Best Western Hotel Ronceray Opera

The hotel is situated above the 19th century Passage Jouffroy, one of Paris's charming glass-covered passageways. The property's entrance is inside the passage rather than on the boulevard outside, marked by a small but unmistakable blue Best Western sign amid a gallery row of shops and restaurants. Inside, an old-fashioned lobby with faded wood paneling gives way to a more regal reception area with black-and-white tiled floors, high moulded ceilings, and huge wall mirrors. Around the corner, a plaque indicates that spaces currently occupied by the cocktail bar breakfast room were once the apartment of Gioachino Rossini, the composer of the Guillaume (William) Tell opera. 

The Best Western Hotel Ronceray Opera is located in Paris's 9th Arrondissement, next to the Grévin Muséum on Boulevarde Montmartre. It's surrounded by numerous restaurants, bars, and shops, and there are metro stops at both ends of the block. Palais Garnier is a 12-minute walk from the hotel. The large department stores of Galeries Lafayette and Printemps are just a few minutes farther, but the Champs Elysees is a 20-minute ride on the metro. The Louvre is much closer, and can be reached in just under 20 minutes on foot. It's about a 30-minute trip via metro across the Seine to the Eiffel Tower. Expect roughly 50 minutes in the car to reach Charles de Gaulle Airport, and about the same amount of time to drive to Orly Airport. 

Wood-paneling covers the walls of the hotel's guest rooms, giving them a stately, if somewhat monotonous appearance. Standard rooms are small, with either double or two twin beds, and small desks. There's not enough space to use the desks in the twin rooms with mini-fridges tucked underneath and electric kettles plugged in on top. Flat-screen TVs are mounted on the walls and Wi-Fi is included, but it can be unreliable. Much larger Superior Rooms have queen or king beds, and some have large furnished balconies, while others have lofted bedrooms. Bathrooms have either walk-in showers or shower/tub combos, both with rainfall showerheads. Suites add separate living rooms and second bathrooms. Views either overlook the street, or an interior courtyard. The latter are quieter and some of the courtyard-facing rooms on higher floors have views of Sacré-Cœur in the distance.  

The hotel has a small, stylish cocktail lounge with blue walls and a mirrored bar, but it keeps limited hours and it isn't open on weekends. Breakfast is available for an extra fee in a formal room that retains a touch of the building's classic 19th-century decor. Business amenities include five different meeting rooms and a 24-hour business corner with a Mac. Wi-Fi is free throughout, but some past guests have complained about its reliability.