Maison Astor Paris, Curio Collection by Hilton — Hotel in Paris

This is a very difficult hotel to rate as it has good and bad so I'll try to be specific to hopefully help you make a decision.||Location is 5 stars. It's close to 3 metro stops and walking distance to Place de la Concorde.||Room is 3 stars based on US hotels. Of course, Paris hotel rooms are smaller than what we're used to, but Holiday Inn Express anywhere USA has larger rooms by far. ||Pros are: in-room refrigerator to store breakfast foods if you aren't interested in buying the over priced (25-30 euro) hotel breakfast. A comfortable bed. Our rooms were on the non-street side of the hotel so, despite jack hammering going on at the building across the street, our rooms were quiet.||Cons are: rooms need some TLC. The paint was peeling off my closet and bathroom doors. The shower glass was hinged and only covered 1/2 of the tub so every shower essentially soaked the entire bathroom. It was also a bit precarious getting in and out of the shower as the grab bars were not located anywhere that you could use them to help you in or out of the tub. I would not recommend this hotel for anyone with limited mobility. It would be not only difficult, but dangerous.||The pillows are not to my liking as they are very high loft and kinked my neck. I did ask the front desk if they had another pillow option only to be told the most frequently used line at Maison Astor, "No, madame, no". It was explained that the pillows are new. I asked if I could use an old pillow and was told they did not exist any longer.||The coffee maker was a comedy show. In order to get it to brew, you had to stand and hold the plug into the wall otherwise it would shut off. Really Hilton? Really?||My room had a luggage rack, but my friend's did not. Why? Did hers end up in someone else's room when another guest asked for 2, never to be returned again?||Service: 1 star I don't know if the staff doesn't like Americans, doesn't like anyone, or just doesn't like me. Some of the staff were adequate, but most seemed to have skipped the customer service class or cultural training. Upon check in, I was simply handed my key. I had to ask where the elevator was. My husband is a Diamond Member with Hilton and I've never been with him when he wasn't offered information like where the elevator was, thanked for being a Diamond Member, told how to log onto the wi-fi, told what hours the restaurant and bar was open etc. Even upon checkout (and I'm going to say it was early morning on April 30 with the hopes Hilton might read this and train their staff) the man at the front desk charged my room on my friend's credit card and her room on mine. When asked if he could correct it, "No, Madame, no". Seriously, how hard is it? Then, we struggled with our luggage and wrestled with the front door to leave. He never offered to help and there was no bellman on duty at 5:30 am. He did not ask us how our stay was or wish us pleasant travels. It felt more like, "Let the door hit you on the @## on the way out and good riddance". Incredibly disappointing service.||However...Gold Star for the tall Bellman. He also filled in for the concierge when the concierge was on break. We had prior to our arrival corresponded by email with a concierge named Stephane who was incredibly helpful. I think it is possible that we were corresponding with the Bellman standing in for the concierge. So if the Bellman is Stephane, thank you for such wonderful service! He was sadly absent the last two days of our stay so we were unable to thank him for his assistance. He helped me set up the Citymapper app on my phone so we could navigate easily through the city, gave us great recommendations for restaurants and always greeted us with a big smile. There were 3 other concierges that we encountered (lots of concierges for a small hotel). One was pretty good, the other two (the one with glasses and good skin, the other with a full beard) I nicknamed Grumpy and Cranky. Again, do you hate Americans, people in general, or just me?||I chose Maison Astor over mainline Hilton because this hotel got such high ratings on service. Perhaps the week we visited, the A Team was off. If not, I fear for what the poorly rated service at the mainline Paris Hilton is as I can't imagine less friendly service (the exception of course being the tall Bellman who may be Stephane). If you set your expectations low as in a bed to sleep in and you're completely self sufficient on everything else, you may enjoy this hotel. If you are looking for a warm greeting and cheerful service, there's probably a better...

This is a very difficult hotel to rate as it has good and bad so I'll try to be specific to hopefully help you make a decision.

Location is 5 stars. It's close to 3 metro stops and walking distance to Place de la Concorde.

Room is 3 stars based on US hotels. Of course, Paris hotel rooms are smaller than what we're used to, but Holiday Inn Express anywhere USA has larger rooms by far.

Pros are: in-room refrigerator to store breakfast foods if you aren't interested in buying the over priced (25-30 euro) hotel breakfast. A comfortable bed. Our rooms were on the non-street side of the hotel so, despite jack hammering going on at the building across the street, our rooms were quiet.

Cons are: rooms need some TLC. The paint was peeling off my closet and bathroom doors. The shower glass was hinged and only covered 1/2 of the tub so every shower essentially soaked the entire bathroom. It was also a bit precarious getting in and out of the shower as the grab bars were not located anywhere that you could use them to help you in or out of the tub. I would not recommend this hotel for anyone with limited mobility. It would be not only difficult, but dangerous.

