We spent the second half of our time in Paris with four nights at the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile, the hotel whose mistake rate was the impetus for this entire trip.

Location: The Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile is a 950-room hotel located in the Palais des Congrès shopping and convention center in Paris’ 17th arrondissement, right on top of the Porte Maillot Metro/RER station – within walking distance of the Arc de Triomphe and about a 15 minute train ride from central Paris. The hotel is currently undergoing a major renovation, which means a bit of extra walking to access the hotel through elevators and corridors that would normally be used for emergency exits or convention access, but the hotel has done a decent job of ensuring clear signage to help people navigate the spaces. We did get lost a few times when walking through the shopping center though – there are signs and floor markings to guide you from the hotel’s (currently closed) main entrance to the elevators that take you to the temporary lobby, but if you come in from a different entrance or are on the wrong level of the shopping center it can be tricky to find the right elevator.

The shopping center does security checks if you enter through one of their main entrances, including the entrance from the Metro, but not if you enter through the doors designated as the hotel entrance – even though that entrance also takes you into the shopping center. Luckily, we took the wrong Metro exit when we arrived and ended up going through the hotel entrance, but there were a couple of times when I used other entrances and had to let security open my backpack or suitcase.

Checkin/Checkout: There were four checkin desks, including one marked for Platinum and Diamond members, but I never saw more than two staffed at any point in time – and there didn’t seem to be any way for elite members to actually jump the queue. At checkin, the hotel had proactively combined my two separate reservations to ensure that I would not have to change rooms, and presented me with a welcome letter valid for two free drinks at the bar as well as an invitation letter with hours for the Regency Club. Checkout was a bit of a mess because there was a large number of people trying to check in when we left, but after waiting a few minutes one of the staff pulled everyone who was trying to check out from the line so that we could depart. They initially tried to charge me for the fourth night of my stay, and I had to remind them that I had used a free night certificate (I’m guessing their system may have gotten confused because of the combined reservations). They were able to charge the card I had presented at checkin without having to swipe it again, which I appreciated since I don’t normally carry my Chase Hyatt Credit Card in my wallet.

Room: The room was compact and a bit dated, but comfortable for two people, and offered a slightly larger bed than the Holiday Inn we stayed at our first few nights (read Trip Report: Holiday Inn Gare de l’Est, Paris). There was plenty of closet and cabinet space for storage, and the room included a refrigerator that would normally have housed an automatic minibar, but due to the renovation there is no minibar or room service. I was surprised that there was no teakettle or coffee maker, though for us tea and coffee was available in the club throughout the day.

A friend of mine stayed at this same hotel a couple of weeks after I did, and was placed in one of the newly renovated rooms – a significant improvement.

Internet: Our room had a dedicated wireless router under the desk, but we found the wifi to be incredibly inconsistent – every few minutes it would slow down to nothing, then return to normal speeds for a bit before slowing down again. Restarting the router didn’t help, and I noticed similar performance issues in the Regency Club. I tried to plug my laptop in with their Ethernet cable (which had a broken clip) but couldn’t get a signal – though I can’t say for sure whether that problem was their cable or my Ethernet–USB adapter.

Food: The Regency Club offered a breakfast buffet of eggs and sausage, and some kind of potato dish that was always gone by the time we arrived; cereal, fruit, and yogurt; and a selection of pastries, breads, meats, and cheeses. During the day, they offered cookies and soft drinks, and in the evenings they offered mini sandwiches, wine, and more breads, meats, and cheeses. They also offered tea and coffee in the evenings.

We visited the hotel restaurant for breakfast on our last morning, which offered basically the same selection with slightly more variety. There is also a Marks and Spencer grocery store in the basement of the shopping center as well as a larger gourmet grocery store – M&S typically has incredible markdowns on prepared food and other goods that are approaching their expiration date, so we bought a lot of snacks there. There’s also a decent number of restaurant options in the area around the hotel.

Service: Our interactions with checkin, lounge, and housekeeping staff were very polite and professional. I appreciated that no matter how late we left the hotel, we always came back to a made up room.

Verdict: A comfortable, professional, and decently located hotel in Paris. Definitely not one of the shining stars in Hyatt’s portfolio, but their ongoing renovation should help elevate it. It probably wouldn’t be my first choice of hotel and I likely wouldn’t have considered it if not for the mistake rate I received, but it’s a solid choice if the location, price, or points availability makes sense for your travel plans.

Have you stayed at this hotel recently?  What was your experience?  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.  Bonjour everyone!