68 Quai De La Seine, 19 Arr., Paris, France | (618) 248-8274
Canal-front setting in hip, bustling Parisian
neighborhood
Four minutes' walk from nearest Metro station
Clean and spacious rooms come with satellite TV
Some rooms have balconies overlooking the canal
Hot and cold buffet breakfast included in the rate
Colorful bar and decked terrace overlook the canal
Free Wi-Fi
throughout (though slow without the fee-required upgrade)
Neighboring bars
can be noisy
Inconsistent
buffet breakfast quality
No health or
fitness facilities on-site
Some rooms lack natural light
Bathrooms in most rooms are tiny
This Holiday Inn
Express is a mid-range, budget-friendly option occupying an innovative piece of
wood-clad architecture overlooking the Canal de la Villette. While the area is
set away apart from most main tourist attractions, the neighborhood is vibrant
with plenty of bars and restaurants. Simple rooms are spacious (by Paris standards),
clean, and well maintained with decent amenities. A decked terrace provides
pleasant canal views, and a buffet breakfast -- while not the best quality -- is
included. All in all, you get a lot of space for your money though an even
more thrifty pick is the St Christopher's Paris Hostel is next door.
Scene
Eco-friendly budget chain hotel with innovative wood-clad architecture
Clad entirely in
slats of timber with quirky wooden railings, this Holiday Inn Express certainly makes an impression from the outside. Inside, however, its mostly
business as usual with simple, modern styling and colorful contemporary
furnishings with a chain-hotel aesthetic -- albeit there are a few playful
decorative flourishes. The vibe is functional and relaxed with a lobby bustling
with groups, families, and budget travelers.
A small but pleasant decked terrace on the first floor provides a
quieter place to unwind among potted palms and shrubs with a few chairs and a
view onto the canal. The hotel is also particularly eco-friendly, even going as
far as generating electricity from solar-paneling on the roof.
Location
Overlooking the canal in a hip and lively 19th arrondissement neighborhood
The hotel is located
overlooking the Canal de la Villette in a trendy and bustling neighborhood in
the 19th arrondissement. While the location is away from most of the city's
main tourist attractions, the area is full of restaurants and bars popular among locals. Riquet Metro station is a four-minute walk away, however, and connects
to central Paris -- for accessing attractions like the Louvre museum and Notre Dame cathedral -- in about 20 minutes. The picturesque Parc de la Villette is also under 10 minutes on
foot. The hotel is well-positioned for access from the Gare du Nord and
Gare de l'Est train terminals (the journey takes about 10 minutes by cab), while Charles de Gaulle
Airport takes around half an hour to reach.
Rooms
Clean and spacious rooms -- some with canal-view balconies
The hotel's 144 rooms
are identically styled with simple modern decor and basic furnishings -- all
are clean, well-maintained, and pretty spacious by Paris standards. Amenities
are also impressive for this level of hotel, with air-conditioning, free Wi-Fi
(fee for high-speed), and 32-inch flat-screen TVs with 30 satellite channels. Tea/coffee facilities and a choice of pillows are also available. Tiny bathrooms have step-in showers and wall-mounted soap dispensers. VIP-level
rooms also include sixth-floor balconies with views of the canal (though they are partially obscured by the building's quirky architecture). Some inner-facing
rooms, however, lack natural light and rooms can be prone to noise
from neighboring bars.
Features
Decked terrace with seating and views over the canal
A full hot-and-cold breakfast buffet is served in the ground-floor dining room each morning
and it's included in the price of the room -- though food quality can be
inconsistent. A bright and colorful lobby bar serves drinks which can also be
taken up to the decked terrace area with views of the canal. Wi-Fi is free of
charge, though it can be slow if you don't opt for the paid upgrade. There are no fitness or
health facilities on-site.