Castille Paris
Five Star Hotel | Paris, France
Superior Room at Castille Paris
What You Need to Know
Place Vendome, Paris
The Area:
The Castille Paris is located in the heart of all things luxury - the first arrondissement. Located next door to Chanel, just steps from world class shopping on the Rue Saint-Honoré and Place Vendôme and a short ten minute walk to Printemps and Galleries Lafayette, the Castille Paris is a shopper’s dream destination. Prefer to visit museums or historic churches instead? The Castille Paris is minutes from the Madeleine, The Louvre, the Opera, the Tuileries Garden and Place Concorde. And this is Paris so cafes and restaurants are plentiful at every turn.
An Italian fountain found in the hotel’s courtyard.
The Property:
The Castille Paris is a five star hotel located in the heart of the first arrondissement. And for this traveler, that is the extent of what it has to offer.
I had stayed at the Castille Paris years ago so when my travel advisor recommended it for my latest trip, I chose it over others. I honestly could not remember if I liked the hotel or not but had a vague memory that I liked the location (which in Paris is almost as important as the room itself).
This particular trip was for business, so I wasn’t concerned about an overly lush room as I would spend the majority of my time outside of the hotel. Still, when I am in my room it’s important to be comfortable.
The Castille Paris is located on Rue Cambon and fairly easy to get to. The hotel has multiple entrances, which was a bit confusing. The lobby of the main entrance is small, but inviting, and the hotel staff was incredibly friendly - always ensuring a bonjour was said each time a guest entered the lobby. The hotel markets itself as Italian elegance and Parisian haute couture but I was having a hard time seeing that in the lobby. Understanding that lobbies in boutique hotels aren’t always the best indicator of style, I had hoped that perhaps the rooms would highlight the elegance.
Check in was a breeze and, even though I arrived around 11 am, my room was ready upon my arrival. After checking in, I took a brief walk around the property to get a better sense of what it had to offer. I was surprised to find an Italian-styled courtyard hidden at the heart of the hotel.
The Castille Paris felt more geared towards business travelers offering the following amenities at the time of this post: ,
1 dedicated restaurant
1 bar
3 meeting rooms
Fitness center
Our Review
*For a quick review, scroll down to the next section.
The Room:
For this stay, I opted for the Superior Room (starting at $565/per night). I was located in the “Italian” section of the hotel facing Rue Cambon. Initially I was happy to be street side as I love looking onto the streets of Paris but that changed as my stay continued.
The room itself was the perfect size for a solo traveler and included a desk, a small couch and a small sitting area with a tray table for dining. Upon walking into the room, there is a spacious closet for clothes, a smaller storage closet for shoes and smaller items and a third, more spacious storage closet which held the safe and the mini-fridge.
The bed was soft but consisted of two twins pushed together causing an obvious line where the two met. When I travel alone I enjoy having a large bed to myself, but found that I woke up on the edge due to the discomfort of the joint of the two beds.
The bathroom was small but, again, ideal for a solo traveler. The shower head was tiny and didn’t over much coverage and the water was either extremely hot or luke warm. I had a hard time finding a good temperature and was in and out quickly. The vanity was average size and worked well for my stay.
The air conditioning in the room was amazing. I normally don’t use air conditioning during the day as an open window gives you all the coolness you typically need, but the street below was so loud that it was necessary to use the forced air. In the evenings, the air conditioning was a must due to the heavy duvets on the bed (and no bed sheet).
Unfortunately, the soundproofing that the hotel markets was either not done properly or not done at all. The noise from the street was so bad that I could hear conversations of the people walking on the street below. Many of you who have visited Paris have likely had similar experiences, as this is common; however, when a hotel states that they have soundproofing, I would expect much less noise. Unfortunately, the noise wasn’t confined just to the street. Each time a door opened or closed on my floor, I heard it. Each time a couple walked by having a conversation, I heard it. I was woken up several times in the middle of the night by other guests going to their rooms. Note: I am a light sleeper, but even my noise machine could not mask the noise.
One thing I found as a perk, was that the Castille Paris offered complimentary snacks and beverages in the room. I drink a large amount of water, so having endless availability for boxed water was a huge bonus, and on days when I needed a quick snack, I enjoyed the complimentary bag of potato chips . I do wish, however, that something a bit healthier than chips was offered but they worked in a pinch.
One thing of importance is that on two separate occasions, housekeeping attempted to enter the room even with the do not disturb hanger on. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, it is possible that they were accidentally flipped over by another guest walking by.
The Restaurant:
The restaurant portion of this review is where I will let all of you down. I opted not to eat at Castille Paris’ signature restaurant, L'Assaggio. Touted as having a menu designed by Chef Sasha Arandjelovic in collaboration with Michelin-starred chef Ugo Alciatiwith, nothing on the menu appealed to me. Besides, eating Italian-inspired cuisine is something I like to reserve for my trips to Italy. When in France, I prefer traditional French fare.
The room service menu was adequate with many focaccia-type options. One evening, after several meetings, I decided to order the cheese focaccia as I was not in the mood to go out to dinner. The amount of cheese smothered on the focaccia made it almost inedible.
Breakfast is where things took a turn for the better. I was pleasantly surprised by the options presented. As is standard in France, there was an assortment of fresh juices, breads, pastries and cheeses as well as cereals and grains, yogurts and fruits. The meat selections were both chicken and pork-based and both scrambled and hard boiled eggs were available. Additionally, the hotel offered specialty coffees as well as standard carafe coffee.
The Amenities:
As this hotel feels more geared to business travelers, the amenities were lacking. The fitness room was small but did have enough weights and machines for a decent workout.
Our rating:
The Castille Paris is a unique boutique hotel located in the ever popular first arrondissement of Paris. The location alone is worth a few stars. The staff was incredibly friendly and spoke perfect English. The room was clean and the complimentary snacks and beverages were a plus. However, the overall style of the room was a bit tacky for my taste and the noise was a huge negative. My overall ranking: 5 out of 10. For the cost, there are better options in Paris.
Quick Review: For those who prefer just the highlights.
The Good:
The location. Located in the 1st arrondissement and just steps from Rue Saint-Honoré, the Louvre, the Tuileries Garden and Madeleine church and just ten minutes walk to Galleries Lafayette, Printemps and the Opera.
The room was very clean.
The hotel staff was incredibly friendly.
The fitness center was small, but had all things needed for a decent workout.
The air conditioning worked very well.
The breakfast selection was very nice. There were many options for even the pickiest eaters.
Pet friendly.
The Not So Good:
The noise. I could hear conversations up and down the hall as well as people talking on the street.
The room service menu had many options, but most were carb heavy and basic.
The bed was two twins put together so there was a very clear line in the middle that was terribly uncomfortable.
Service at the restaurant during happy hour was incredibly slow. I had to find someone to help me after a 20 minute wait.
The room felt dated and the red accents with almost black floors were harsh.
Housekeeping tried to come in two times even with the do not disturb sign on.
No spa.
Rating: 5 out of 10.
