Hyatt Regency Charles de Gaulle, ParisIn order to attend the driven2travel 2014 February event in Kuala Lumpur and Siem Reap, we had decided to fly a slightly convoluted routing using US-Airways miles in order to fly first class on Thai's A380. The overnight stop in Paris gave us the opportunity to try the Hyatt Regency Charles de Gaulle. Although this is an airport hotel, it is unfortunately not connected directly to any terminal. However, the Hyatt offers a complimentary shuttle from the TGV-SNCF station at T2 and Roissypôle (T3). Although there was around a 15 minute wait for this on our arrival, it was a much better option than paying for an expensive taxi.
On arrival at check-in we found the classic Gallic insouciance still in good health. Though French is only my third language and far from my best, we conducted the meet & greet en francais. As diamond members of Hyatt Gold Passport, we believed we should be entitled to a Club Deluxe room, which is around 50% bigger than a Club room. The check-in agent was unwilling to comprehend our demand for a Club Deluxe, merely repeating that we had a room with club access. As she remained indifferent to our disappointment, we asked to speak to a supervisor. After a little argument (apparently the Deluxe category counts as a junior suite), we were offered our requested room type. Club LoungeThe dual-level club lounge was a nice quiet space, however the food offerings were very poor. In the evening, there were 1 white and 1 red wine available plus a few sandwiches, smoked salmon, parma ham and snacks (nuts, bread sticks, crisps). Having been pre-warned, the kitchen provided us with roast vegetable gluten-free sandwiches, but there are so many more exciting canapés than sandwiches. Dessert options looked ok with a choice of cakes and macaroons. However, there was nothing fresh available - no salad, no fruit.
In the morning, breakfast was (for us) worse. The cold plate was questionably edible (rancid ham) and the fruit was also of extremely poor quality - we both decided not to risk it with a long flight to Bangkok ahead of us (there is little worse than food poisoning when travelling long-haul). A dry bread roll (again gluten free) was provided and a little jam was all we managed. Unfortunately, there did not seem to be any soya milk available, nor was it possible to order eggs. |
Deluxe Club KingAt 51 square metres, our room offered plenty of space to relax plus a small lounge area suitable for entertaining. Most important for us was the spacious bathroom, which offered a soaking tub plus a separate shower, as well as a large window offering natural light. Standard Hyatt Regency amenities from the Portico range were provided - not our favourite but to be expected. The room had a slightly strange layout for the shape with a wardrobe very near the door - a good idea for coats etc, but it was the only wardrobe and was a little small, though most visitors will be living out of a suitcase rather than unpacking.
Depending on the wind, this room was perfect for plane-spotters. On the day of our arrival, planes were on final approach over our heads, so we had a great view of the crosswind action on a number of aircraft. Although we requested points as our welcome amenity, we were delighted and surprised to be told that, this being France, we could have both points and a bottle of wine. Around an hour after settling in, a full bottle of champagne and large box of luxury chocolate truffles arrived, complete with a hand-written welcome note from the General Manager. |
Overall Impression
The Hyatt Regency Charles de Gaulle in Paris is a good option for an airport stopover. Our rate of €125 was pretty good for Paris and exceptional value when you consider our fantastic amenity of champagne and chocolates (we are pretty sure this is not the standard amenity). However, we were disappointed by having to argue for a Club Deluxe room and by the standard of the club lounge. In future, we would stay at the hotel, but would simply not bother with the club lounge. However, we would not recommend staying here to visit Paris, despite rates being lower than in the city.