Review of Grand Hôtel Lévêque 3*

Rick Steves Would Cry! don't let the pictures fool you… that's not the whole story! We returned to Paris for the 3rd time this November, our last was 12 years ago before our kids were born, and were eager to stay at one of Rick Steve’s favorites (12 years ago) on Rue Cler…Le Grand Hotel Leveque. Needless to say, Rick Steves would cry if he saw the state of this place today! The bathrooms had just been redone/installed when we stayed there 12 years ago & I’d say from the looks of it there has been no maintenance to keep them in a good state! The beds were saggy & the furniture in disrepair. The carpets & bedding were faded & the sheets had holes in them. The towels were scratchy, though appeared clean. The shower pan was not installed level, so it never full drained, which also left a dingy gray on half of it. The room was so stuffed full of beds it had to violate fire code, but they said it did not…I will email a pic to the fire department to verify. This did not meet fire code in other hotels in Europe we have stayed at, hence we always had to book two doubles. Last time, breakfast was included…this time, it wasn’t & rather pricey for the same food you can buy right outside the doorway! On another note, we paid for all our nights when we checked in…4 in total. The next morning, we reviewed our itinerary & saw we had the opportunity to go home a day earlier…which was appealing knowing we were just moving into a house & would need to do plenty of work up front for cleaning/unpacking, etc. We asked to have the last night refunded (this was well in advance of their 48 hour cancellation) and they said no, it couldn’t be done because they wouldn’t refund anything after you paid! TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! On a lighter note, the location on Rue Cler is fantastic…plenty to eat & close to the Eiffel Tower & a subway stop. The front desk staff was very friendly & helpful (the manager is not, though! ). The cleaning staff is very thorough & considerate (they left my daughter Kleenex when they spotted a tp roll by her bed! ) …though who can expect them to keep the mildew all over bathroom walls & ceilings at bay?! I will never stay here again, nor will I ever recommend it again. Even if I loved a place on a prior trip, I will always check reviews again before staying there again…and I will NEVER pay up front at the hotel desk for multiple nights unless it’s a company with reputable customer service (like Hilton)!