Hôtel des Saints Pères 4 étoiles Paris 6ème - Esprit de France — Hotel in Paris

I wish I had read the negative reviews more carefully before booking as our experience is unfortunately not unique. I booked a Deluxe Room for 1 night as a staycation with my husband. We booked this stay through our credit card travel rewards specifically so that we could ensure a Deluxe room. There were two cheaper room types available below Deluxe, but we wanted to guarantee a nice room so we chose Deluxe.

When we arrived, we were sent to room 300 on the ground floor. We were shocked to find that the room didn’t remotely reflect the photos that had been provided by the hotel. The room was damp (carpet was moist), dark and claustrophobic. I am not tall, but I was able to touch the ceiling with my hand outstretched above my head. When we saw that we had a terrace, we were relieved for some breathing room, only to find that when we sat on our terrace we were directly on display for everyone in the ground floor hallway. I could go on about the quality, but the best way to describe it is a 2-star chain hotel with framed paintings slapped on the wall. There’s nothing wrong with that if that’s what you are expecting. However, for almost 500 euros we were expecting a Deluxe Room in a 4-star hotel. On the Sunday morning, we were woken early by the sounds of the kitchen getting ready for breakfast. It’s not their fault that our room had been crammed into a space that should never have been converted into a hotel room, but it felt like the staff were in our room even with the terrace door closed.

When I calmly shared my feedback with the young woman at the front desk, I was immediately met with two excuses for why it was my fault. First, she said, “Well, you booked last minute.” This was true. I had booked the hotel a few days before because we live here and it was a staycation. However, if a hotel cannot honor the room type that has been booked by someone, the hotel should not confirm the reservation. The fact is that this hotel accepted the reservation for a Deluxe Room and told us that we were receiving a Deluxe Room upon check-in. When I explained to her that booking last minute doesn’t mean that you should receive a room that doesn’t remotely match what has been promised, she then offered a second excuse: “Well you booked a cheaper room type probably on Expedia. We have nicer rooms.” I corrected her and told her that we in fact booked a Deluxe Room and the rate was 486 euros without tax. I have the receipt. She didn't have a comeback for that, so she handed me a card and told me to share my feedback with the manager.

But all of this misses The Point, which is: regardless of where a booking is made or when you make it, the room type you book should be the room type you get. I have booked hotels all over the world, including here in Paris, only a few days in advance (even the same day, imagine that!) and have had an experience that roughly met expectations. This felt like a completely different hotel.

I have never written a hotel review before because it feels so public to post under my real name (and a bit obnoxious, if I'm being honest), but I just feel compelled to warn other travelers. Any hotel that treats customers this way does not deserve customers. I have no doubt that some people who stay here have a good experience. They are the ones who pay for a "nicer room" and then if the timing is right, they get to stay in one. Unfortunately, that is not everyone.

I know hotels have had a hard time with covid, and that’s why we are happy to support our local hotels here…but this hotel’s behavior is a disgrace. I just feel fortunate that we live in Paris and that we were not visitors to this city. What a horrible welcome that would have been. And what a bad example of Parisian hospitality that would have shown. It would have ruined our trip. For us, it was just a disappointing evening and the 15 minutes it took me to write this feedback.

There are so, so many wonderful hotels in this city. Stay in...

Overall, this is a great hotel, clean, some important updates have been made, friendly staff, and a great location. I would stay here again, but have some notes for those considering staying here:

Pros: Great location, large rooms (we stayed in the Twin Deluxe Room), HUGE amazing bathroom, the bathroom was updated with a large shower, very hot water, two sinks, and a separate tub. Staff was very friendly. Housekeeping was very thorough with cleaning the room. Lots of outlets, including one in the bathroom. Excellent skincare products, and toiletry items (shoe cleaner!). Nice toilet paper, not the cheap 1-ply stuff. Hair dryer was also good. They provide a wine opener in the room!!! So helpful. The front desk also opened the bar for us one night so we could have a glass of wine (as our complimentary beverage).

Cons: The room was not ready at 2pm when we were jet lagged and dying to check-in We only had to wait about 15-20 mins, but we were exhausted. We had also already prechecked in around 11am so they knew we were already there and waiting. They did hold our bags for us though so we could explore for a few hours without them while the room was getting ready. There is also no mini fridge, the website does NOT state there is one, but just clarifying for anyone who wants to know. We did the two twin beds, as a friend and I were sharing the room, and would have preferred they have not been RIGHT next to each other, maybe put a table in-between them? We still felt like we were sleeping on top of each other. The room floor did slant slightly... but its an old building in Paris.. didn't bother us. My only real complaint is while the website states over and over they have air conditioning, however this is only "turned on" during the summer months. So it was not available. We stayed late March and while the air outside was 50-60 degrees, the rooms are much warmer and it got hot at night. They hotel did provide us a fan which helped and we opened the windows to let some cool air in, however we were on the 1st floor and did not feel comfortable leaving the windows open overnight as someone could easily climb into our room from the patio.

Again - Overall great hotel and I would stay here again. Just a few notes to help you prepare for your stay. Only gave 4 stars due to the air conditioning...

First off let me say that front desk people were excellent.|Very charming hotel but that comes with a steep price.||Now about the room, room 300 on ground floor.|Pros:|Very quiet with a rare early morning scuttle.|Just ask night manager to turn lights off in small lounge next to room,so it's darker.|We slept like babies.|If you love shopping at Prada,St Laurent,etc, you'll be in heaven.|A ten minute walk to Seine and other great tourists spots.|For the art lovers and Delacroix fans reading this, St. Sulpice is a must see.|At breakfast you can order eggs in different styles.|The main breakfast room is cozy and they have a patio when weather is nice.||Cons:|Room was tiny.|This was an upgrade to a deluxe room,hate to see how small the superior room was.|I don't know what guest do during the winter,there's no hooks anywhere.|The same goes for the bathroom .|I guess its esthetics over functionality management is aiming for.||The glass partition separating shower from sinks in bathroom needs to be about a foot wider so water doesn't go all over the floor.||In closing and this is about some fellow guests.|If you and your wife are so sick that you are coughing the whole time you are amongst people in a small dining room,do the right thing and order in room service instead.|So you don't spread whatever you have to others...