Hôtel Du Louvre - worth booking over the Park Hyatt Paris?
The Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme is a renowned hotel, but it also costs up to 45k Hyatt points a night, which is no small change, similar to the other aspirational Hyatt properties like the Park Hyatt Kyoto, Park Hyatt Niseko, Park Hyatt New York, and Park Hyatt Milan. For those who want to stretch their points a little further, there is another Hyatt property in central Paris is the Hôtel Du Louvre, part of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt.
We’ve been spending a lot of points, and wanted to give this a shot, as I’d heard good things, and it was significantly cheaper - its normal rate, but with an additional 20% rebate on points via a special promotion Hyatt was running at the time. Our original rate for 3 nights was 95,000 points, so roughly 32k/night. The promo brought this down to just about 25k/night. Significantly cheaper, almost 20k/night so. So, despite requiring an in-town hotel change, something I am nowadays rather averse to, we almost had to stay at the Hôtel Du Louvre.
We arrived, opting to walk from the Park Hyatt Paris since it was only a 15 minute walk, and as soon as we arrived in front of the Hôtel Du Louvre, you could feel the difference. An insane amount of people and traffic in the streets in front, as the hotel is right next to its namesake. On the plus side, this meant a ton of Velib bike share bikes were generally available, as well - something we encountered some difficulties with at the Park Hyatt.
Entering the airy lobby immediately felt like we were in a normal hotel, compared to the quietness and lack of people in the Park Hyatt’s lobby. That said, walking past multiple doormen who all say hello to you is not everybody’s thing, and it was nice to be somewhat more anonymous at the Hôtel Du Louvre. We checked in, and they graciously upgraded us to a (junior) suite.
ROOM
I had heard that one of the best things about the hotel was how light and airy the rooms are, especially compared to the Park Hyatt, and this was definitely true. Floor to ceiling windows and lots of them, and white paint throughout definitely made the room feel much more open than the darker, more serious Park Hyatt. That was probably the best part about the room, though it also had a nice view of the Opera in the distance - a view that was especially great in the morning. That said, we also faced the opposite building just across, and could practically see into their rooms, so I imagine they could into ours.
The junior suite was large, with a nice sitting area, but without much storage, and the storage that it had was tucked behind the bathroom door - a little annoying to access. The Bathroom was large, but with a single sink unlike the Park Hyatt, and rather austere. I’ve heard good things about the true suites in this hotel, but sadly they were pretty full.
We were on the 2nd floor (3rd floor in the US) and there were only two elevators serving the hotel, which was occasionally bothersome, but never overwhelmingly so.
LOCATION
The Hôtel Du Louvre is located right next to the Louvre, surprisingly. This makes it a perfect base from which to explore the museum; we had visited while staying at the Park Hyatt a day or two prior, so it wasn’t that helpful for us, but it could be, especially if you want to go multiple times. The traffic in front of the hotel reflected its location - so many cars, buses, and people, constantly. It was nice to be a bit closer to the Marais and arrondisements to the east, but I wholeheartedly preferred the tranquil location of the Park Hyatt - much more of a refuge. For touristy purposes though, the Hôtel Du Louvre’s location is hard to beat.
That all said, while things might be crazy in the streets around the Hôtel Du Louvre, it is a short, 2 minute walk to the Jardin Du Palais Royal, which is a really nice, tranquil courtyard garden and a very nice respite from the hectic surroundings. It was great to sit and read among the trees.
BREAKFAST
Breakfast is served in a bistro-like restaurant space in the back of the hotel. It’s a very charming location - a corner of windows, on the street, feeling like you are eating at a regular restaurant in Paris, versus a hotel. What you might not find normally, though, is the buffet. This was a very nice breakfast - a la carte dishes available including a great french toast, and the buffet with smoked meat/fish, pastries and bread galore, fruit, yogurt, eggs, etc.
Everything was pretty tasty, but definitely a step down from the ridiculous breakfast at the Park Hyatt, unsurprisingly. The service was very friendly, but a bit discombobulated - we often had to ask for coffee multiple times and tried multiple people on occasion, one time walking up to the coffee bar (not for patrons) after asking 3-4 times for coffee. This was definitely frustrating as my wife and I need our coffee in the morning. Even with that, though, I loved the ambiance here at breakfast and it’s one of my fondest memories of the hotel.
There is also a really nice, green bar space that you can have a drink or relax in. It was probably my favorite part of the hotel; there weren’t many common spaces otherwise, but this one was almost all that you needed; it acted as something of an oasis, especially given all the craziness outside the front door.
SPA/GYM
There is no spa here, but there is a small gym in the mezzanine floor. Some cardio equipment, some machines, and some weights. Nothing crazy but also a decent enough space - including the ability to move around relatively easily, though a few of the cardio machines were out of order which was frustrating.
SERVICE
Employees were overall pleasant here, though we had the breakfast issues and also a separate issue with our in-room coffee machine (see a common thread?) that resulted in the front desk telling us to go buy a coffee outside (on our dime). While upset, I checked in with them later and it sounded like it was a legitimate miscommunication. Still, a bit rough around the edges.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Hôtel Du Louvre has a very convenient, touristic location, light filled rooms, and great ambiance for breakfast and in its bar. It’s a great place for someone’s first trip to Paris, or if you want to extend your points further. For us, though, it just didn’t reach the level of the Park Hyatt - I prefer the location, breakfast, gym, spa, and service of the latter. Of course, that is a high bar to reach, and I can’t fault the Hotel Du Louvre in that respect - they are different types of hotels. If the price difference is only 10k points when you go, I’d probably recommend the Park Hyatt, but if it gets closer to 20k as it did during our stay, I’d be inclined to go with the Hôtel Du Louvre again. FWIW, we are going back in May/June 2024, and with a 10k difference, decided on the Park Hyatt.
If you’re reading this and want to know how to experience the Hôtel Du Louvre, Park Hyatt Paris, or numerous other hotels in France and around the world, reach out! This is doable for everyone with just a little work.