Paris, Abbreviated. Park Hyatt Place Vendome

Previous and future posts in this trip report:

1. Lufthansa Business Class To Paris Via Frankfurt
2. Park Hyatt Place Vendome
3. Walking Around Paris, Angelina And The Pont Des Arts Bridge
4. Eiffel Tower
5. Laduree
6. Café K? Trocadero and The Eiffel Tower At Night
7. Lufthansa New Business Class, Upstairs On The 747-8i

I also added a post about getting from CDG airport to downtown.

After an easy train ride and a brief battle with the cabbie, we were at the Park Hyatt Place Vendome.  This is a property I had been looking forward to staying at for some time.  It’s very well located in downtown Paris and well-reviewed by friends.

This property is part of the new Category 7 that Hyatt announced recently.  That means this property used to cost 22,000 points per night and now goes for 30,000 points a night, or a 36% increase.  This is literally the biggest increase on Hyatt’s chart for standard rooms.

Due to our medical diversion and subsequent flight delay, we were arriving at the hotel literally right at check-in time.  The hotel processed all of our information for check-in but our room wasn’t quite ready.  The front desk agent assisting us asked if they could buy us a drink or snack in the lounge and escorted us there.

We grabbed some tea and they also brought out a small plate of snacks, though nothing that piqued my daughter’s fancy.  Since she hadn’t eaten anything, she was a bit hungry.  I walked her over to the buffet in the main dining room, but even though it was still fully stocked the waiter told us it was closed.  I asked for a menu and walked through the choices with my daughter.

Paris is not a cheap city and the Park Hyatt is a premium property.  But, even I was a little surprised when a bagel with plain cream cheese was over 20 Euro.  On the bright side, they threw in some french fries (more appropriately referred to as matchstick potatoes).

It wasn’t long before our room was ready.  Since the 3 of us were staying in one room I wanted to make sure we would have enough space.  It was a bit hard to tell from the descriptions online how big the rooms were so I had contacted the hotel ahead of time to see if they would offer us a paid upgrade to our award stay.  That’s a great strategy to employ if you’re looking for an upgrade.  I’ve found plenty of hotels who are willing to charge a reasonable up charge from your award stay.  In this example, the hotel had offered me an up charge to move to a bigger suite.  But, since we had already been confirmed in a junior suite (also called an executive suite at this property), I decided to take our chances on this short stay.  We turned out to be more than fine.

Upon entering the room there was a small refrigerator and coffee station.  A quick right-hand turn lead to the bedroom.  Because we were on the top floor of the hotel, the ceilings were pitched a bit but the bedroom was a decent size.  The window opened onto a courtyard inside the hotel.  We were greeted by a nice bottle of wine and a chocolate smoothie/shake for our daughter.

The bathroom was long and narrow but very spacious. There was a large bathtub and shower combo along with two sinks.  There was also plenty of room to store luggage and clothing in the bathroom, such that the bedroom didn’t feel crowded at all.  The heated towel racks were large enough for multiple towels and did a great job.

This room doesn’t end at the bathroom.  On the other end of the bathroom is another door that leads to a living room with a couch, TV and a work desk, along with another refrigerator and coffee machine.  The windows opened in all the rooms.  That was an especially nice touch in the living room as we sat on the couch having a snack with the window open.

The living room also had a second full bath.  The shower was absolutely massive and our daughter had a bit of fun there when we arrived.

I took a quick walk downstairs and found a reasonably sized fitness center right next to the spa, well equipped for those that like to squeeze in a workout.

We ended up dining in the hotel that evening (more on why in a future post).  We sat in the same lounge we had snacks in earlier.  The meal was enjoyable.  I had a very nice filet, Michelle risotto and Catherine had pasta.  After, my daughter spied a dessert cart and had to have the chocolate surprise.  Buyer beware, this was a very expensive meal.  If not for a very tired little girl we would have ended up somewhere more adventurous and likely more affordable.

The breakfast buffet at the Park Hyatt is somewhat legendary amongst folks I know that have been there before.  As a Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond member my family was entitled to free breakfast.  The breakfast benefit in properties that don’t have a lounge can be applied in different ways.  The Park Hyatt Place Vendome applies this very generously, essentially giving us carte blanche in the restaurant.  And, the buffet was quite splendid.

Had the weather been just a bit warmer, I think we would have chosen to eat one of our meals out in the courtyard.  There are space heaters out there, and even a private table in a makeshift cabin.  There was a bit of rain and it was cold, otherwise this would be a great spot to enjoy a meal.

The Park Hyatt Place Vendome is a wonderful property.  The staff were all exceedingly kind and welcoming. The property was impeccably clean.  The rooms were very comfortable and functional (they have converters in-room for US-configured electronics, laptops etc).

While I don’t have a great sense of the geography of Paris from just our one short visit, we were located in close proximity to a number of areas, and a subway or taxi ride to many more.  You’re just about 2 miles from the Eiffel Tower and Arc du Triomphe and a short walk to the Louvre.

The hotel concierge staff were incredibly helpful, from priority reservations at the Eiffel tower (more on that later) to pointing out a nearby grocery store when my daughter wanted a few things that the hotel didn’t readily have available for snacks.  We e-mailed them frequently leading up to the trip and then during our delay to make and change reservations at restaurants in the area.  We couldn’t have asked for a more helpful group of folks.

At 30,000 points a night it’s pricey, and that’s all the more reason to make sure you’re stockpiling points.  There are plenty of other wonderful properties in Paris, but I’d be happy to make Park Hyatt Place Vendome my home base again next time we visit.