Hotel Atala Champs Elysées

The location was the one real plus, only a two-minute walk from the Champs Elysee. Some rooms apparently have an Eiffel Tower view if you pay for it. The hotel has potential, but ours fell below even a basic standard. We left very disappointed. The room was stuffy and the air conditioning didn't work. There was no hot water in the shower. I tried calling reception, but the phone was broken, so we went down to report it. They said the issue was fixed and texted to say all was well. The next morning the shower was still cold. A technician came up and told us the hot water only worked while the sink tap was running. With a room costing €395, I'd expect a hot shower. When I complained, they apologized and said there'd been a communication breakdown at check-in. The room was extremely small, with the coffee machine sitting on the windowsill. The carpet was heavily stained and tatty, and looked beyond cleaning, as if it needed replacing. The room was dark and dingy, nothing like the bright, airy rooms shown on the hotel's website and Booking.com. When I raised that, they said decor could vary slightly while standards stayed the same. This room was completely different, and the standards were shocking. I've seen many negative comments about cleanliness and the condition of some rooms. I hope the hotel takes action.

Dear Hotel Atala Champs-Élysées team, I'm following up on a refund that still hasn't arrived. During my reservation, 173,000 Argentine pesos were charged to my Argentinian bank card because my credit card wasn't working at the time. After checking the booking, I was told the refund would be processed, but the money never came back. I've emailed several times and tried calling without getting a reply. Could you check the refund status and confirm whether the transfer was completed, or whether there was a problem with my Argentinian card?

The hotel was great, but the billing process was absolutely appalling. I stayed in June and wasn't charged until September. Since I'd booked through my company's travel portal, I hadn't worried about not seeing a charge. Then they billed me twice. Getting a refund took more than 15 emails and over 10 phone calls. I received no replies to several emails and was promised call-backs that never came. Each time someone answered, I had to explain the whole situation again. They said processing the refund should take 7-10 days, but I'm still nervous. Nobody explained why it took three months to charge me.

The service was good, and the hotel is in a really good spot. The room was a little small, but that felt like a fair trade for the location.