I’m live-blogging my SAS EuroBonus SkyTeam Million Mile challenge this week. Click here for background and route information.
As I lamented earlier, the entire endeavor was probably not worthwhile for the few hours we stayed there, but I appreciated the clean and quiet room at the Paris Marriott Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport Hotel. Here’s a very brief review of our stay.
Paris Marriott Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport Hotel Review
After (finally) arriving at 12:30 am, we were cheerfully checked in by a friendly woman who seamlessly pivoted from French to English when I handed over my US passport.
We were quickly assigned room 119 with two beds and were on our way up the elevator.
The room was clean, modern, and comfortable…it clearly had been refurbished recently.
The bathroom was also refurbished with a walk-in shower instead of tub/shower combo.
And in that sense, it did the job perfectly. Augustine went right to sleep and I would have slept too for 3.5 hours, but I had work to do and at least had an extremely productive time with fast internet, power, and a nice environment to work.
I also appreciated the bottled Evian water (not so much the powdered coffee). The refrigerator was empty: no mini-bar.
I chose this hotel because it had a sauna and I hoped that I could work out and sit in the sauna during the layover, but both closed at 10:30 pm (and opened at 7:00 am), so that was a missed opportunity (but the hours were far better than at the Hilton Madrid the night before). I wish all airport hotels had 24/7 fitness center and wellness available…
Unfortunately, I have no comment on the breakfast or any other dining because at 5:00 am I showered, and by 5:30 am, Augustine and I were out the door and in our Uber back to CDG.
Why this when the Sheraton was in the terminal and we could have walked to it? Money. I had an expiring Bonvoy free night certificate (35K) and this was 32K (though it later dropped to 28K) and the Sheraton in Terminal 2 was over $400 or 44K points.
Yes, the Sheraton would have been less stressful, but I’m trying really hard on this trip not to blow money needlessly. It’s already a $7K gamble on points that could devalue overnight.
But I liked this hotel…even for just a few hours. Let me put it this way, next time if I had a choice between the Hyatt Place CDG or this hotel, I would choose this one.
“It’s already a $7K gamble on points that could devalue overnight.”
How would you like it if SAS wrote to you saying…
Effective immediately, in order for advantaged customers to pay their fair share, those with over 500,000 points will be assessed a “Make the Rich Pay Their Faire Share” tax of 30%. 450,000 of your 1 million points have been deducted.
I would answer : if one is concerned about disappearing points , then one does not have any actual problems .
How is the math so wrong in your response?
This is how the tax man estimates a tax penalty : 30% of 500,000 will be a 450,000 penalty ?
Even better 30% of 1,000,000 points would be 450,000 ?
² typos above.
Happy Thanksgiving
I stayed there for two nights back in July. I thought the breakfast was excellent. It included chefs making food, including omelets. on demand.
In St. Tropez , and nearby San Remo , enjoy white wine for breakfast , and start the day with a good laugh .
@Matthew … Merely a non-sequitur reply to @Matt , who mentions an omelet .
If in France or Italy , hey let’s try on the white wine and have more fun than an omelet can provide . Fun at breakfast is my type of non-sequitur, rather than a serious omelet .
The shower alone justifies not sleeping in the terminal.
STFU Aaron
Enough Chi. Leave him alone.
He deserves it.
Aw, someone is obsessed with me. In the creepiest, weirdest way possible, though.
@Aaron: But I could have showered (and did shower as you’ll see in next post) in Air France Lounge.
For Augustine’s sake, I’m glad I got the room, but I definitely would have slept in the terminal if alone, even if I had let the Marriott night expire.
I’ve done the sleeping in airports thing when I have had connections involving late arrivals and early departures. For me, such is better than losing time going to and from an airport hotel.
But it is a lot to ask of an eight year old. This was the correct call.
The Hyatt Place CDG charges per person for the shuttle to go between the airport and the hotel and it doesn’t even run often. There is a public transport bus that is much cheaper and can be paid with coins, but it doesn’t run very often and is a hike from the hotel.
Bolt was only 10,60, which I found so cheap (Uber going back was about the same). The problem was the delay in waiting…almost as bad as a shuttle.
A wing of the hotel is still the 1990s/early 2000s unrenovated rooms. I think that’s where they dump stranded passengers on the airline’s dime. Had you stayed at the Sheraton, you probably would have gotten another hour of sleep.
