Mercure Paris Porte d'Orléans

The room was decent, but the bathroom badly needs an update. Everything around it made the stay miserable. The location is poor, with nothing convenient nearby, and the hotel barely seems to function. Room service supposedly exists, but nobody mentioned that the restaurant was closed, so we waited around before going downstairs to find out for ourselves. At check-in, nobody explained the hotel, restaurant hours or facilities, leaving us to figure it all out. The staff's attitude was the worst part. When we arrived early, we politely asked whether an earlier check-in might be possible and understood the room might not be ready. They didn't even check our details before bluntly saying it wasn't ready, as if we'd bothered them. We left our bags and went exploring Paris. At 1:40pm, twenty minutes before check-in, we asked again and got the same dismissive answer. Then I sat in reception and watched them start checking in other guests straight away. It made me wonder why our room supposedly wasn't ready. Later, I asked a staff member in the hallway what time the restaurant opened. She snapped, “No, no, no. Ask reception.” When I pointed out she was right there, she stormed off repeating the same thing. Every interaction felt hostile and needlessly aggressive. I've had better service in budget hostels. If I could give this hotel zero stars, I would. Paris is a wonderful city, but I wouldn't stay here.

The rooms are lovely, with great bathrooms and bathtubs, and breakfast was delicious. Stella and the rest of the front desk team made us feel so welcome with their generous, excellent service. The staff were warm and always ready to help with anything.

The rooms were worn out and broken, and even the bathroom in our “suite” was rusty. The staff seemed like they didn't want to be there, with no smiles or greetings. This was the worst hotel I've stayed in, and I can't recommend it. One star is already too generous.

The breakfast was just okay. The croissants and pancakes were good, but the bread was stale. In the room, the safe didn't work, the duvet cover was a little torn at the seams, and the bathroom was dated, with chipped tiles around the sink and shower. The room was hot, and when I asked reception about the air conditioning, they said it was January. I got locked out because the door lock needed new batteries. I went downstairs three times before anyone came up to replace them. I ended up leaving halfway through my stay for a better hotel.