I spent two nights in Paris at Hôtel Wallace, a Mrs. & Mrs. Smith property and part of the World of Hyatt program. Here’s the review in a nutshell: this is a hotel that you sleep in…not a hotel you spend much time in.
Hôtel Wallace Paris Review – A Hyatt Mr. & Mrs. Smith Property
I chose Le Wallace Hôtel because it was within walking distance to where my “left bank” ticket to the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games. The cost was €169.36 for the first night and €191.46 for the second night.
Location
Located in the 15th arrondissement, the hotel is in the midst of a residential neighborhood and was quite quiet. As I mentioned, it was quite easy to walk to the Seine and the Eiffel Tower was also within walking distance. Metro stations were also close (I ran into my friend Zach Honig and used Metro to zoom across town ot have breakfast with him one morning), though I used Uber to come in from Paris Orly and depart from Paris Roissy.
I like being in a residential neighborhood, not just because it was quiet, but because one night I enjoyed dinner at a delicious boucherie de kébab and then stopped at the grocery store for a very ripe, juicy, and sweet peach.
Check-In
The guy who checked me in was very nice and his English was better than my French (that’s not hard…) but we had a bit of trouble communicating. No upgrade…even as a Globalist, it is wise to guard your expectations at a Mr. & Mrs. Smith property. No upgrades, no breakfast…be grateful you get points!
Room
My room was…about the size of my dorm room at university. At 13 square meters (140 square feet) it reminded me a bit of my coffin-like sleeping pod in Copenhagen. Well, maybe that’s unfair but it was a very small room, with the bed taking up much of the space:
In fairness, the bed was comfortable, there was A/C (it was rainy but on the humid side outside), Wi-Fi worked, and there were power ports easily within reach. There was even a coffee service with Nespresso pods and a small refrigerator:
The bathroom even included a bathtub (shower combination) with the shower and toilet in a separate area than the sink and small open closet. Shower amenities were from Colomba, a brand used by the Orso hotel chain (which this hotel is also part of…).
Hot Tub
I have to be honest…I booked this hotel because it was a Hyatt, yes, but also, and primarily, because I thought it had a sauna. As I’ve said numerous times, a sauna is an important part of my daily ritual when at home, and I try not to neglect it when I travel as well.
The hotel’s official website listed no sauna, but numerous third-party websites suggested the hotel had a sauna and even posted these photos:
You can clearly see the rooftop sauna and this would not have been the first hotel that had a sauna but did not list it.
But what I found on the roof instead was a hot tub:
I asked about it and was told, “Oh yes, we recently got rid of the sauna and put this hot tub in.”
So much for that…
Terrace
Despite no sauna, the terrace was still my favorite part of the hotel. It was beautiful in the evening and there were plenty of tables and chairs to sit, yet it was not crowded. You could come up here and bring your own food and drink and sit…not be hassled.
Fitness Center
A small fitness center on the lower level included a stationary bike, elliptical, treadmill, and a bench with a few free weights (all less than 10kg).
Breakfast + Bar
Breakfast is served in the hotel bar area, located on floor -1.
As previously mentioned, breakfast is not included but at €16 each it is not a bad deal, including a spread of juices, fruits, cheeses, meats, vegetables, bread, cakes, cereal, yogurt, and boiled eggs.
CONCLUSION
This hotel worked well for me as a solo traveler, but it is not a hotel I would take my family to…the rooms are too small and the amenities are limited. Even so, at less than $200 per night (at least at the time with near parity between the USD and EUR) this hotel was a great deal and very convenient for the purpose of my visit: the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
Different strokes for different folks.
In my limited experiences with the M&M’s I have found unique properties at reasonable prices and (cross fingers) not a bad one yet. It was a great move by Hyatt that I hope is expanded while maintaining standards.
But we seem to be looking for different things in a hotel, as I’m 100% a tourist everywhere I go and the area is why I am there. I don’t need work space, saunas or even a decent restaurant. Food choices should be everywhere in the area, saunas should be a home and the only “work” I do is on my IPad. Give me a clean room in a safe hotel and I’m good.
Still enjoy reading the detailed reviews, even for places I wouldn’t consider visiting.
I think it all depends on the situation. I have changed my approach to hotels along the years. I currently follow this strategy:
Business trips (paid by the company): I follow the corporate policy.
Leisure trips (paid by me): There are a few criteria that are non negotiable: location, safety, cleanness. Then price is always a consideration but the rest it really depends on where I am going. If I stay in large European cities, I could not care less for gym, pool, nice restaurants, beautiful lobby, etc… When I go to a large European city on vacation, I am like you, I am at the hotel only to shower and sleep. I am not going to eat breakfast at a hotel in Paris, Rome, London, Athens, Madrid, etc… These places have amazing local coffee shops, pastry shops, bakeries, why would I want to eat eggs and bacon at a hotel? Same for restaurants, I usually book all my restaurants way in advance, I want o eat like locals, I want to be out. Now, I have stayed at St Regis in Rome, Park Hyatt in Milan, Shangri-La in London, they were nice but in my opinion, a total waste of my money and my points. Now, I have a different approach while in big cities in Asia. First luxury hotels are much cheaper there but also the breakfast is not something you just find a local bakery in the corner. Last, usually the most luxury hotels are the safest or located in the best locations.
Now, if I am going to a beach location, ski area or places that are more remote, small towns, I want to stay in the best hotel available. Why? Because although I will go to the beach, I will ski, I will explore the surroundings, I will spend time at the hotel and use its amenities. I will need breakfast and probably they will have the best restaurant in town.
Your method makes a lot of sense.
At least there weren’t rats scurrying by the entrance when you checked in.
Did your hotel in Paris have rats?
Good price considering when you were there. Honestly under EUR 200 always seems like a good deal in Paris. But, man… I don’t know about this Mr. & Mrs. Smith stuff. The SLH partnership was great, but this has been a real disappointment. I’d love to know if anybody has actually received an upgrade as a Globalist. I certainly haven’t. Is this really bringing new business to Hyatt, or just sending people like us to hotels we don’t really like and wouldn’t otherwise stay at?
Ironically, all the Hyatts were available on points, but I just didn’t want to splurge for hte Park Hyatt or even the Hyatt Paris Madeleine when alone…I save those points for when I am with my wife and/or family.
I don’t know what demand was like during the point in time that you visited, but €200 is still a lot of money for such a tiny room. Last time I was in Paris, I stayed in the banlieu and paid about a third of that for a crossover between junior suite and studio apartment (this wasn’t some dodgy airbnb, there was a proper reception desk, daily cleaning etc). Yes, it was 20 minutes from the city centre and I do value my time but something that big could cost €500+ in the centre and sadly I still work for a salary and can’t charge anyone hundreds of euros for each hour of my time.
I work for my salary too! 😉
But at least you can write the hotel stays off as a business expense! 😀