When I found Rochester Hotel were rated at 8,2/10 in satisfaction on Booking.com, I thought, great, and booked, especially that we got a good deal. My wife and I were supposed to stay for five nights... After the first night, I woke up at 6am and asked to be checked out. I couldn't handle one more...
I can't understand how it was rated at 8,2/10. Surely there's a mistake...
Welcome, Located a short walk from the Champs Elysées and the Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré, the four-star Hotel Rochester Champs Elysées is pleased to welcome you to its 106 rooms and suites. An outstanding base for your trip to Paris, it's the hotel of your dreams for a romantic holiday or a business trip in one of the city's most lively districts. Because elegance, charm and tradition create such a sophisticated setting, the Hotel Rochester Champs Elysées never ceases to delight... None of the above was even close to being true!
We arrive at 2pm and were welcomed by the bell boy who took our luggage. Inside, on a simple table stuck in the middle of the lobby is the reception. A trainee with no information whatsoever about the hotel industry welcomed us, handing us the keys to room 309. We reached the room to discover that it was occupied. Calling the reception, the man tells me: "Dear Mr Aldo, this is your room." Trying to inform him that I am not Aldo, he continued: "On your passport, it says Aldo." At first, I thought that I got a different passport but that was not the case.
We were then moved to room 409 where more unpleasant surprises awaited. A general feel of uncleanliness, a super over heated chamber and a small bathroom...
Let's go into the hotel's details:
- On the ground floor is a long lobby lit with yellow lights and a luxurious ambiance
- Sofas installed on both sides can host dozens of guests
- In the middle of the lobby are two tables, one for the reception and another for a man who takes all the decisions. Facing those tables is the concierge
- Next to the entrance are two doors, one that takes you to the bar and another to the breakfast room
- Breakfast is served from 7am until 2pm: that's a premiere
- The place was eerily quiet, no music, no talks but clear silence
As the night approached, we went up to the room to sleep and this was when all the problems started...
- The rooms sound poof system was not good at all. We had to endure the neighbor's child's crying all night. You don't want to experience something like that while on holiday
- The room is over heated despite the fact that we put the air conditioning and heater off
- Water floating through the pipes was clearly heard in the room
- It seems like the metro passes under the building. A strong vibration is felt in the bed. We were looking at the water inside the bottle making waves
Room amenities:
- Wi-Fi
- Air-conditioning
- Individual safety deposit box
- Mini bar
- LCD screen
- Desk
- Bathroom with bathtub
- Hairdryer
- Bathrobe
- Dry-cleaning service
- DVD Player
Time to sleep... I am sure that sleeping on the carpet would have been more relaxing. The bed was the worst I've ever slept on. The beds were torture mats for sure. Hard, thick, and uncomfortable, you wouldn't even let your pet sleep on them. We spent a horrible night counting the minutes to checkout in the morning. Going down to the reception and asking to checkout, I was obliged to stay an additional night of torture. And canceled the three others. Nobody even cared. Nobody even asked why we were checking out. This was ultimate limit of unprofessional attitude.
The good things about the hotel:
- The rooms are spacious. 20sqm in Paris is very good
- The decoration is luxurious for a four star hotel
- Rooms have bathtubs
The minuses and unacceptable things:
- The elevators were too slow. One of two was out of service
- A general feel of dirtiness haunts you all over the hotel. Hair is everywhere and towels are dirty. I even discovered hair on the reception table
- The shower is broken
- Inside the bathtub there are no shelves to place your shampoo for example and there are no hooks or hangers in the bathroom to hang your bathrobe and towels. You would have to hang them in the room
- The noise heard from other rooms were unacceptable
- Beds? They are better described as wood logs
As for the staff... well, none of them can take a decision. Every question needs to be run by the man sitting behind the desk. The staff was not attentive and they make you wait for them to pass through the tight corridors, rather than the other way round and the worst part was that no one even apologized for checking us into an occupied room!
As I was checking out, no one bothered to neither help with the luggage nor ask if we needed a cab. There were five people there, just sitting around the lobby doing nothing. I could not wait to get out of there especially after seeing the mess, dirt and hair bits over the reception's counter. Horrible... I ran out hoping to never to have to set foot in this establishment ever again.
This hotel is definitely a big NO. It was a mistake I won't be repeating at all and I suggest you don't even try it. For the same price yet with bigger rooms and cleaner more professional service, Le Claridge, located just 700 meters away was our alternative choice.
