Review: the Marriott Paris Champs Elysees hotel

This is my review of the Marriott Paris Champs Elysees hotel.

The last time I was in Paris I stayed at the Renaissance Paris Republique, also part of Marriott Rewards.  I rate this hotel highly – my Renaissance Paris Republique review is here – and it actually got cheaper for points in the Marriott Rewards changes in August. 

The location is a bit out of the way, however, and if you want to be in the heart of tourist Paris, Marriott Paris Champs Elysees is probably your best Marriott Rewards option.

Click any of the images to enlarge slightly:

If you value location, this hotel delivers in spades.  It is directly on the Champs Elysees, in a building that was originally the Louis Vuitton luggage factory, and is apparently the only 5-star hotel on the street.  (The LV flagship store is about 60 seconds away on the other side of the street.)  As a Marriott Platinum Premier I was upgraded to a room with a small balcony overlooking the street so you can see how it is positioned:

The street view gives no impression at all of how Marriott Paris Champs Elysees unfolds.  You enter via the small doorway, go up an escalator and then the lobby opens out in front of you:

The hotel has spent a lot of money on Christmas decorations, all in white, and looks very impressive.  As you can see above, most of the rooms overlook the lobby.  Only a handful overlook the street.  In total there are 192 rooms including 25 suites with, looking at the website, a 170 sq m Presidential Suite dominating the top floor.

Via my Marriott Platinum Premier status – I’m not sure how much the fact that Marriott arranged my stay also influenced it – I was given a Junior Suite on the 3rd floor:

The picture doesn’t easily tell the whole story – it has a tiny balcony with a desk (decent sockets, lots of plugs, decent wi-fi) which looks down.  I liked it!  There is a tan and beige colour scheme throughout.

This is what it looks like when a professional photographer takes a picture on a sunny day of a slightly different junior suite:

The room was a little dated, to be honest.  It did have modern amenities, including a Nespresso machine.  Much of the furnishing had been updated, but it clearly hadn’t been fully gutted for some time.  You can see what I mean more easily from the bathroom:

The shower, not pictured, is an ‘above tub’ job with a shower curtain – you don’t see many of those these days.  You can’t complain about the L’Occitane toiletries though, which was a broader selection than usually found including a bottle of foaming bath mix, hand cream, pillow mist and lip balm.  I was also very happy with the bedding, and there was a robe in the wardrobe.

A nice welcome gift:

Whilst the hotel has a great location, it is a little light on facilities.  There is no pool, although you do get a fitness centre and a sauna.  It doesn’t even have an evening restaurant, apart from a few tables in and just off the lobby.

(There isn’t an executive lounge either, before anyone asks.)

What it DOES have is this heated pavement cafe outside the front door, which is certainly something different:

The indoor restaurant seems to be used purely as a breakfast room.  It has clearly been fully refurbished recently and looks good.

If you have Marriott Rewards Platinum status or higher, breakfast will be free.  (I should have mentioned that a Platinum member can also choose from a selection of welcome gifts, from points to drink to food – I took a €10 food and beverage credit which was deducted from the evening snack I had in the lobby.)

It isn’t the biggest selection I’ve ever seen, but it did the job and there is an egg chef – just visible in the corner of the picture – if you want something cooked freshly.

As a Marriott Platinum Premier I had a guaranteed 4pm check-out which allowed me to have a leisurely morning at the Mucha exhibition at the Musee du Luxembourg.  I popped back at 3pm, packed and checked out and then walked up to Gare du Nord for my 5.13pm Eurostar.

Conclusion

The Marriott Paris Champs Elysees has a fantastic location for seeing much of tourist Paris.  I walked down to the Miro exhibition at the Grand Palais and was there in under 10 minutes, and of course the Arc de Triomphe is just up the road.  Place de la Concorde is a short walk downhill through the Tuileries Garden.

The hotel website is here if you want to know more. 

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (December 2021)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card usually comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points sign-up bonus and 15 elite night credits Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

You can also earn American Express Membership Rewards points with American Express Gold (20,000 bonus points), the American Express Rewards Credit Card (5,000 bonus points) and – for small business owners – American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus points) and Business Platinum (40,000 bonus points).

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)