Hotel Albert 1er

We stayed for two nights. The reception staff were polite, the room was clean and a good size, and the shower and hairdryer were fine. But this didn’t feel like a four-star hotel to me, more like two or three. The decor is dated and needs work. The bathroom looks fairly modern, but its hooks were loose and nearly falling off. The stained old carpet gives a bad impression. The air conditioning didn’t work at all, so the room was uncomfortably hot even with it switched on. The hotel is far from central Paris: you need the metro and RER, then a 15-minute walk. That’s manageable for a few nights if you don’t mind the distance. We skipped breakfast because it was very expensive, and the room had already cost quite a lot.

The room was a good size, and the Nespresso machine was a nice touch. Staff were kind and very helpful. Breakfast tasted nice, but there wasn’t much left by 8.30am. The carpet was a bit dirty, and the sealant on the bath screen wasn’t working, so water dripped onto the floor outside the tub. The fire alarm was the big problem. It went off at 5 and 7 am on both nights. I wouldn’t call this a four-star hotel.

Breakfast was the one good part, with good quality and lots of choice, including oranges you could squeeze yourself. The rest was uncomfortable and odd. The decor felt strange, and the window wouldn’t lock and was hard to close. At night, the receptionist seemed unsure what he was doing. First my key wouldn’t open the room. Then I got inside and found someone in bed, which was a horrible feeling. I was given another room, but that key didn’t work either.

For what it costs, this was a frustrating stay. We were mistakenly given an unclean room, and during our two nights the cleaner left a used towel mixed in with the fresh ones. The toilet light bulb was broken, but staff said they couldn’t fix it because they couldn’t access the storage room. Breakfast was terrible too, just two trays, one of sausage and one of omelette, for 35 guests. Avoid it if you don’t want to get frustrated with the service.