I love hotels. I guess I should say, I love nice hotels. Part of this is because I am a cootie freak, but this is mostly because I like nice things and it's all about the comfort. This is my raw, honest review of the Hotel Queen Mary.
Location
The Hotel Queen Mary is a 3-star hotel tucked in a quiet corridor in the 8th arrondisement of Paris near the Opera. Because of its location near the Opera, it's super close to two different Metro stations which makes it very convenient for travelers who want to travel Paris by walking and taking the Metro. Getting to the main tourist sites is very easy because the hotel is literally in the middle of it all. If you're into high fashion & couture, the Queen Mary is down the road from Printemps and Galleries Lafayette. These iconic department stores boast high-end brands such as Fendi, Prada, etc. aka shopping heaven.
Rooms
Pros: The rooms are definitely one of the Queen Mary's strongest selling points. Though they are small by American standards, they are well-designed. A key card is needed to activate the electricity in the room. There is an ante-room prior to your actual room; this helps to dampen the noise. This was one of the few hotels we have been to where noise had not been an issue. My SO is quite possibly the lightest sleeper in North America; if you so much as breathe in his direction, he'll wake up. My heart sank when I realized our room was right next to the elevator, but my worries were unfounded. We enjoyed the peace and quiet, and he got some undisturbed sleep.
Cons: While I personally do not mind a small room (as we just need a clean, safe place to crash in between adventures), some Americans might. Everything is very compact. That said, if you are not in good physical shape or have mobility problems, this hotel is not for you. The elevator barely fits two normal-sized adults. It is not very accessible for those with disabilities.
Cleanliness
Pros: I had no concerns with cleanliness or hygiene of the room.
Cons: However, note that they do use some very strong perfumed floral cleaning products. It smells good, but I sneezed about 7 times in the first few minutes we got there. I'm not usually sensitive to smells, so this bear in mind if you are.
Staff/Service
Pros: The front desk staff were lovely people. They can keep your luggage if you need to walk around before check in. There was an extremely rude Russian family eating breakfast the same time we were. Their child was throwing a tantrum, the parents were wanting to be waited on hand and foot, so the breakfast attendant was not having any of it!
Cons: None, unless you are an entitled person with equally entitled children.
Breakfast
Pros: None.
Cons: This is the one major area where I'm going to drag this hotel. The breakfast prices are absolutely outrageous. 16€ ... per PERSON. I'm okay if the 16€ gets us some delicious and freshly cooked food-- good food is always justified. However, the Queen Mary's breakfast falls pathetically flat on its face. There is one basket of bread. A few jams and one type of cheese. Some cereal. A food warmer with scrambled eggs and some sausage. Coffee, tea, juice. I had a little bit of the milk and immediately (but discreetly) spat it out into a napkin- the milk was sour! I admire that they are trying not to waste food, but I don't think that the price reflects the value or quality. It's a complete rip-off and you can walk down the street to illy or one of the local cafes where I guarantee you will find a more substantial and cost-appropriate breakfast.
Interestingly, we were entering the Louvre when we encountered a political demonstration likely orchestrated by the local hotels in Paris. They were protesting AirBnB. With its global presence, AirBnb is unlikely to go anywhere in the immediate future because tourism in Paris is just too lucrative. I propose that hotels that are struggling to attract guests to provide more value for their customers' money; raising prices on poor services is not the answer and will backfire in the form of critical reviews, such as this piece you're reading.
I hope this review helped shed a little bit of light on what to expect at the Hotel Queen Mary. Overall, I like the location but didn't think that there was as much value for the cost as I would've preferred. I was not compensated for my time nor comments; this blog post is for informational purposes only.
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Until next time, friends...
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