The Pros:
- The hotel is located nearby major museums and attractions, including the Avenue des Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe
- Clean, nicely decorated rooms with a nod to classic French design of centuries past
- Some rooms offer striking views of the Eiffel Tower
The Cons:
- Could have better sound insulation
- A bit far from central Paris
- Rooms may seem a bit small for the price
The Room:
I stayed in one of the deluxe junior suites at the Gavarni. Quaintly decorated with 18th-century style furnishings and warm, countrified tones, the room is hung with drawings of the Chateau de Versailles gardens and refers to the mini-palace, Le Trianon, constructed by Marie Antoinette.
(Please note: the hotel has undergone renovations since my stay, and it is possible that the room I review here has been significantly modified. Check with the hotel for further details.)
I found the room to be warm and cozy, if on the small side for a “deluxe” room. In Paris, though, space is often scarce.
The incontestable highlight was a small private balcony affording a fantastic view of the Eiffel Tower. Even after living here for a decade, I was impressed by the view.
The Amenities: The free wifi, TV/DVD, and phone all worked impeccably, and there were a good selection of channels. The room was tastefully furnished, and the heating worked well.
The marble bathroom was tasteful and elegant, albeit a bit cramped. The shower, though, was spacious, and I genuinely enjoyed the water-saving massage showerhead.
The Downsides: While the room was generally quite comfortable, clean, and pleasant and noise from the street was minimal, I was woken in the middle of the night by the sound of guests passing through the stairwell. I felt the hotel could use slightly better sound insulation.
I also found the bed to be slightly less comfortable than I would have anticipated.
I would have preferred a slightly firmer mattress (although this is a question of personal taste) and the blanket was a bit scratchy and stiff. Just a small detail, but comfortable beds are high on my list when it comes to hotel stays.
What About the Eco-Friendly Claims?
The Hotel Gavarni has received the European Ecolabel for sustainable operations, which means their practices have been set against an objective set of criteria defined by the certifying body.
According to Gavarni staff, these are the main practices observed by the hotel that have earned them their sustainable stripes:
- Yearly targets to reduce waste and C02 consumption, and participation in a carbon offset program (Action Carbon Foundation)
- Employees trained in sustainable practices every year
- Reversible air conditioning/heating system (heats during winter and cools in summer), which improves efficiency threefold and reduces emissions
- 100% low-consumption CFL and LED lightbulbs.
- Detergents are chemical and hazard-free
- Electricity sourced from renewable energies
- Low-flow valves in sink, shower and bath
- Organic cotton linens
- Tissue paper, stationary and other paper made from recycled materials; trash bags made from potato starch.
My Verdict on the Eco-Friendly Claims? Overall, the Hotel Gavarni seemed to keep its promise for sustainable practices.
There was ample evidence around the room of the practices mentioned above, including water-saving shower heads and signs reminding guests to reuse linens and turn off lights not actively in use.
Bed linens are not automatically changed each day, but only on the request of guests. And at reception, a sign displays taxi departure times, encouraging guests to carpool rather than order individual rides.
However, one detail I found surprising was that the thermostat was set to 26 degrees C/78 F when I arrived. This was considerably higher than it should be, especially for a hotel that prides itself on its ecologically friendly practices.
It’s quite possible that the previous guest left it set so high, but I felt it would make sense for the staff to be more vigilant about heat and air-conditioning use and remind guests, since these are major sources of C02 emissions.
I informed the staff of this, and they seemed surprised– so I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt in assuming it was an anomaly rather than a general practice at the hotel.
The Service at Hotel Gavarni
Staff at this hotel were friendly and attentive even when they were unlikely to know I was reviewing the property. Room service was prompt and courteous.
I didn’t eat in the breakfast room, but instead ordered room service. The all-organic breakfast was delicious and of very good quality.
The full breakfast included bread, butter, jam, mini croissants, a madeleine sponge cake, fruit salad, juice and coffee.