The pillows are not to my liking as they are very high loft and kinked my neck. I did ask the front desk if they had another pillow option only to be told the most frequently used line at Maison Astor, "No, madame, no". It was explained that the pillows are new. I asked if I could use an old pillow and was told they did not exist any longer.

The coffee maker was a comedy show. In order to get it to brew, you had to stand and hold the plug into the wall otherwise it would shut off. Really Hilton? Really?

My room had a luggage rack, but my friend's did not. Why? Did hers end up in someone else's room when another guest asked for 2, never to be returned again?

Service: 1 star I don't know if the staff doesn't like Americans, doesn't like anyone, or just doesn't like me. Some of the staff were adequate, but most seemed to have skipped the customer service class or cultural training. Upon check in, I was simply handed my key. I had to ask where the elevator was. My husband is a Diamond Member with Hilton and I've never been with him when he wasn't offered information like where the elevator was, thanked for being a Diamond Member, told how to log onto the wi-fi, told what hours the restaurant and bar was open etc. Even upon checkout (and I'm going to say it was early morning on April 30 with the hopes Hilton might read this and train their staff) the man at the front desk charged my room on my friend's credit card and her room on mine. When asked if he could correct it, "No, Madame, no". Seriously, how hard is it? Then, we struggled with our luggage and wrestled with the front door to leave. He never offered to help and there was no bellman on duty at 5:30 am. He did not ask us how our stay was or wish us pleasant travels. It felt more like, "Let the door hit you on the @## on the way out and good riddance". Incredibly disappointing service.

However...Gold Star for the tall Bellman. He also filled in for the concierge when the concierge was on break. We had prior to our arrival corresponded by email with a concierge named Stephane who was incredibly helpful. I think it is possible that we were corresponding with the Bellman standing in for the concierge. So if the Bellman is Stephane, thank you for such wonderful service! He was sadly absent the last two days of our stay so we were unable to thank him for his assistance. He helped me set up the Citymapper app on my phone so we could navigate easily through the city, gave us great recommendations for restaurants and always greeted us with a big smile. There were 3 other concierges that we encountered (lots of concierges for a small hotel). One was pretty good, the other two (the one with glasses and good skin, the other with a full beard) I nicknamed Grumpy and Cranky. Again, do you hate Americans, people in...

I’ve stayed in several hotels around the world - from Brazil, Peru, Cape Town, Iceland, Austria, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, California, Malaysia, Singapore, HK, Boston, NYC, Tokyo - and this was the first time in Europe that I stayed in a hotel that had NO AC (airconditioning). What’s worse is that I was not informed by the front desk upon check-in. This was not also on the website. When I went to my room, it was hot. I thought the AC was busted. When I called the front desk, that’s when they told me about the AC issue. Couldn’t believe it.

Because of that issue, I had to leave the window open to let the breeze in. Unfortunately, by having it open, the street noise also could be heard - even the banging of the trash compactor every few hours (I was even wearing earplugs). I had lousy sleep throughout my stay, which I sorely needed since I was tired from my Iceland trip. Sigh.

When we came back at night one time, an envelope was on the desk for a Mr. Romero - who was not me. And because someone from the hotel staff entered the room to deliver that envelope, the “Make Up Room” signage fell and our room was not cleaned. Good job hotel staff (sarcastic).

I normally don’t complain about things like the above but I couldn’t help myself. I finally talked to the quality manager who thankfully was accommodating and apologetic. She was able to appease us so thanks to the manager. She was the lone bright spot in this hotel.

One other issue was with my request for 2 laundry bags. I called at 11 PM to request for them, and one hour later, still no bags. So I went down to the front desk only to be told that they had run out of bags and that I should call at 7 AM the next day (when someone from Housekeeping is available). Firstly, I have never encountered a hotel running out of laundry bags and secondly, I wish they had the courtesy to return my call to inform me that they had run out.

Eventually, the next day, I called housekeeping at 8:30 AM and asked for TWO (2) laundry bags. I only got ONE (1). Face palm moment there.

The icing on the cake? When we booked our taxi the night before checking out, we explicitly said that we were heading to Gare du Nord (train station North). The next day, the luggages were loaded in the taxi, and then the concierge asks me what terminal. I reply, “No, we are going to Gare du Nord.” So the driver then unloads our luggages since he was expecting that our destination was the airport. And the concierge calls for a new taxi. Good thing I had ample time prior to the departure of my train. Another face palm moment there.

There are lapses in this hotel. Maybe they should retrain their staff? In fact, during check-in, the front desk staff didn’t guide us throughout the hotel. She did not show us where the restaurant was (or the breakfast times) or even just explain where the fitness center was (isn’t that protocal?).

I’ve stayed at the Marriott on Hausmann and at the Hilton Opera, and also in one hotel at the Montmartre area.

I WILL NEVER stay here again. VERY DISAPPOINTED.

A shame though because the location of the hotel is good. Near to the shopping of Rue Saint-Honore, and maybe 20 mins walking to the Louvre on one side, and then 30 mins walk to Eiffel. 10 mins to Champs Elysees.

On a side note, the concierge staff was...