I’m obviously not as far into it as you are (only 5 airlines so far) but I’m trying to remember this is as much about the adventure as it is about the ultimate reward. Augustine won’t remember the reward but he’ll remember the adventure with you. At least for me that makes spending a few more miles or dollars worth it sometimes. Thanks for all the tips!
Wait, so you stayed at the off-site marriott to use a 35K cert rather than use said cert and add 9k points (unless the room type was considered points with cash upgrade!) to stay at the T2 Sheraton?? Yeah I guess 9k points is like $80 value or so, but the level of convenience would have to more than offset it. I wipe my you know what with just 9k points 😉 And you paid for an uber!
Wait. Wait. Wait. I’m not a Marriott guy at all. Is that possible? That is certainly not possible with Hyatt.
You’ve got to be kidding me!!! You of all people didn’t know that you can add up to 15K points to a Bonvoy free night cert as long as it is for a “normal” redemption room!!!! I feel like Moses! Let me lead you to the promised land!!! 🙂
And I’m not a Hyatt guy (though know enough to have stated a couple nights at the Andaz Papagayo on points transferred from chase!)… I’m shocked that for someone who travels all over, with Hyatt having relatively a small(er) footprint, you’d have to be a Bonvoy/Hilton/IHG guy out of necessity… Hyatt does have the best redemptions usually on a constant value per point basis though
I’m not a “Travel Blogger”, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Ex…, I mean Necker Island for 1.2 million virgin p0ints once, only for the resort to be destroyed 3 days after we left by a hurricane!
He’s right, buddy. My first thought too was “why didn’t you just add 9K on to the cert”
Live and let’s learn, I suppose!
AH!!!!
I can’t believe I put myself through that crap when I could have stayed at Sheraton!!!
Someone was obviously sleeping during their Hotel Points Programs 101 class at TBU (Travel Blogger University)!
I just stayed three nights at the Marriott CDG. Interesting experience. First, half the rooms are unrenovated and at least 7-10 years outdated. They look identical to an early 2000s Marriott room. The other half, the rooms on the first two floors, were renovated in 2019 or 2020. Basically, two hotels in one because the renovated rooms are about double the price both in cash and with points. It seems like the unrenovated rooms are mostly for tour groups and stranded passengers. Flight crew and top-level Bonvoy elites (Gulf Air, SAS, DHL, FedEx and others) get the renovated rooms.
Even the renovated rooms are mediocre. Lots of wear and tear. 14-year-old TVs. No club lounge. But certain tiers of elites get a free mini-bar. Mine was stocked with assorted non-alcoholic drinks and then they said they would gladly put whatever I wanted in it. They refreshed it daily.
They seem to be very generous with elite benefits. You get the full breakfast. They don’t even present a check for you to sign. They placed a bottle of champagne (not cheaper sparkling wine) that they sell for 59 euros in my room as a welcome amenity. Upgrades seem to be good too.
Since your stay the lotion is now a dispenser. They have also eliminated bars of soap. Only hand wash. I suspect this will be a new Marriott brand standard. Part of the cost-cutting. This hotel isn’t just managed by Marriott. Marriott actually leases the building from the owner. So, if a Marriott-leased and Marriott-managed property is cutting bars of soap, that’s a change probably coming to properties throughout the system.
Service varied greatly. Housekeeping was pretty bad. I heard multiple guests complaining to the front desk and managers about issues. They’ve outsourced housekeeping to a staffing agency.
The location is nice in that it’s located in an actual small town. So you have some off-property options for dining. The food at the hotel is average to better than average but about 10-12 euros overpriced compared to the bistros and brasseries just 5 minutes walking distance from the hotel.
But at the same time, I would stay at the Sheraton inside CDG if I needed to be at the airport early in the morning or I arrived late at night. I had a rental car so this wasn’t an issue for me.
I forgot to add two things.
First, the sauna in the gym is now open at 6 am. It may even be 24/7 because the changing room is open overnight and there’s no automatic control for them to turn it on and turn it off. I used it at about 6:20 one morning.
Second, there’s a relatively new Holiday Inn and a newer Novotel. Those are probably the newest hotels in this part of Roissy. Otherwise, everything else, like the Mercure or the old Holiday Inn-turned-Best Western, look worse than the Marriott. The deflagged Hyatt Regency a short drive away is still pretty bad, I think. I know there’s a newish Courtyard and newer Hyatt Place-Hyatt House by there too.