Hôtel du Château d'Eau - Touriste

The lobby had an unpleasant smell, which was the only downside for me. The interior is beautiful, and the staff were friendly and helpful with nearby recommendations. The location was so-so, but that didn’t bother me. I’d recommend it if you’re after a hotel with a 70s vibe.

We barely slept. Our room was hot, extremely loud, right beside the elevator, and exposed to constant noise from the street, nearby restaurants, and people outside until dawn. It felt like a room that should never have been sold to guests at a supposed four-star hotel. We couldn’t open the windows because of the noise and strong food smells coming in, and the air conditioning barely worked. After the first night we asked to leave because the situation was unbearable. The hotel refused and made us pay an extra fee to move to another room. We felt forced to do it, and the only real improvement was that the street noise was gone. The reception staff were kind, but that was the sole positive. The nearby street also felt loud and somewhat sketchy. Overall, this felt much more like a two-star hotel than a four-star one.

The nicest thing about the stay was the look of the hotel, and the receptionists we spoke with were friendly and relaxed. The room was nicely designed, but far smaller than it looked online, with little space or functionality. The bathroom was clean, and the diptique products were a nice touch, though the flush was so stiff I had to use an object to press it. The shower head wouldn’t stay in place, so I had to hold it the whole time. The little mirror swung back toward the wall when I brought it forward, perhaps because it wasn’t attached properly. We were told to hand in our key when leaving and pick it up again on return. That would have been fine, except on a couple of evenings there was nobody at the desk, or apparently anywhere nearby. After waiting and calling out, we had to take the key ourselves. It was in an unlocked box in plain sight in the small lobby, so anyone could have walked in and taken one. That made us uneasy, and we kept the key with us after that. Our room was beside the elevator, which brought noise at random hours. On our last night, someone tried to get into the room at about 4 AM, but fortunately we’d locked the door from inside. These things left us feeling that security could be better and guests could feel safer. The street itself isn’t very nice, though the surrounding area is okay, with plenty of good bars, cafes, and restaurants nearby. Gare Du Nord is also close and convenient. It was a fine enough stay, but we’d probably think twice about coming back.

Omar was incredibly kind and helpful, as was the front desk manager, whose name I didn’t catch. The hotel is beautiful and well placed for enjoying local culture, while still being only a quick 30-minute walk from the main tourist areas. I’ve stayed in Paris three times now, and this has been my favorite location.