenM and/or have their doubts about the 'far away' location: don't think twice, just book now. You'll never get better value, in my opinion. Less than ten minutes from metro line 1 which gets you to the very heart of Paris in twenty minutes for just EUR 2,50. Business area so much quieter than the center of Paris, but enough amenities near the hotel, for example a big shopping center with supermarket etc. Not that you need it: citizenM's bar, food, breakfast, common room, etc. are enough to not make you want to go out. Big bed, lovely shower, unusual views, enough room, private safe parking under the hotel (and not having to drive in Paris but only on the outer ring road and in Nanterre is a bonus if you're not feeling very secure in a big city), a breakfast that is actually worth the price (how often does that happen in hotels?), great style and a sense of luxury for an affordable price compared to everything within the périphérique. And of course, there's the personal touch that I love - but if you just want to go about your own business and want to be left alone, that's also possible, because checking in and out can be done without staff if you prefer. ||||I could go on, but the short version is that this hotel suits all my...