Guest User
February 9, 2023
We (two adults) stayed at the Hôtel Victoires Opéra at Rue Montorgueil in Paris for one night on July 10th – 11th. Expectations were high since the hotel is located on the oldest street in Paris, near just about everything, had four stars on the booking page and seemed – in pictures – to be worth every Danish crown. Unfortunately, looks online are deceiving and at this particular hotel hospitality seemed to had been left in the far reaching history of the surroundings. As such, we entered the lobby with our bags to check in and were met – not greeted – by a man who could have been part of any sketch on stereotypical rude Frenchness. Both of us have visited Paris and France several times before and have not meet this cartoon figure before but here he was. Loud sighs and little patience with a difficult credit card payment of the city tax seemed to be only part of this man’s troublesome work life. You would think he himself took care of just any task in the hotel since he didn’t find the strength to inform us on where the bar in the hotel – promised online and not seen or heard of since by any of us – was, when breakfast was served or you know, just wishing us a pleasant stay. French stems in great part from Latin, but the hotel director (as he presented himself on the phone when taking a call while speaking to us) must not have done his research on the origin or meaning of “hospitality”. Oh well, then on to entering the room! The friendly interpretation would be that minimalism is in style around here. The “already annoyed with the hotel director”-interpretation is that this room and hotel is a tourists’ trap offering more online than what you get. There was a bed, two nightstands, a TV, a fridge and one Nespresso-machine. Oh, and two power outlets hidden under a table with only one actually working. Missing was a chair, a suitcase stool, a toilet brush, any type of shelf in the shower and a non-leaking tap by the sink. The latter made everything wet in a second and left you underimpressed. We did not meet any other guests since we never fund the maybe-there-maybe-not bar and did not feel the need to join the mysterious breakfast. You could hear just about any little noise coming from the hallway and everywhere else. There was absolutely no need to even put your ears against the partially torn wall paper. Luckily, our stay was short. Maybe due to this shortness our cartoon-ish friend in the reception had not yet gained strength since us checking in and did not feel the need to wish us a nice travel home or just ask if we enjoyed the stay. Paris is wonderful. The French are much better than their reputation. The Hôtel Victoires Opéra is not wonderful and you should go somewhere else, pay less and have a smile from the reception, somewhere to place your suitcase and maybe even a toilet brush in the bath room. Goodbye and no “au revoir”, Hôtel Victoires Opéra.