Holiday Inn Paris Palais de l'Elysée by IHG

The Holiday Inn Elysée is tucked away within the little side streets of Paris close to Champs-Élysées, perfect for shoppers! Location was great, 20-40 minutes walk to most of the main attractions. There are little bakeries, restaurants, pharmacies, convenience stores and boutique shops all a stones throw away. Ideal! The hotel itself was simple, basic, nothing fancy, more businessy than luxury or boutique. We arrived early so we went for lunch, they kept our suitcases and when we returned, they had already taken the cases to our room. It had a small reception desk at the entrance with a sit down area, some decorative shelving, a small dining area, limited bar, small lobby area and small lift - so....small!. But, we liked it as it suited our needs. We were room only so can't comment about food. There was a bar but not manned, so Soufiane from reception came over to serve us a drink and was honest to say he had no bar experience and didn't know really how or what measures to serve. But, between the two of us, we figured it out and he was super nice, polite, and wanting very much to do it right and to please which was lovely. The room was small but more than enough for our needs. We literally were there to sleep. It was clean, the bathroom was nice although in places the paint was flaking away, it had a spacious shower and complimentary toiletries provided (shampoo, bodywash, conditioner, shower cap and vanity kit), towels - exactly what is needed (although dressing gown and slippers would have been a nice additional touch)! The twin beds were very comfortable and 2 pillows each, big wall mirror, side lights, plug points near both beds, full length mirror at the entrance of the room, chair, 2 slim wardrobes, fridge and vanity table. The view was just of other buildings so nothing wow! The room had an Nespresso machine and they provided 2 pods per day (so bring your own if you like your coffee), a kettle with 2 different tea bag options provided each day, and the usual sugar milk etc. There was an iron, ironing board, hairdryer and safe. So everything one could want for a short stay. However, there was a nice big TV but we couldn't watch it as absolutely every channel was in French, so no provision for tourists, not even subtitles or even one English speaking channel, or a movie channel in English with French subtitles. Even Greys Anatomy and other movies were all dubbed in French. Not even Euronews to listen to. So that was disappointing as it was pointless having a TV that we couldn't watch. Thank goodness for the phone and Wi-Fi ! The housekeeping staff was delightful. She was patient with us as we always left late morning. Our room was always spotless, tidy and fully replenished. We were told as soon as we checked in that only 2 bottles of water are provided on the first day so that was helpful as then didn't expect things that weren't going to be provided. What was BRILLIANT about Holiday Inn was its staff. It may be a basic 4 star (actually felt more like a high 3 star compared to other 4 stars I've been to) but the staff was 5 star. I mentioned to them in advance that it was my daughter's 16th birthday and I asked them to do something special for her on her arrival. I gave them a 50 Euro budget and they decorated the room with helium balloons, a helium 16, some flowers, a birthday card handwritten by the staff, towels on the bed made into swans and a box of Ferrero Rocher. But if that wasn't enough, a few moments after we were in the room there was a knock at the door and the same staff that decorated the room arrived with the most delicious exquisite chocolate tart with a birthday candle and they sang her happy birthday. Just AMAZING. So a BIG THANK YOU to the exceptional Holiday Inn Elysée team Micheal, Maysha, Aissatou for arranging, decorating and setting everything up to make my daughter's day so incredibly special, to Soufiane for always going out of his way to assist in any way he could and the wonderful chambermaid for making our room up every day perfectly. You guys made it special for us both

Had a good time staying in this hotel even though there were issues with the bathroom. The hotel staff were quick to resolve the issue and the bathroom was good by the time I was back. Also had a nice surprise from Leah after returning from Disneyland. Didn’t expect to receive a bottle of champagne and chocolate. Thanks for the nice hospitality and making my holiday in Paris a memorable one!