New Hotel le Voltaire

Everyone was friendly, and I loved the area. The room was great too. My only issue was that the window lock broke with my wine on the other side. It was December, and I was trying to chill it, but nobody could open the window before we left. I still loved the place.

The design was beautiful, the beds were clean and comfortable, and the bathroom had an amenity kit. Room service came every day and met a four-star standard. Breakfast was solid, especially the quality juices and pastries. I did run into a couple of hiccups: my card stopped working once, and a meal I ordered arrived without utensils.

The main problem was the air conditioning. It never worked during either of our two nights in room 501, next to the lift, so the small room stayed stuffy and we slept uncomfortably. We reported it several times to three reception staff, and also spoke with the housekeeping man. The first receptionist said nobody could come up, tried to get it running from downstairs, and logged the fault. The next day she confirmed there was a thermostat problem. We were told to email the manager or owner before checkout, which we did. At checkout, staff said they would follow up. The owner replied after we got home, apologised, and offered a discount on a future stay, saying the AC had worked before our visit. We had asked for goodwill compensation because we don't plan to return. The response didn't feel very empathetic or concerned, and our follow-up emails have since gone unanswered. Our travel agent also called, and was told the hotel's file showed no AC problem. We couldn't be moved because every room was occupied. Whatever its condition before or after, it was not working for us, including at checkout, despite telling five staff. We wouldn't have spent time raising it repeatedly if it had been fine. The room itself was one of the smallest we've ever had: there was barely space to move around the bed or put down a suitcase. We paid GBP142 per night including breakfast, and don't think the hotel merits four stars. The view was a wall and a dim courtyard. There was no minibar or fridge, no closed cupboard, and only open shelving and a hanging rail. Maintenance wasn't available around the clock when we needed help with the AC. There were some good points. The room and bathroom were clean and nicely decorated, and the bed was a good size and comfortable. Breakfast had a decent choice and ran until noon. There was tea and coffee in the room, plus a TV, phone, small safe, free Wi-Fi, toiletries and a hairdryer. The location is handy for bars, restaurants, Voltaire metro and a bus stop. Still, this was a very disappointing experience for a hotel presented as four star, especially since air conditioning was listed as a booking requirement.

The staff were really friendly, and the hotel was clean and lovely. Good location too. It had what we needed, plus a little balcony 🩷