Renaissance Paris Vendome Hotel

At the end of a trip to Italy, my wife and I stayed at the Renaissance hotel for two nights. The room was supposed to be a deluxe king room. The price was just over $1000 per night. The first room they asked us to stay in Was probably about 150 ft.² overlooking the mechanical units of the hotel. We refused to stay there. We were brought to a different room which we also did not care for however they said it was the only other room available. We reluctantly accepted. This room at best was similar to any motel hotel room you would find off a freeway in the United States. Probably would’ve paid $150 per night in the US. I understand that rooms in Paris are way more expensive than that but to pay over $1000 for this pathetic room was ridiculous. The weather was warm and the air-conditioning didn’t work. I asked several times to have the air-conditioning evaluated. Front desk said that it was however air-conditioning never functioned during our stay. The amenities at the hotel were worthy of only a three star rating rather than the five star rating. My wife and I have stayed in Paris many times and this was by far and away the worst experience we ever had from a hotel standpoint. I am a Marriott Bonvoy member and I’ve always enjoyed staying at their hotels. For the money that we paid for this Marriott property, over $1000 per night, disappointment was the ruling feeling.

I was shocked that this is considered 5 stars. I almost never book on points but was doing a solo weekend w/o my family and decided it was a good time to take a risk. Upon check in, I received surely one of the worst rooms in the hotel - on the first floor, above a noisy restaurant/bar and with a broken air con during an extremely hot period. Fortunately, when I was unable to fall asleep at 11pm because of the thumping bass (and inability to open my window to try and cool down), they changed my room. However, the hotel had no mini bar nor room service. The sheets were scratchy and then room was otherwise tired and beat up. However, the worst part of the experience was when I was blow drying my hair after a pre-dinner shower, and housekeeping had walked in on me (and scared the heck out of me as a women traveling alone). I did not report this to the hotel as I did not want to get the housekeeper in trouble, but a basic part of training should be that if you see someone in a towel, you immediately leave the room. While the location of the hotel might be 5 stars, the lobby, rooms, etc. very much felt like a 4, realistically 3 star experience.

We paid to have a 2 bedroom room with 2 full washrooms for our family. They said the suite had “technical difficulties” ( found out the air-conditioning was leaking into the bedroom). They put us into a much smaller room one that had a pullout couch instead of a separate full bedroom. The washroom in our en suite did not have any toilet in it either they told us that they would credit us back the difference when we went to leave, they still have not credited us back that difference. They said the management wasn’t able to, but they would take care of it later. They then stop responding to any of our emails and further inquiries They said that they have a zero refund policy. We tried outlining that we’re not asking for a refund of the room we were in, but simply to be compensated for the difference between the room we paid the room we were given as it was a significant difference in price. Feels like some type of scam, not impressed and would not recommend.

This is a small hotel that excels in service. All staff were quite pleasant and responsive. We included breakfast in our reservation and it was quite good. They have a continental buffet setup with eveything from cereal to bread and cold cuts. They also have to order service with coffee, tea, eggs, omelettes, potatoes, pancakes, etc. The rooms and public areas were very clean. The location is very centralized a few blocks from the Louvre, banks, and restaurants. The room had windows that we opened for fresh air (no need for a/c as it was April). The bed was very comfortable. We booked the largest room available short of a suite and it was quite small. We were three and the roll-out barely allowed space to walk around. This is why I gave four instead of Five stars. For two people I'm sure it would be adequate. Overall, we had a great stay as we didn't spend much time in the room anyway.

For $1,800 per night, I expect much much more. I am currently a Titanium Bonvoy member and choose Marriott properties because, in theory, I should be treated better. I should expect to show up at 3 pm and have a room ready for me. For the money I’m paying for a suite, I expect a large, spacious, quiet room. When promised a free breakfast, I expect a free breakfast. Instead, there was no room ready for me until close to 4 pm. I was promised free breakfast, but was charged for it. And some new mysterious charges just popped up on my credit card today. I did not feel welcome in this property and was not happy with the suite. The room was simply two small rooms with a connecting door. I could have and should’ve stayed at the Ritz.