Graham Barry

Review of Hotel de Crillon

This is a tale of masterful service recovery.

This is a tale of masterful service recovery.

My first stay at the Hotel de Crillon was a frustrating, alienating mess. This was such a surprise, that I waited until after a second stay to write this review. In fact, the then-Managing Director contacted me shortly after the first stay to invite me back as a "gesture of goodwill". Let's see if they managed a comeback...

They define their marketing. They define their prices. So they define the expectations. I'm less susceptible to the marketing than I once was, but the price remains my reassurance that the fundamentals of a hotel stay will be present: sleep quality, facilities as-advertised, processes fuss-free. They charge among the highest prices of any European hotel but on the first stay operated at the level of any airport chain hotel: soulless, tangible cost-saving measures, disinterested staff. The service level was overwhelmingly dysfunctional, and the accommodation marred by shortcomings which should be unthinkable in a recently refurbished, top-tier hotel. Examples included the pool still being locked an hour after its published opening time; no sound insulation between the bedroom and the courtyard bar outside; ineffective air conditioning; having to beg an overtly contemptuous receptionist to stay until 1pm even though my rate included late check-out; plus a handful of silly slip-ups. When the hosts seem this overwhelmed, then what hope do guests having of relaxing?

These were all a distant memory by the end of the second stay.

This time, the guest relations team was exceedingly attentive. I've never heard my own name so often. Yes, they had clearly been tasked with making a fuss over me under the circumstances, but I appreciated being privy to the all-bells-and-whistles service level. Personalization was the big difference: instead of the dismissively anonymous treatment of the first stay, every interaction gave the impression that they consider me a valued 'regular'. Only on the second trip was there any evidence that they read the pre-arrival questionnaire.

Not much needs to be said about the design: it is as finessed in reality as it looks online. However, you can draw a clear line between the public areas which get better the more you look at them and the guestrooms, which make a slick first impression but have some surprising shortcomings. If you value sleep quality and daylight, then the inward-facing rooms are to be avoided.

The first stay was in room 127, a courtyard-facing, first-floor Grand Premier Room. The noise from the courtyard bar outside flows freely into the room, preventing a good night's sleep. The low ceilings and lack of daylight gave it a dingy feel. The second stay was in suite 315, a third-floor, street-facing Deluxe Suite. It worked much better: perfectly sound-insulated, brighter and generally much more inviting. Both rooms were equally lovingly furnished and finished though: there was no sense of the room being more "basic" than the suite.

The "bespoke" massage was very relaxing and I felt the benefits for days afterwards. Despite this, I'm not sure if the Hotel de Crillon is the best choice if the wellness facilities are important to you. It is a true jewel box: glitzy, but very small. The pool is tiny too narrow for two people to swim lengths simultaneously and too small to do anything whatsoever it there are already kids playing in it. The fitness room is better. The selection of beverages feels larger than the selection of equipment, but everything is well maintained, and, thanks to the Kinesis, you can just about improvise a full workout.

On the first trip, I did not expect them to bring their A-game two-night stay, first-timer, in the third-cheapest room category. Despite this forgiving disposition, reality fell uncomfortably short of reputation at the Hotel de Crillon. That the MD recognised this and unhesitatingly made amends shows that guests might be in capable hands after all, even when things go so badly wrong.