Hôtel Aiglon - Boulevard Raspail Paris 14 — Hotel in Paris

Definitely the best hotel I’ve ever stayed in when visiting Paris. I gladly give it 5/5 (even though things weren’t perfect—more on that shortly) for the amazing service of the front desk staff and for the incredible room I had (Room 55 definitely gets 5/5).||Half way through my vacation, I had to adjust my plans and contacted the Hotel Aiglon to see if I could arrive two days early and add two extra days to the four day stay that I had booked weeks earlier. It was tricky because the hotel is so popular, but staffer Romain was able to work things out. A huge relief. I met Romain and his colleague, Paul, on check in and they were incredibly friendly and helpful. Probably the best hotel staff I’ve ever encountered in my travels. There was another staffer working the night of November 29-30. A younger guy (I didn’t get his name) who was there when I went up to bed and still there when I checked out the next morning. I joked with him that he might be a vampire. He was just as friendly and professional as his colleagues.||The room was one of the absolute best I’ve ever stayed in. A hallway leads to a nice living room and then a large bedroom and bathroom. There’s also a second half bathroom which is always welcome. And three large windows wrapping around the curved building giving a different view out of each. My favourite was the view over Montparnasse cemetery. Lots of history and the neighbours are quiet.||And what a great neighbourhood. Lots of shops and excellent restaurants (I’m talking to you, La Closerie des Lilas) and great spots to visit nearby. Best of all, this is a proper Parisian neighbourhood and not a tourist trap. Not a single Eiffel Tower keychain in sight.||Unfortunately there were two slip ups. But the positives of the Hotel Aiglon so greatly outweighed the negatives that I’m sticking with my 5/5 rating. Maybe the Aiglon staff might benefit from my criticism.||1. I asked an older man at the front desk if he knew about acquiring tickets for the famous Paris catacombs (about a 15-20 minute walk away). He told me that all I had to do was show up at the catacombs and buy tickets whenever I wanted. When I arrived the next morning I found that the catacombs don’t have a ticket office and that the only way to get tickets is by ordering them online (a really painful process as it turns out—you have to create a new account just for a one-time ticket purchase). Anyone wanting to buy a ticket the old-fashioned way, from a ticket office with a credit card, was going to be disappointed. Later back at the hotel I mentioned this to the same front desk staff man. I told him that he was mistaken and that the catacombs have no ticket office. “Well, it depends,” he replied. “No, it doesn’t depend on anything—the only way to purchase tickets is online,” I replied. His attitude to my information was a kind of “maybe yes/maybe no” tone. A word of advice: if the Aiglon staff give a guest wrong and outdated information and the guest provides an update, then just go along with it. And feel free to look it all up yourself if you doubt the credibility of the guest’s information.||2. November 27 was a pretty miserable day in terms of weather. Cold and dark and at times with a driving rain. Still, we left the hotel just before 9 am. and had a long walk through the Luxembourg Gardens and then visited the Panthéon (fantastic). Even with an umbrella, the rain and wind were so severe that eventually I was soaked. I finally decided that I just wanted to go back to the hotel and get warm and dry and relax. I had left a “Please make up the room” sign on the door handle before leaving the hotel. I arrived back at the hotel five and a half hours later at 2:30 pm.. To my surprise, the room hadn’t been touched. I wasn’t happy and was told by the front desk that the cleaning staff doesn’t start work until the afternoon and that if I wanted the room made up early, then I’d have to make arrangements with the staff in the lobby. How was I supposed to know that? In any case, I had to sit in the lobby, in my cold and soaking clothes for a full hour until 3:30 pm. while the cleaning staff prepared my room. Not good. I’ve never once encountered a situation like this. Sitting in the lobby in cold, soaking clothing is enough to put anyone out. I told the front desk that I didn’t want my room cleaned for the remaining three days of my stay. I’d make the bed myself and use the same towels. I didn’t want a repeat of the hour-long wait in the lobby.||So, many thanks and compliments to Romain, Paul and the fellow at the overnight desk. Your incredibly excellent service kept this review a solid 5/5. I would recommend the Hotel Aiglon to anyone in...

Definitely the best hotel I’ve ever stayed in when visiting Paris. I gladly give it 5/5 (even though things weren’t perfect) for the amazing service of the front desk staff and for the incredible room I had (Room 55 definitely gets 5/5).

