New Hotel République — Hotel in Paris

I'll try to be as fair as possible in this review, but I suppose the best way to describe Hotel Gabriel is as a good hotel....that we would probably not stay in again. I'll list the reasons why I gave this hotel 3 stars in a simple Pros and Cons list:

Pros: -Hotel was very clean and appears to be recently remodeled -Hotel staff was friendly and accommodating. They even allowed us to check in several hours early -The location is pretty good, close to several metro stations, restaurants and a grocery store -We were on the fifth floor and didn't hear much if any "street noise" during our stay -The free breakfast option was great. Lots of fresh food, drinks and plenty to choose from each morning -As far as room size goes the Superior Double that we booked was actually quite large for a Paris hotel room. Much bigger than some of the shoebox hotel rooms you'll see in Paris -Bed was comfortable and not 2 beds pushed together like you often see -Cleaning service was prompt and thorough

Cons: -The hotel controls the temperature in the rooms, you do not. The only exception is that you can control the radiator in the bathroom, but this will not be enough to heat the bedroom area -The elevator is SMALL. It will fit 2 people maximum, no bags. If you have bags you have to go up and down one at a time -If you get a room with a bathtub, be prepared to get water all over the floor. This is not a good design or use of bathroom space -There are no hooks to hang towels, bathrobes, etc. -The bathroom doors are basically barn doors. They do not give ANY sound privacy, so be ready for whoever else you're staying with to hear everything that you do in the bathroom -The toilet is in a separate room from the rest of the bathroom, so you have to do some travelling and touching of things before you can wash your hands. Not the most well thought out design -The doors to each hotel room in the hallways are literally right next to each other and the doors do not close easily. We had issues getting our lock to engage when entering/leaving the room, so we found that we had to push the door hard to get it to lock. Our next door neighbors could not figure this out, and they would slam their doors continuously trying to get them to lock. Great way to wake up at night/in the morning -The door to the elevator on the 5th floor had a broken restrainer, so anytime someone left the large metal elevator the door would slam shut loudly.....again waking up everyone on your floor -This is not the best hotel to stay in if you are a light...

Worst Hotel Experience – Who Knew a Hotel Could Downgrade a Guest’s Suite for No Reason?

If you don’t want to ruin your day, I strongly recommend avoiding this hotel.

My husband and I wanted to celebrate our anniversary and spend our last night in Paris in comfort, so we booked the Prestige Suite—specifically for the terrace and bathtub. We checked in early, left our luggage, provided all necessary details, and our booking was confirmed. But when we returned at night to get our room key, we were shocked to find that the room they gave us was not the one we had booked.

When we asked the staff, they casually told us that our Prestige Suite had been given to someone else because their last name was somewhat similar to ours. As a result, they swapped our booking with that guest’s and downgraded us to the most basic room instead. We were completely helpless and offended—our names weren’t even that similar, so how could this mistake happen? To make things worse, the room still had the original guest’s personalized welcome card inside. They didn’t even bother to cover up their error properly.

While the staff repeatedly said “sorry,” their attitude showed no sincerity at all. When we asked for a solution, we were told we had to wait until the morning shift because they “can’t do nothing.” The next morning, instead of taking responsibility, the staff simply said another empty “sorry” and asked, “What do you want from us?” It was clear they had no awareness of how frustrating and disappointing the situation was for us.

Honestly, I have no idea how this hotel even earned its four-star rating. If they can’t handle the basics during the low season, I can’t imagine what a disaster it would be during peak season or an important occasion. If you’re unlucky enough to experience what we did, you’ll regret ever...

Great hotel in a great location - I haven’t stayed in this area of Paris before but would heartily recommend to anyone of any age. I arrived alone and met up with friends, and both solo and in a group I never felt unsafe wandering around the area. ||Lots of fantastic gluten free places to eat nearby, with veg and vegan options also. I also liked the row of American fast food places at République (as a Brit those were novelties). ||The staff were all kind and patient, and did not hesitate to switch to English for my ease (merci beaucoup!) ||Before arriving, I got emailed a list of recommendations and details on how to get there by the GM, something I thought very considerate. I dropped off my bag before I could check in, and once I could I was upgraded! The room was beautifully decorated, very clean, and Sahim (my receptionist) had handwritten a welcome note. Really thoughtful touches, especially as I was only there for a short visit.||Both metro and bus options were simple and signposted really clearly - from Austerlitz station I got the replacement bus service and the number 5 metro to get to the hotel. From the hotel I walked to République and caught the 91 bus (the stop just opposite Intersport) to Austerlitz. I am quite a cautious nervous traveller but none of these stressed me out! There are lots of people around to ask for help if you need it, everyone spoke an incredible level of English.||For the negatives: work is being done on the building next to it (not their fault) but it does mean construction noise starts weekdays from around 7am. ||The hotel lift broke with someone in it! I only knew as I was downstairs when it happened, no signs were put up to tell people. I was on the 6th floor, but the stairs were easy to navigate and it sounds like more work going up and down...