Hampton by Hilton Paris Clichy

The room was stylish, spacious, and beautifully designed, and breakfast was delicious. But with snow outside, the heater didn’t work. The small fan heater they brought wasn’t enough for three people. I asked to change rooms and was told, “I will call you back later,” but nobody ever did. For two days they said maintenance would come that day, and nobody showed up. The room wasn’t cleaned, and both the sheets and coffee cups still had stains. Also, getting here from the tramway-tb3- station didn’t feel safe. I’d come via saint-ouen station instead.

This place has a good location, affordable rates, and plenty of potential, but there were quite a few problems. Our rooms looked into the inside of a parking garage, with barbed wire in view, since the hotel floors are at the bottom of a large building with offices above. The AC in our room didn’t work, though they moved us to another room. In one room the safe deposit box kept beeping and wouldn’t work, and in another the sink was clogged. We were told maintenance isn’t there on weekends. Staff was a mixed bag. The bearded man working evenings was really friendly and helpful, while the woman was rude and unfriendly. At breakfast, staff didn’t greet us and seemed focused on stopping guests from taking food out. The ice machine at the bar was broken for two of our three days. The woman at check-in also didn’t want to honor my silver status or give me water bottles.

The room condition was disappointing too. Some things were broken, and housekeeping was hit and miss. We ran out of toilet paper and got only one roll, and tissue boxes weren’t refilled. This was one of the first of many Hiltons I’ve stayed at that left a bad taste. The day we checked in, I called down because I hadn’t realized France uses different outlets from the UK and asked about adapters. The woman at reception told me to come down, then gave me one. Since we’d booked three rooms, I asked if there were more. I saw a box in another drawer and asked to look, but she said there weren’t any. After I asked again, she took the box and dumped it all onto the table. The whole exchange felt abrupt and rude. I wasn’t entitled to anything, but a kinder response would have been fine. Around 10am I called to ask for a late checkout and she immediately said no, that it was too late to ask. Downstairs, I avoided her and asked a male staff member, who took a minute and said it was no problem. I’ve spent years in customer service, and guests shouldn’t be treated this way. She showed no respect and seemed not to care.

The room was clean and peaceful, and breakfast was free and great, which saved us the cost of one meal a day. Once we figured out the bus and train stops, the area felt quiet. There’s a nice little park within three blocks, along with lots of cafes serving all kinds of food. It’s a working-class neighborhood, with families out walking around. The staff were great and very helpful.