Holiday Inn Paris - Gare de Lyon Bastille by IHG — Hotel in Paris

I really enjoyed my stay at this hotel. The room while small was well designed and easily accommodated two adults and several pieces of luggage.

Cons:

The hotel had two elevators which were located in separate areas. The first elevator was located closest to the reception desk and was small, but easily fit 3 or 4 adults. The issue was that this elevator was down for maintenance more time that it worked during our week stay at the hotel. In addition, both elevators were down for maintenance one night around 6:00pm forcing everyone to walk up the steps, which while not an issue for myself was an issue for my mom.

The bathroom door as well as the back of the shower/tub is actually a frosted glass which easily provides a silhouette of anyone in the bathroom which was really weird. In addition, for those who like to keep a bathroom light on during the evening it will easily light up the whole room.

The housekeeping staff did an okay job of cleaning the rooms, but would often leave cups that were used behind and not replace them, and would not clean the bathroom as thoroughly as housekeeping staff in the Untied States. In addition, the housekeeping staff always insisted on pushing the two twin beds together even though they were made separately, and I had moved them apart multiple evenings.

Pros:

The hotel is in what appeared to be a relatively safe area with easy access to the Gare De Lyon which was literally only a 5 minute walk if you take the proper exit from the station which is exit 1. We made the mistake the first day of exiting on the wrong side of the station onto Rue De Bercy which is the backside of the station and walked the wrong way, and thus had issues finding the hotel. The Gare De Lyon station has multiple RER trains as well as several subway stations which always made it easy to reach other parts of Paris, especially the tourist location within 5 - 15 minutes).

The front desk staff were really helpful, and provided good recommendations for local places to eat as well as answered all of our questions. They do have portable heaters if you need them during the winter as well.

They recognized our Platinum status by providing us with a room in the front of the building facing Rue Du Lyon which supposedly are the larger standard rooms. They also provided us with the option of 500 points upon check-in or 2 free drinks at the bar.

The room had a refrigerator and a kettle which worked perfectly. There is a Monop grocery store on the other side of the street about 1 block down halfway to the Gare De Lyon which was really convenient to shop at for various items we wanted to eat/drink. In addition, there was a great restaurant that served a delicious full restaurant down the street as well which was under new management. I believe it was called la Consigne.

Overall, I felt that this was a great location with easy access to the touristy areas of Paris while also being a more quite area of town. The outside noise was minimal at the hotel and our room had a balcony. However, the walls between rooms is thin as we heard another couple next door having a little too much fun at...

I’ve absolutely been blown away by the level of service this hotel offers. The staff is so kind and hardworking. I found this hotel by chance and really liked the first night we spent here and decided to extend our stay. The staff went above and beyond to assist me and coordinate my bookings. The staff here must have all received their Masters in hospitality. Sofiane at check-in to Melody helping us throughout our stay. The entire staff has been so kind to the best of their ability. I’m from the “Southern hospitality” belt of the US and did not expect this level of service & kindness in Paris. I had set expectation but honestly they’ve been better than some hotels I’ve stayed in the states. Truly, for a very busy hotel, the staff does a great job of managing and helping guests.

Rooms - 5/5 new, clean, and likely recently renovated. Sizing is larger than your standard Paris hotel room but not oversized. Restrooms have plenty of shower, vanity and toilet space - so you don’t feel like you’re stepping on top of toilet as you step out the shower. Our room had a typical Parisian balcony, large enough to stand on but not enough space to pull out a chair onto, which is fine. Great typical view, a nice surprise if you look right and enjoy the clock tower. We loved our mini fridge and were able to store small snacks and water for 2. Each room had a safe.

Cleanliness - 5/5, you can tell they really try to keep common areas pristine. The hallways looked freshly vacuumed. I only really saw dust gathered on spaces that you would only get to during a DEEP clean, like the framing of the door. Sheets/bedding was clean and light weight.

Safety/noise/environment - 4.99/5, it’s a great location just a block from the train station and a short walk to the river and canal. A mix of restaurants that cater to tourists and locals, but locals definitely enjoy the area and cuisines. I felt safe walking throughout the smaller streets in the area, just note you are close to a train station where you might see things typical of a large city. However, you’re close to the Instagram worthy pastels house that are a short walk

I’ve absolutely been blown away by the level of service this hotel offers. The staff is so kind and hardworking. I found this hotel by chance and really liked the first night we spent here and decided to extend our stay. The staff went above and beyond to assist me and coordinate my bookings. The staff here must have all received their Masters in hospitality. Sofiane at check-in to Melody helping us throughout our stay. The entire staff has been so kind to the best of their ability. I’m from the “Southern hospitality” belt of the US and did not expect this level of service & kindness in Paris. I had set expectation but honestly they’ve been better than some hotels I’ve stayed in the states. Truly, for a very busy hotel, the staff does a great job of managing and helping guests.

Rooms - 5/5 new, clean, and likely recently renovated. Sizing is larger than your standard Paris hotel room but not oversized. Restrooms have plenty of shower, vanity and toilet space - so you don’t feel like you’re stepping on top of toilet as you step out the shower. Our room had a typical Parisian balcony, large enough to stand on but not enough space to pull out a chair onto, which is fine. Great typical view, a nice surprise if you look right and enjoy the clock tower. We loved our mini fridge and were able to store small snacks and water for 2. Each room had a safe.

Cleanliness - 5/5, you can tell they really try to keep common areas pristine. The hallways looked freshly vacuumed. I only really saw dust gathered on spaces that you would only get to during a DEEP clean, like the framing of the door. Sheets/bedding was clean and light weight.

Safety/noise/environment - 4.99/5, it’s a great location just a block from the train station and a short walk to the river and canal. A mix of restaurants that cater to tourists and locals, but locals definitely enjoy the area and cuisines. I felt safe walking throughout the smaller streets in the area, just note you are close to a train station where you might see things typical of a large city. However, you’re close to the Instagram worthy pastels house that are a short walk