Charming 30 room boutique hotel steps from the Eiffel Tower. Room 62 is functional & very compact…read morefor 6 nights. Breakfast is included from 7 until 10:30. Check in was easy, our room was ready. We brought our own map & metro map and were ready to explore Paris. We asked about tours and skipping lines, free or discounted museums in Paris; a flyer by a tour company on the counter was pointed out to us.
Location is good, we are around the corner from the metro & a short walk to the Eiffel Tower & Napoleon's tomb. A self serve laundry mat is down the block. We have a big window & nice view. We are 5 minutes from a large supermarket, many gourmet shops & wonderful restaurants on Rue Cler.
Our buffet breakfast was an assortment of breads, meats, cheeses, fruits, yogurts, oj, scrambled eggs & sautéed mushrooms. Breakfast wasn't fresh, it felt like a Costco not Paris meal. A pot of hot watery coffee was brought to our table; I would have loved a Parisian French press. There was a Nespresso in the lobby, €2 per cup. The breakfast room was worn, the chairs uncomfortable & most mornings we ate on chipped dishes. There was an interesting mix of retirees talking politics & those in their 30's working on laptops or having zoom meetings here.
Our room was clean & daily our bed was made, garbage emptied & towels replaced. Wi-Fi was very good. The shower & bathroom are not for someone large. Nor is room #62, both of us couldn't move around at the same time. The towel warmer was lovely & the in room safe appreciated. The linens were very worn with holes & the small thin towels did not dry. The small shower had a rainfall shower head, so my long hair got wet each time I showered, actually the bathroom got soaked. There was a leak on the side of the shower head, so much of the water hit the shower walls not me. The plastic seal was hanging off the bottom of the shower glass, the floor was soaked. There was no shower cap, conditioner, hairdryer... we purchased toiletries at the pharmacy around the corner. The sink was clogged and the water drained from the hole at the top. The curtains were hanging off the wall. The queen bed was comfortable, and the temperature was comfortable. Our t-v showed English BBC & CNN. We did not have a small refrigerator nor a coffee maker. We purchased our own water at the supermarket. Our room was in front of the elevator, we heard conversations at night & early mornings. When people moved in or out of the small elevator luggage often banged, startling us from our sleep. We heard other conversations around us. When we waited for the elevator we heard people in their rooms talking. We did not hear street noise. We did not smell any smoke.
The same woman was working at breakfast room weekday morning and she was trying hard to serve coffee, clean up and replenish. There were usually 3 or 4 people down at the front desk that looked busy. There wasn't a concierge, we asked a few questions, Valeria was very knowledgeable & helpful. Roger was always upbeat & cheerful, asking about our day.
If I were a woman alone I would never stay here. There is no deadbolt lock on the door. Once we were inside there is no way to secure ourselves in our room.
The Hotel De L'Empereur was recommended by Frommer's & Trip Advisor. Ig it were updated & minimally improved this would be the charming boutique hotel we expected. If we were staying for a couple of days, rather than a week, we would've been comfortable. But, by the end of the week it was getting very old, crowded & uncomfortable here. I realize this is Paris, we spent over €1,600 for our superior room with a queen sized bed. We had to purchase many basic items that were provided in the 9 other European hotels we visited.
