Hôtel du Rond Point des Champs Elysées Paris 8ème - Esprit de France — Hotel in Paris

This was one of the worst hotels I've ever patronised. In some ways, it was worse than hostels in the developing world that I've stayed in. I explain below the three largest faults that I experienced.

First, the service was subpar. The receptionists, while friendly, were not professional, made mistakes, did not provide instruction on how to get to the room, were disorganised in terms of whether my luggage has been delivered to the room or not, and were generally unaware. No staff with any minor amount of training or professionalism would behave in this way. The level of service would be unacceptable at a two-star hotel anywhere, let alone a four-star hotel in Paris. They charged me €50 as a deposit. I've never had a hotel actually put a charge on my card, as opposed to just putting a hold.

Second, the room was miserable. The temperature gauge is broken (I've set it at 24 Celsius and it was colder than outside). The room is so small that there was no place to open my handheld luggage.* The toilet is as far away from the sink as possible, which makes for an unsanitary setup. There is a shower, but there's no holder for the shower spout, which makes it more difficult than necessary to take a shower. The view is worse than my previous night in Paris, where I stayed in a bad neighborhood for USD40 per night. The windows overlooked a small street with road constructions and a cheap buffet take-out restaurant (though the restaurant, Chez Tong, had a far better name than "Hotel du Rond-Point des Champs-Elysees").

*They later said something about having put me in the wrong room. The receptionist was not clear in explaining the issue before I had to leave to a meeting. They have made no effort to remedy their mistake.

Coming out of the room, I continue being subject to poor design. The lobby area is depressing as hell, as if you're transported to Orwell's 1984 and awaiting your daily indoctrination. There is a bar, which admittedly has beautiful mirrors, where it is always empty because of how uninviting it is otherwise (it had no windows, and is subject to all the noise and disruption from the check-in desk). I did not take breakfast, because the selection is small and uncreative. Guys, there are 30,000+ boulangeries in Paris with at least twice as many ambitious and trained bakers. Find one and ask them propose a menu for you, so that your bread selection is not just "un croissant". In the room, there's a barrage of brochures (at least 7 different documents) that provided zero narrative or continuity. Some of them were individually well-made; others are what one would receive as an Erasmus student.

Finally, the hotel simply lacked any distinguishing feature that is expected for a hotel of this level. There is complimentary water and tea packets, but no curated snacks or gifts. The TV is a pedestrian model with no features set up to welcome guests. There is an odd Samsung phone plugged in next to your bed, even though all travellers would be carrying their personal phone and perhaps their work phone already. Why another (outdated) phone is needed is beyond me. An iPad with a personalised app may have been more useful for learning about Paris or ordering room service, but i think that would be too big for this tiny room. The cabinets follow a sort of art deco style that's an excuse to substitute cheap plastic for a better durable material. The toileteries were all branded "esprit de France". I am not familiar with this hotel chain so I can't comment on whether that's a good or bad association. Given the general experience though, I would have been more assured of the quality if it came from a recognized marque.

The elevator is so slow that you can have a French lesson there.

In sum, the hotel requires major renovation and staff training to become an acceptable...

Pros:|• Prime location in Paris.|• Lovely room decor and attractive lobby/public spaces.|• Excellent omelettes (when offered).|• Friendly, dedicated staff (front desk, bellmen, housekeeping) despite challenges.|• Management doing their best under constrained resources.|Cons:|• Severely understaffed, leading to poor maintenance and service.|• Subpar breakfast buffet, the worst among eight European hotels recently visited.|• Smaller rooms compared to nearby competitors offering better value.||Dear Owners,|It’s truly disheartening to see a hotel I’ve cherished for years during frequent Paris visits fall into decline. Your property, once a standout, now feels neglected due to decisions that appear to stem from ownership’s budget constraints. This luxury hotel no longer delivers a four-star experience.||The most glaring issue is understaffing. Front desk clerks are stretched thin, forced to handle maintenance tasks like neglected public bathrooms due to a lack of dedicated support. The kitchen struggles to cope with a full hotel, resulting in a disappointing breakfast buffet—the weakest I’ve encountered among eight European hotels recently, despite comparable pricing. Nearby cafés and competing hotels, which I scouted during my stay, offer far superior breakfast experiences.||Basic amenities were absent: no cups for lobby coffee, no napkins at the buffet, and no menus provided. Omelettes, a rare highlight (cheese and tomato only, but excellent), weren’t offered unless requested. Why hide a strength? This feels like corner-cutting, not luxury service.||The rooms, though beautifully decorated, are smaller than those at nearby competitors. Your prime location and lovely lobby remain assets, but they can’t offset the overall decline. ||I explored hotels within walking distance and found many offering better service and value at similar or lower prices.|Your staff—front desk, bellmen, and housekeeping—are friendly and professional, and management is clearly trying hard despite limited resources. But full occupancy during busy times shouldn’t mask these issues. Travelers share their experiences with agents, social media, and friends, and your reputation is slipping.||Please invest in adequate staffing, improve the buffet, and restore basic amenities. Your hotel has the potential to reclaim its former glory, but it currently falls short of its luxury promise. I sincerely hope you take...

Execeptonal!|Firstly the location is perfect - your a short walk from the river and a short walk from two Metro Stations.|The staff from the reception to the cleaners to the waiters are all so friendly, efficient and wonderful people who go above and beyond.|The room (we chose one with a balcony and two beds) was very spacious like a suite, the sofa turned in to a bed which we had requested to be done before our arrival. Both beds were incredibly comfortable. |There is no fridge in the room but you can request one from the front desk (just a heads up if anyone needs a fridge) |The closet space was very spacious and lit up inside and had the best mirror for getting ready.|The bathroom was very clean and had great water pressure - the lighting is quite dim in there so I wouldn't recommend it for getting ready to go out.|We had a lovely little balcony with a bistro set table and chair which we utilised while replacing in the day.||Between 2 and 5pm they serve coffee and cake downstairs - which my mom took advantage of.||The pool is open 7am until 9pm - which I used each day. The pool is so beautiful and incredibly well kept. There are jets you can turn on at one end with a seat which was very relaxing. And off to the left of the pool area is a sauna. ||I would 100% stay here again. The room was fantastic, the staff couldn't have been more friendly and wonderful and the location is second to none.||This is such a wonderful little place to stay in Paris! ||We also got ubers in the evening from here with no issues.||Round the corner is a supermarket (it has 3 floors and all the necessities you could require - they also have grab and go hot food) - we didnt use any of the resturants near by so im unable to recommend any. ||Breakfast is usually included in your stay and is traditional continental with a...