10.08.2013

Westin Vendôme - Paris

We arrive at the Westin, get off the taxi, and are greeted by the friendly bellhop as he assists with our bags. "Bonjour, madame", he enthusiastically greets me. "Bonjour, monsieur. Ça va?" I ask. He smiles with a reply, "Ça va bien." Finally, we're in Paris.




We make our way to the check-in counter and follow the sign for Platinum check-in though it becomes a tad bit confusing here. There's a sit-down desk on one end and check-in counters to the side. We figured the sit-down desk might be part of the concierge and waited at the check-in counter where we hear other Platinum members also checking in (later during our stay we find out that the sit-down desk does provide Platinum check-in services). We overhear another employee behind the counter asking a hotel guest standing next to us how her stay has been. The guest replies, "This is actually the nicest Westin I've been to."

The Westin in Paris is located in a historic building which previously housed the InterContinental Hotel. Prior to our arrival, we wondered if this Westin was perhaps a hotel with faded glory. The grandeur of the hotel is reflected pretty well today and it is maintained to fit in with its location in the well-heeled area of 1st arrondissement of Paris.


 


Staying at the one-bedroom corner room suite means we have views of the Eiffel Tower regardless of whether we looked out the south or west facing windows of the suite. Yes, they are working windows that actually open out! Waking up and going to bed to morning and night views of the Eiffel Tower make our stay in Paris seem like a dream. Jardin des Tuileries is closer to us and a little more east is the Musée du Louvre.




Inside the suite is a separate sitting room and bed room; the sitting room with couches and a desk, the bedroom with two queen beds. Both rooms each has a TV. The closet is located in the foyer by the entrance. Turndown service is always a nice added touch and every evening we return to find our beds "turned down" and curtains drawn. Chocolates and the TV remote control are also left on our pillows. Hotels today know the way to a woman's heart through wonderful toiletries and at the Westin Paris, Hermès toiletries are provided in the suites (regular rooms receive the signature Westin products).


 







We appreciate very much the thoughtful gesture of T's dedicated Starwood Ambassador who arranged for a bottle of red wine and a box of delicious Jean-Paul Hévin chocolates brought to the room for us. It is wonderful to kick back and relax on the couch with a glass of wine in hand on the couch. 




The Westin Paris is situated nicely in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. Runners or joggers can join locals doing so every morning at Jardin des Tuileries just outside the hotel. Luxury shopping along Rue Saint-Honoré and at Place Vendôme are around the corner. A Pierre Hermé location is 2 blocks from the hotel for our daily dose of macarons. It is less than a 10-min walk to the Musée du Louvre which is a huge plus if you want to to go early and beat the crowd to the Mona Lisa. The hotel is in between two metro stations- Tuileries and Concorde, both of which are less than a 5-min walk away so when we're not enjoying the view from our room we are conveniently out and about exploring Paris.





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Westin Paris
3 Rue de Castiglione
75001 Paris 





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