The Hotel Maison Rouge in Strasbourg is ideally located and has been very well renovated. However, we expect a little more, especially in terms of service and amenities.
Apart from Paris, Strasbourg is one of the few French cities where Marriott offers several hotels in town. I chose the Hôtel Maison Rouge because of its ideal location and the fact that I’ve never been disappointed by Autograph Collection.
It’s also one of the city’s historic hotels, having originally been an inn that opened in 1387 and gradually annexed the adjacent buildings.
It was completely renovated in 2017 before joining Marriott (Autograph Collection) in 2021 and obtaining its 5th star in 2021.
You’ll find all the articles about this weekend in Strasbourg at the bottom of the page.
Booking
I booked more than a month before my arrival at a rate of 200 euros per night in a superior single room (the lowest category available). As this is a weekend followed by a public holiday, I think the price is very reasonable.
Before my arrival I’ll notice in the application an upgrade to a double privilege room.
Location of the hotel
The hotel is right in the center of town, 10 minutes’ walk from the cathedral and close to all the tourist attractions.
It’s also a ten-minute walk from the station.
Arrival and check-in
I arrive at the hotel in the early afternoon and go to reception to check in. It’s pretty, modern.
The welcome is very kind and friendly. I’m notified of the upgrade and since the hotel doesn’t have a lounge, breakfast is offered. I’m asked what additional benefits I want based on my status in the loyalty program.
My room was ready in advance (I arrived 4 hours before the normal check-in time) but there’s no mention of my early check-in request or my late-check-out request, but I see it confirmed in the app.
No mention is made of my membership of the loyalty program as such, but it is implicit in the above. No explicit recognition, however.
It’s professional, but a bit junior…
I’m going to take possession of my room.
The room
Arriving on the landing, I noticed the decorative efforts that had been made during the renovation.
I open the door and go into my room. At the end of this small hallway is the bedroom, with the bathroom on the left.
Let’s start with the bedroom. It is tastefully decorated.
On the other hand, I find it very dark. It’s badly exposed and, what’s more, overlooks a small side street with a not-so-great view.
Dark decor + lack of outside light = a pretty room but a bit sad.
The bedding will be very comfortable.
Perhaps I’d have liked something a little more sleek and modern…
On the plus side, there’s a real desk, which is becoming increasingly rare in hotels these days.
Free coffee and water.
For once, the minibar is well-stocked and not just for decoration….
The hotel’s thoughtful touch with a note and caramels. Not a great personality, but that’s okay…
The bathroom isn’t very big, but it’s functional and pretty.
On the other hand, I found the plastic shower tray to be of average quality – it almost felt like it was bending under my weight.
Bath products will be supplied by Clarins. Excellent quality.
All in all, a lovely room that I found very comfortable, but with two drawbacks.
The first is its size. If this is a “double privilege” room, I wonder what the smaller ones are like.
The second is its luminosity. With little light, dark tones and antique-inspired furniture, it looked really sad. Pretty, but sad.
Facilities
The hotel has a gym and a spa.
Gym
It’s small and poorly equipped.
Truly insufficient.
Spa
Free with a treatment reservation, it is otherwise available to hotel guests for €25. Stingy. Virtually all hotels include it free of charge for platinum and above members.
I won’t be going, especially as I’ve heard customers in the corridors complaining that the facilities are rather minimalist.
Food options
The hotel has a bar and a restaurant, both located in the same room. The setting is very welcoming.
I won’t be eating at the restaurant, but I’ll be going to the bar every day, before and after dinner.
In terms of cocktails, all the classics are there, with a few pretty cool creations.
The staff, especially the barmaid, are adorable and passionate about what they do. We spent a lot of time talking about whiskies and cocktails…
After the bar at the Hotel de Bourgtheroulde in Rouen, this is the second time in a row that I’ve come across a good hotel bar with great staff, which makes me very happy.
The staff and the service
Good at reception and excellent at the bar. However, I would like to make a comment about the housekeeping staff.
Three days in a row I had the “do not disturb” sign hanging on my door. On all three days, the person knocked insistently several times. And all three times I ended up answering “not now”…and all three times the door opened after I once again said the room was occupied.
Clearly the basics of hospitality aren’t there (you don’t knock when there’s a sign, let alone enter) but at this level of the range it’s just unbearable.
Funny, because on the first evening I heard the bar manager explain the room service rules to her staff: even if the customer has ordered, you only knock once if there’s a sign, and under no circumstances do you enter without the customer’s explicit agreement.
Anyway.
Check-out
I’ll check out on the mobile app and leave without going through reception again.
Bottom line
Nice hotel, nice stay, but with some things that I think could be improved.
The room was a little small and dark, although in old buildings it’s always a bit tricky. But in this case, the upgrade could have been a little better…which is part of a rather weak application of the loyalty program, with ultimately little recognition (which costs the least).
In fact, I can’t remember the last time I saw a spa where platinum, titanium or ambassador members of the program had to pay to enter. Stingy.
As for the gym, even if it’s pretty, it’s just a joke…
And I’d like to finish by mentioning the somewhat limited training of housekeeping staff regarding the codes of a 5* hotel.
At the end of the day, these are just details… Yes, but when you’ve got 5 stars, there’s no room for error, and it’s precisely on the details that everything is decided.
The articles about this weekend in Strasbourg
| # | Type | Post |
| 1 | Diary | Planning a weekend in Strasbourg |
| 2 | Train | Paris-Strasbourg – Deutsche Bahn ICE – First Class |
| 3 | Hotel | Maison Rouge, Strasbourg |
| 4 | Restaurant | Au Crocodile, Strasbourg |
| 5 | Restaurant | Chez Yvonne, Strasbourg |
| 6 | Restaurant | Miro, Ostwald (Strasbourg) |
| 7 | Diary | Tour of Strasbourg |
| 8 | Diary | Tour of Colmar |
| 9 | Train | Strasbourg-Paris – Deutsche Bahn ICE – First Class ( without interest, no review) |
| 10 | Diary | Debrief of the weekend in Strasbourg |
