INNSiDE by Meliá Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport — Hotel in Sarcelles

Do not stay at this hotel! The “Innside by Melia Hotel CDG Airport” tried to rip me off for the price of a night’s stay and then consistently denied any responsibility. I had to threaten to take legal action, to file a formal complaint with the various authorities in France and at CDG Airport and to place the charge into formal dispute with my credit card company before they – reluctantly – made the refund. It was, for all intents and purposes, attempted theft. It’s not a complex story. I had a reservation for three people travelling together. We checked in to the hotel at the appropriate time and date. The next morning all three of us checked out and paid for our rooms individually, by credit card. I caught a flight to Vancouver later that morning. When I landed in Vancouver I checked my phone and I had an email from the hotel, through the hotel booking site, stating that they were charging me for a “no-show” and they named one of my travel companions as the person who didn’t show up. The extra charge appeared on my credit card the same day. I emailed the hotel to correct this and got a massive, and seemingly deliberate, run around. I provided copies of all the emails, copies of our hotel invoices showing that all three of us had paid in full, and print-outs of the credit card accounts used for payments for the rooms. Ten days later I was notified by the booking web site that the hotel denied my request for a refund with no further explanation. The hotel didn’t even have the decency to email me directly. That’s when I told them what I would do if they didn’t make the refund. I suspect they concluded that I would do more economic damage to them than they would gain by ripping me off. A month after the incident I finally received a refund.

I believe that the hotel was deliberately dishonest and evasive. It seems to have a policy to avoid making any refunds regardless of the circumstances even if it the hotel’s error. This is a shoddy hotel with unethical...

Don’t stay here, don’t book here, don’t expect decency or just plain common sense when it comes to booking and staying at this hotel.

I did stay here upon arrival to Paris as I had to departure the following morning and I had also booked my return stay at this hotel as well, but to my surprise last minute the day before departure, I was notified by the airline that the entirety of France, as in the country, was having an air traffic control strike(because the French are known for their strikes), occurring where flights were going to be disrupted including not allowing other planes to fly over the French airspace.

I was flying into Paris from another European country, and being that I had a long haul flight connection from Paris to the US, I did not want a disruption in losing my airfare so I had no choice but to rebook my flight from Paris and reroute it through Amsterdam instead to avoid further issues in returning home.

I explained this to the staff. I also explained it to the manager, and they kept indicating that they couldn’t do any anything unless my flight was actually canceled. Who in the right mind is going to wait last minute to roll the dice and see whether or not their plane is going to be disrupted at 7 AM. I have better things to do with my time than to take the chance of having to deal with last-minute headache. The hotel did not refund even though I let them know ahead of time and the free cancellation for the hotel was two days before this last minute notice that I received.

They could have been courteous enough and had basic human decency to be understanding of the situation as it was out of my hands. They could have canceled and refunded me, but they are thieves. They are money hungry thieves we have no human decency, but to steal your money.

I will never stay at this hotel again. I would rather sit uncomfortably in a chair at the airport than give a single penny to these money hungry...

Deeply Disappointed – A Failure in Basic Hospitality

We booked and prepaid for a room at INNSiDE by Melia Paris Charles de Gaulle specifically because of its proximity to the airport, knowing we’d be arriving late from an international flight. Unfortunately, our flight from Iceland was delayed nearly three hours due to severe weather in Paris. By the time we arrived, well after midnight, the airport was practically deserted and securing a ride to the hotel was a challenge in itself.

When we finally reached the hotel—exhausted and dragging three suitcases and two carry-ons—we were told our prepaid room had been given away due to overbooking. The front desk clerk offered no apology, only informing us that we had been "moved" to another hotel “just across the street,” then silently began walking in that direction without offering any assistance or explanation. He barely spoke and made no effort to acknowledge how difficult and frustrating the situation was for us.

Thankfully, the reception team at the Marriott across the street was gracious and welcoming. The woman who checked us in apologized—on behalf of another hotel—and assured us we’d be taken care of. She was the only bright spot in an otherwise disappointing and avoidable ordeal.

Having worked in hospitality leadership for many years, I fully understand that “walking” a guest is sometimes necessary. However, it is standard practice in any reputable hotel to not only cover the cost of the alternative lodging but to offer a gesture of goodwill—a complimentary breakfast, a room upgrade, or even a sincere apology. None of this was offered by INNSiDE.

This experience was the antithesis of hospitality, and I will be avoiding all Melia properties moving forward. I strongly discourage others from staying with this chain. In the travel industry, how you handle unexpected situations defines your brand. Sadly, INNSiDE...