Half way through my vacation, I had to adjust my plans and contacted the Hotel Aiglon to see if I could arrive two days early and add two extra days to the four day stay that I had booked weeks earlier. It was tricky, but staffer Romain was able to work things out. A huge relief. I met Romain and his colleague, Paul, on check in and they were incredibly friendly and helpful. Probably the best hotel staff I’ve ever encountered in my travels. There was another staffer working the night of November 29-30. A younger guy (I didn’t get his name) who was there when I went up to bed and still there when I checked out the next morning. I joked with him that he might be a vampire. He was just as friendly and professional as his colleagues.

The room was one of the absolute best I’ve ever stayed in. A hallway leads to a nice living room and then a large bedroom and bathroom. There’s also a second half bathroom which is always welcome. And three large windows wrapping around the curved building giving a different view out of each. My favourite was the view over Montparnasse cemetery.

And what a great neighbourhood. Lots of shops and excellent restaurants and great spots to visit nearby.

Unfortunately there were two slip ups. But the positives of the Hotel Aiglon so greatly outweighed the negatives that I’m sticking with my 5/5 rating.

I asked an older man at the front desk if he knew about acquiring tickets for the famous Paris catacombs (about a 15-20 minute walk away). He told me that all I had to do was show up at the catacombs and buy tickets whenever I wanted. When I arrived the next morning I found that the catacombs don’t have a ticket office and that the only way to get tickets is by ordering them online (a really painful process as it turns out—you have to create a new account just for a one-time ticket purchase). Anyone wanting to buy a ticket the old-fashioned way, from a ticket office with a credit card, was going to be disappointed. Later back at the hotel I mentioned this to the same front desk staff man. I told him that he was mistaken and that the catacombs have no ticket office. “Well, it depends,” he replied. “No, it doesn’t depend on anything—the only way to purchase tickets is online,” I replied. His attitude to my information was a kind of “maybe yes/maybe no” tone. A word of advice: if the Aiglon staff give a guest wrong and outdated information and the guest provides an update, then just go along with it.

November 27 was a pretty miserable day in terms of weather. Cold and dark and at times with a driving rain. Still, we left the hotel just before 9 am. and had a long walk through the Luxembourg Gardens and then visited the Panthéon (fantastic). Even with an umbrella, the rain and wind were so severe that eventually I was soaked. I finally decided that I just wanted to go back to the hotel and get warm and dry and relax. I had left a “Please make up the room” sign on the door handle before leaving the hotel. I arrived back at the hotel five and a half hours later at 2:30 pm.. To my surprise, the room hadn’t been touched. I wasn’t happy and was told by the front desk that the cleaning staff doesn’t start work until the afternoon and that if I wanted the room made up early, then I’d have to make arrangements with the staff in the lobby. How was I supposed to know that? In any case, I had to sit in the lobby, in my cold and soaking clothes for a full hour until 3:30 pm. while the cleaning staff prepared my room. Not good. I’ve never once encountered a situation like this. Sitting in the lobby in cold, soaking clothing is enough to put anyone out. I told the front desk that I didn’t want my room cleaned for the remaining three days of my stay. I didn't want a repeat.

(Review cut a bit short because of...

I’m glad I chose to stay here at Aiglon. It will not disappoint you. |First impressions were very good. The reception staff were very welcoming and very helpful. The hotel give you the mini bar for free on your first night. The mini bar is not topped up which isn’t a bad thing as you do get free top-ups on water. |My son and I stayed for five nights and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The room was first class each day. Very well presented and clean towels and clean bedding. The room was refreshed and set up each day as if we were a new customer. |The room cupboards may be a little on the small size if you’re having a long stay, as there is not much room to store your clothes. |There are power sockets on each side of the beds, if you’re sleeping on a queen or twin bed, which is a big plus. We prefer to iron our clothes daily and the only downside was that the hotel does need to invest in steam irons and adequate boards. But this shouldn’t put you off from staying here. The nearest metro is one minute walk from the hotel and you are guaranteed to get to your site seeing destinations with ease. The hotel is in a perfect location to get around Paris. The bars are a five minute walk, and there is also a nice trendy cafe/bar next door. The area surrounding the hotel is quite upmarket too and you’re guaranteed to find somewhere ideal to dine/eat. Some bars are open until 4am. We had all day until our flight and we left our luggage with reception, who put them to one side. As we had already checked out at 12pm and waited to leave the hotel at 6pm, the staff still gave us drinks which you’ll not get in most places. |Oh, and the wifi is ok. It’s intermittent which can be a pain. Overall a very exceptional hotel. I will most definitely...