Boscolo Lyon Hôtel & Spa

They woke me at 1am to move my car, even though we were leaving at 8am and it needs extra security. They made me park it somewhere else in the middle of the night. This was a very disappointing, zero-service experience, more like a motel than a real five-star hotel. It shouldn't happen at an actual five-star place, especially when you have a supercar. They need customer service training.

The staff were genuinely friendly and professional, and there were some nice touches: clean, well-kept common areas, tasteful holiday decorations, easy street parking right beside the hotel, and a bottle of champagne because we booked with Amex Platinum. The bed was comfortable, the food was good, and the sauna was properly hot. But the stay didn't consistently feel like a five-star experience. The shower smelled moldy and the sink had a sewer odor. Housekeeping seemed to know about it and sprayed something, but the smell came back. The bathroom gives little privacy, with glass doors between the shower and toilet, and the toilet area was cold because of a large window. Street noise came through all night, so the soundproofing was poor. There were practical problems too: the restaurant reception desk was often unattended, the in-room app didn't work for food orders, and the spa ran out of proper towels. The restaurant bathroom had lotion but no soap. I mentioned it to staff, but it still hadn't been fixed the next evening. The complimentary minibar had only water and a few small candy bars, which felt misleading at this level. Breakfast was fine, though the coffee was surprisingly poor for an Italian-branded property. Overall, kind staff couldn't make up for the recurring smells, design problems, and basic oversights.

Booking through my Amex Platinum got us a free double upgrade, with macarons and champagne waiting in the room. The hot shower was great, and we couldn't have asked for a better stay. Reception were really kind, room service was great, and breakfast was top notch, especially the truffle omelet.

The room was spacious, but the bathroom isn't separate from the bedroom, so there's little privacy, especially if one of you gets up before the other. The automatic closer on our door didn't shut it unless we shoved it hard. We came back from an outing to find it ajar, with trim hanging off around it. The pop-up sink plug was broken and had to be removed by hand to let the water drain. Towels could only be hung in the toilet cubicle across from the shower, with no hook outside the shower. Breakfast was okay, but the staff weren't attentive, even after we tried several times to get coffee, and the portions were tiny, like one egg on half a slice of toast for Eggs Benedict. There's very little in the complimentary minibar too. All in all, a disappointing stay, a long way from what I'd expect of a five-star hotel.