Holiday Inn Paris Palais de L’elyséE by IHG — Hotel in Paris

The Holiday Inn Elysée is tucked away within the little side streets of Paris close to Champs-Élysées, perfect for shoppers! Location was great, 20-40 minutes walk to most of the main attractions. There are little bakeries, restaurants, pharmacies, convenience stores and boutique shops all a stones throw away. Ideal!

The hotel itself was simple, basic, nothing fancy, more businessy than luxury or boutique. We arrived early so we went for lunch, they kept our suitcases and when we returned, they had already taken the cases to our room. It had a small reception desk at the entrance with a sit down area, some decorative shelving, a small dining area, limited bar, small lobby area and small lift - so....small!. But, we liked it as it suited our needs.

We were room only so can't comment about food. There was a bar but not manned, so Soufiane from reception came over to serve us a drink and was honest to say he had no bar experience and didn't know really how or what measures to serve. But, between the two of us, we figured it out and he was super nice, polite, and wanting very much to do it right and to please which was lovely.

The room was small but more than enough for our needs. We literally were there to sleep. It was clean, the bathroom was nice although in places the paint was flaking away, it had a spacious shower and complimentary toiletries provided (shampoo, bodywash, conditioner, shower cap and vanity kit), towels - exactly what is needed (although dressing gown and slippers would have been a nice additional touch)!

The twin beds were very comfortable and 2 pillows each, big wall mirror, side lights, plug points near both beds, full length mirror at the entrance of the room, chair, 2 slim wardrobes, fridge and vanity table. The view was just of other buildings so nothing wow! The room had an Nespresso machine and they provided 2 pods per day (so bring your own if you like your coffee), a kettle with 2 different tea bag options provided each day, and the usual sugar milk etc. There was an iron, ironing board, hairdryer and safe. So everything one could want for a short stay.

However, there was a nice big TV but we couldn't watch it as absolutely every channel was in French, so no provision for tourists, not even subtitles or even one English speaking channel, or a movie channel in English with French subtitles. Even Greys Anatomy and other movies were all dubbed in French. Not even Euronews to listen to. So that was disappointing as it was pointless having a TV that we couldn't watch. Thank goodness for the phone and Wi-Fi !

The housekeeping staff was delightful. She was patient with us as we always left late morning. Our room was always spotless, tidy and fully replenished. We were told as soon as we checked in that only 2 bottles of water are provided on the first day so that was helpful as then didn't expect things that weren't going to be provided.

What was BRILLIANT about Holiday Inn was its staff. It may be a basic 4 star (actually felt more like a high 3 star compared to other 4 stars I've been to) but the staff was 5 star. I mentioned to them in advance that it was my daughter's 16th birthday and I asked them to do something special for her on her arrival. I gave them a 50 Euro budget and they decorated the room with helium balloons, a helium 16, some flowers, a birthday card handwritten by the staff, towels on the bed made into swans and a box of Ferrero Rocher. But if that wasn't enough, a few moments after we were in the room there was a knock at the door and the same staff that decorated the room arrived with the most delicious exquisite chocolate tart with a birthday candle and they sang her happy birthday. Just AMAZING.

So a BIG THANK YOU to the exceptional Holiday Inn Elysée team Micheal, Maysha, Aissatou for arranging, decorating and setting everything up to make my daughter's day so incredibly special, to Soufiane for always going out of his way to assist in any way he could and the wonderful chambermaid for making our room up every day perfectly. You guys made it...

After reading the reviews below, I can only agree on what everyone one else has stated. We also ordered the room on points. I have been a Platinum member with IHG for the past 3 or so years. Almost all of my previous experiances with HI in the past (as both paid and points guest) has been great. Therefor we decided to try a HI hotel in Paris. I am also a Platinum member with another major hotel chain and we were splitt between a the other hotel chain or a HI hotel. We decided to go for this hotel. (Bad Choice) We were never recognized as a Platinum member (thats a first...) The first room given to us was så small we almost had to leave a suitcase outside the room. I asked at the front desk if a larger room was available and we were told we could get one the next day. So far so good.. On the first night we were able to log onto the internett...When we can back the next day, or luggage was moved to a lager room (slightly larger but a more usefull layout.). The room had a bathtub (great after a long day ...) but no plugg , so taking a bath was out of the question. I am 6'3" and I couldnt stand straight in the shower without my head hitting the ceiling. There was no connection to the internet in this room. I took this up with the frnt desk and they said it worked...??????? since no one else complained. They tried to reset the router, etc...without any result.... This happened throughout our stay. Each day a different excuse, another explaination of it was our devices that were not working... (We had both Ihone, Galaxy S2, Ipad with us and none worked, strange). We finally got a weak signal when we were at the door with it open towards the hallway....... I asked for a late check out for monday evening and was told that if I was a Priority club member I could check out late. (?????) I should him my Platinum card and he just shrugged his shoulder as if he didnt care.... The beds was as hard as rock (in both rooms) We asked the staff regarding sightseeing and resturat locations, and not once could they give usefull information..... One of the female satff was understanding and thats why i gave it 2 * for staff and service... We asked directions for the Budda Bar, and was told it was right down the street (It is neat the US Embassy at place de concord) We asked regarding tickets for the Eiffel Tower, and was told it was for groups only... I managed to book on the PC in the reception and should him, angain he didnt care... I took my IPad and tried to connect while in the reception area to show the staff it could not connect, and all they did was look stupid...... I tried the PC that was available in the reception area and couldnt connect wirelessly on that one either. So during check out we we billed for 4 days of breakfast, My wife and I never eat at the hotel as we enjoy the local cuisine.

All in all, worst experiance ever with a IHG hotel. The hotel does not deserve to carry the Holiday inn logo.... When booking I could not find any reviews..... If I could have checked out I would have. Based on all the negative experiances with the hotel our Paris stay was not...

As a platinum Priority Club member, my friends and I booked this hotel with the points plus cash option because of its boutique hotel status and close proximity to a metro station.

After checking into our adjoining rooms on Saturday night and hitting the town with some friends, I received a phone call from the front desk at 1AM stating that I would have to switch rooms on Monday because the hotel was so booked. On Sunday morning, my friends and I went to the front desk to clarify the need to move rooms. The explanation provided was that someone had paid for a family suite, which equated to the adjoining rooms we had been provided. As 3 out of the 4 of us were platinum members who had paid for the hotel with points, apparently that meant our points and brand loyalty were not as important as someone who had paid with cash. The hotel staff was completely unapologetic about their mistake. We were also told that one room had to be moved that day (Sunday) instead of Monday as we were originally told in the 1AM phone call. As such, I had to rush back to the room and pack up my stuff as best as I could prior to leaving for the day.

Upon arriving back at the hotel that evening, I was told that my room had been moved to a handicapped room but that I would be forced to move again on Monday because that room would be needed. When I asked to speak to a manager, I was told this was not possible and again received no apology for the inconvenience. The handicapped room was terrible, and the shower flooded the entire bathroom. On Monday night, I was given a third room.

The most frustrating part of the whole experience is that my friends were never asked to move out of the other side of our original adjoining room, which makes the hotel staff’s original rationale for our moves invalid. If I had known we would be treated so poorly by the hotel staff and be forced to pack our belongings each and every morning, I would have booked the Holiday Inn next to Notre Dame. This was the worst experience I have ever had with customer service from a Holiday Inn, and I would never return to this hotel. I am typically a huge proponent of Holiday Inns and recommend them to my friends and family. I will be telling everyone I know to steer clear of this hotel because of the horrible customer service received. If this was the treatment I received as a platinum member, how do you treat the rest of...