Hôtel de Montesquieu

We had a terrible experience and I would strongly advise people to stay elsewhere. This is not a five-star hotel, and the service was awful. My wife and I were traveling in Paris as foreign tourists, which can already be tough, and this stay made it feel like a nightmare. At check-in, a front desk employee dropped our luggage. A wine bottle broke and spilled over our belongings, including my wife’s clothes and stuffed animal gifts. At first they wouldn’t help clean the red wine or take responsibility, but agreed after they saw how angry we were. During the stay, staff opened our door to “drop things off” even when the do not disturb sign was up. After checkout, we realized some of my wife’s clothes were still in the closet. These were the clothes that had been cleaned after the wine spill. The front desk said housekeeping no longer saw them there, and claimed they had watched my wife pack them into her suitcase. I don’t understand how they could have seen what she packed in the privacy of our room. We found that explanation absurd, and management didn’t believe us when we said the housekeeping team had stolen the clothes. We complained repeatedly and spoke with the manager Philippe and Yiannis from the team. Neither helped, and both left us more frustrated. Management defended the staff instead of helping us.

For a romantic anniversary trip, we’d hoped for a little luxury, so it was disappointing to find the attic room in such poor shape. It felt forgotten compared with the other spaces, with little decor and no proper ceiling light. The lamps weren’t enough to brighten it. The tub had chipped enamel with what looked like peeling white paint over it, so I didn’t feel it was hygienic to use. There was no separate shower, and showering in the tub left the floor covered in water. Other problems kept adding up: the bedside USB charger didn’t work, and the Wi-Fi kept dropping every 5-10 minutes and was slow. We didn’t really need it, but it would be a dealbreaker for anyone working. There was no bar or restaurant downstairs. In the bathroom, the ceiling was dirty, a strange electrical cable stuck out of the floor by the bath, and there were paper toothbrush cups instead of proper glasses and no hair conditioner. The wall socket was crooked, the toilet had a paper notice saying to flush only toilet paper, and a garbage bag and cleaning supplies had been left by the elevator on our floor. The front desk staff tried to make up for the letdown with a late checkout and complimentary champagne, but that could only do so much. If a hotel chooses to call itself five-star, that sets expectations, and this place didn’t meet them.

That lobby is absolutely stunning, and the rooms have so much character. Everything felt amazing. It was my first boutique hotel stay, so I’m not sure what service should be like compared with a regular five-star hotel. They did fall short in a few ways, but those were minor things and not a big problem.

Breakfast was lovely and gave us such a peaceful start to the day. The hotel is spotless and comfortable, and the staff made us feel so welcome. Ioannis was especially warm when we arrived and shared lots of useful information. He and the team went above and beyond with their service. It’s just off the Champ de Élysées, within walking distance of many of Paris’s great sights. Staying at this boutique hotel made our Paris trip special, and I’d highly recommend it.