Residence du Lys

The apartments felt bare and were quite a way from anything interesting. There’s no front desk, and after some college kids living there told us to use the call box for everything, our only contact with staff was calling a number. When we asked for a second key, they refused. The place also had an Airbnb style note with procedures and extra cleaning fees, which was strange. The whole setup seemed sketchy, and I’m almost certain it’s an Airbnb. I wouldn’t recommend it, mostly because Airbnb is terrible and Amex should know better.

The location was great, and the room itself was lovely, clean, and fairly roomy. The big shower came with complimentary toiletries. Check-in, though, was a real puzzle: the instructions didn’t match what we found on Booking, so we had to figure out what to do next. We might not have got the door open if another couple hadn’t come in with us.

The room was clean and nice, and the price was reasonable. But I spent more than three hours outside because the lock wouldn’t work without a Wi-Fi connection. I finally had to buy a SIM card to open the door. The building office staff member was unkind and hung up, so I got no help with check-in. The room itself deserves 10 stars, but the lack of anyone to solve the problem deserves minus 100. It was freezing while I waited outside.

A comfortable bed and phenomenal showers made this a great little place to stay. The location was great too, and it suited my short business trip perfectly.