Madison Hôtel — Hotel in Paris

The last time I visited the Madison Hotel in Saint-Germain-des-Prés was in November 2021, when Terrance Gelenter—“our American friend in Paris”— first launched his evenings of song at this prestigious address, 143 boulevard Saint-Germain. It was just as we were putting Covid behind us, and the chance to step out for an evening on the Left Bank felt like a sparkling adventure.||Returning last Friday, I was delighted to find that Terrance’s musical evenings at the Madison have evolved into a club-like event, with an even better vibe.||From the moment I walked in, the front desk and bar staff were as warm and welcoming as possible. The show began a little later than scheduled to accommodate guests delayed by metro problems, and Terrance encouraged us to mingle in the beautiful lounge. As I sipped an excellent glass of red wine (the Madison’s wine list is short but compiled of impressive choices) and chatted with fellow guests, I found everyone in high spirits—ready to relax, enjoy, and make new friends. Some were wistful that their Paris stay was ending, but most were already planning their next trip back.||There’s often talk of Paris losing some of its elegance these days. Fashion has become more casual—even in the chicest spots sneakers and sportswear are common—but I still relish the chance to dress up for an evening out. Why let beautiful dresses languish in a wardrobe with mothballs? At the Madison, many women sparkled in elegant attire alongside their dashing beaux, creating an atmosphere that felt both glamorous and effortless.||But true elegance, I realized, isn’t just about clothes or décor—it’s an attitude, a certain je ne sais quoi. And though the French are famed for it, that evening it was in abundant supply among the mostly American audience. Terrance and his accompanist Sheldon were perfectly turned out, the décor was delightful, and the crowd was enthusiastic. I could have been in an upscale jazz club in New York or San Francisco, with the extras the City of Light has to offer, thrown in. ||Terrance, affectionately known as the “Baron of Brooklyn,” held the floor with his melodious, old-world style, captivating us with favorites like My Foolish Heart, Sabor a Mí, Blame It on My Youth, and Over the Rainbow. Sheldon Forrest—who has been playing piano since the age of three—was the perfect partner. An uber-talented pianist, he is a master of jazz, blues, pop, rock, Broadway, classical, and chanson française. He is widely regarded as one of the best pianists on the Paris scene.||Bravo to the Madison Hotel and everyone involved for hosting such quality evenings—especially at the reasonable rate of a 10€ entry fee. My excellent glass of wine was 7€, also a fair price for the quality and the unbeatable location.||With the Saint-Germain-des-Prés church just across the boulevard—its bells adding their own music as you cross the threshold—the Madison Hotel could not be more perfectly situated, and the evenings more scintillating. I’ll...

First the positives. The location of this hotel is absolutely perfect. Within walking distance of the Louvre, Notre Dame, Luxembourg Gardens, etc. The St. Germain de Pres area has dozens of lovely restaurants and shops and is great for casual walking around and people watching. The hotel's front desk staff is friendly and their concierge deserves particular accolades as he couldn't have been more personable or helpful. However, their attention to issues that directly affect guest comfort leave a great deal to be desired. We had a junior suite which was nice enough but the A/C did not work in the bedroom. After several "technicians" tinkered with it over several days with no improvement, they finally sent up someone who knew what he was doing on day five (we were there for seven days) who simply replaced the simple thermostat (probably a $20 item) and, voila, everything was fine but this was five days into our stay and after the manager offered ridiculous excuses like, "this is just the way A/C works in Paris" and other utterly unhelpful advice. Also our room had a vile smell coming from the shower drain which was noticeable on day two. They sent someone up promptly who did something to address this but the odor came back on day six. I asked the lady at the desk to send someone up to (again) address this early in the morning and 24 hours later nothing had been done. This was outrageous and should never have been allowed to occur in a hotel of this class (or any other, for that matter). Also the Wi-Fi was spotty and you had to sign in and out multiple times to maintain a signal. Again, this is basic stuff that should never be an issue in a first rate hotel. Boutique hotels like this are certainly lovely, but, as you can see, they can be quirky. If I could offer one suggestion to management, it would be to implore their front-facing staff to take full, personal responsibility to address and resolve any legitimate problems brought to their attention by guests and be sure they have the means and authority to do so. Responses like "I've passed on this request to **" where nothing gets resolved promptly are not in any way helpful and no amount of smiles and polite responses do anything to insure a pleasant stay in the face of problems that aren't...

I have stayed in various hotels in Paris over many years. When my best friend and I discovered Hotel Madison in 2016, we loved it and kept returning every year (except for pandemic). It’s a perfect location in the sixth arrondissement, across the street from St Germain des Près church, steps from taxis, metro, buses, cafes, shops; it has lovely spacious rooms, great staff and concierge, etc. However, there was bit of an off year in November 2022, with not quite as good service, breakfasts, ambience, and no concierge. We thought we might not come back to the Madison.

However, as I was researching hotels for our November trip this year, I found out that the previous manager for that year was gone. The Madison had everything we most cared about, and we decided to take a chance and see if with new management it had come back to its former self.

Well, it has turned out that our stay this last two weeks exceeded all our hopes. The front staff were so helpful and friendly and caring. Every time we ran into one of our housekeepers, they were lovely and so meticulous. Breakfast room service people were on time and friendly and professional. Breakfast in the room and also at the buffet was great. We loved our deluxe room with its view and large size.

And the concierge, Sanjay Kaloya, was — in a word — incredible. He has a clef d’or, the highest rating for any concierge, and he made our time in Paris to be so special. He made reservations for us at some wonderful little restaurants and bistros. He gave us ideas of things we would like to do. He does have an amazing network, and he goes to practically every exhibition in the city. Without Sanjay, we would never have known about the virtual reality experience at Notre Dame. Without him, we wouldn’t have had a window table at Jules Verne. Without him, we wouldn’t have even known about Paradis Latin (and then he got us best seats in the house). And there were so many other things he did for us that smoothed our days and sent us to lovely places.

So my friend and I definitely give Hotel Madison and Concierge Sanjay Kaloya a...