Paris Square

I recently stayed at this hotel and, to be honest, the whole experience felt bizarre. Before I arrived, I received a text message telling me that “there’s no sign outside the door—find a plain door, enter a code, then walk a bit further to a second coded door and up a flight of stairs.” Once I got inside, those stairs were under renovation—something I wasn’t warned about. A staff member met me at the top, checked me in directly in my room, handed over the keys, and told me, “It’s room service only, write time a time on a sheet and tell us what time you want it delivered” this also left me setting my alarm on holiday and being up and ready to receive room service rather than taking a leisurely approach to breakfast. Things only got weirder. When I opened the connecting door to the adjacent room, I discovered a visible security camera—and my room key came with an Apple AirTag attached. That felt intrusive, like being tracked. Throughout my stay, I never saw another guest, which might suit some, but for €500 a night I expected more. At one point, I found our maid cooking in what looked like a makeshift reception area—complete with a printer and piled‐up renovation materials. It was obvious they were still under construction, yet no one offered to cancel our stay, inform us in advance, or adjust the price. Instead, they seemed intent on hiding these issues. On the plus side, the room was clean, the breakfast—while basic—was tasty (though it didn’t include bacon!), and the hotel is just 100 metres from the Arc de Triomphe. But overall, the secret doors, surprise renovations, and tracking devices made this a strange—and overpriced—experience.