Overall, service at the Gavarni was very good to excellent, and made for a generally pleasant stay.
Practical Information, Services & Booking a Room
- Address: 5 rue Gavarni, 16th arrondissement
- Tel.: +33 (0)1 45 24 52 82
- Metro: Passy (line 2)
- Read objective traveller reviews & book this hotel (at TripAdvisor)
- Rooms: Standard, classic (a sort of standard-plus option), and deluxe rooms with either double beds or two single beds; junior suites and suites, all fitted to European eco-label standards. Some of the rooms are decorated in 18th-century classic French style for a warmer, quaint effect, while others are more contemporary. All deluxe and suite rooms have marble bathrooms with shower and/or bath fitted with low water-consumption massaging showerheads.
- In-room services (standard rooms): Room service, minibar, safe, entertainment center with flat-screen satellite TV, free wi-fi (check with front desk for code). Suite rooms come with organic cotton bathrobe; some are equipped with whirlpool bathtubs.
- Payment Options: All major credit cards accepted
Other services:
- 24h reception and concierge
- 24h room service
- Organic breakfast (for extra fee, unless included in package)
- “Eco-friendly” Shuttle to airports or train stations
- Bar
- Conference room and business center
Book Your Next Parisian Getaway
Whether you’re going by plane or train, finding a deal is more likely if you reserve well in advance.
You can easily find rail tickets and discounted passes here (via RailEurope). If you’re flying, find current deals on flights, hotel and vacation packages over at Skyscanner.
You also don’t have to spend a lot on high-quality hotels. Find current deals on hotels and book immediately (at TripAdvisor).
Note/disclaimer: As is typical in the travel industry, the writer was offered a complimentary stay at this property in order to review it. While it has not in any way influenced the content of the review, Paris Unlocked has a policy of disclosing all potential conflicts of interest.
My friend has booked this hotel staying from 4th to 6th of June 2018, I went to surprise her on the first day while she arriving, the night reception Nabil seen me and pointing at the table judging her who am I how long I would stay (with a really not nice way), and my friend has mentioned I just came in and grab my stuff away, after 5 minutes of staying I have decided to stay in the hotel with her and within 5 mins I have called the reception that I would like to stay now and I would like to pay for my stay. When I came downstairs giving him my passport and card I asked him my friend did nothing wrong, can you please lemme know why you were questioning her with not a nice attitude. Nabil said “you were just trying to sneak in you think I don’t know?”
First of all, that was not nice at all, and I mentioned I won’t call you in 5 minutes if I was trying to sneak into this hotel, and I am not happy about what he said, he kept being rude to me saying “if you are not happy you can go, I am not letting you pay to stay in this hotel !” And I have recorded a video about him saying “with your money you will not be staying in our hotel!” During the time, there were few guests came in, and one female guest came in asking in English “is everything okay?” He replied in French saying I was trying to sneak in and I got a bad look from that guest. I have been worked in the hospitality industry for 4 years and I have never treated or been treated in this before.
The second morning me and my friend were explaining this situation to the hotel manager and the hotel manager was really nice and friendly and asking if I wanted to stay tonight or not, if yes I don’t need to pay for tonight’s extra fee which was 31.40 euro. It was really nice of him, and when we came back at night it was that awful reception Nabil again, with no apologise, he said “YOU STAY YOU PAY, YOU DON’T PAY YOU DON’T STAY”, I have said to him that your hotel manager mentioned we don’t need to pay extra, he pretended he didn’t hear anything and keep being really rude and said “YOU STAY YOU PAY, YOU DON’T PAY YOU DON’T STAY”. We were supposed to check out the day after that day, he mentioned that HIS MANAGER WILL NOT BE WORKING SO WE CANNOT FIND HIM! I have never ever been treated like this before, and me and my friends felt we have been treated so unfairly, we also felt his was being racist to us cuz he wasn’t treating other guests like this apart from us just because we were ASIAN! Me and my friend would like a response from the hotel and he ruined our whole trip in Paris.