Holiday Inn Express, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle: Barely basic

Just before my trip back to Boston, I had to stay at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle between my itinerary from Caen and my flight the next day.

Booking

I booked this night when I booked the rest of my itinerary. I usually stay at Marriott hotels, but as I had already requalified for the following year, I decided to use my accumulated IHG points to treat myself to a night at one of the platform’s hotels, in this case the Holiday Inn Express, which is easier to get to than the Holiday Inn or Crowne Plaza, located in the hotel zone and requiring a shuttle bus journey.

Arrival

I arrived at the hotel in the middle of the evening after a journey from Caen via Lyon, and without luggage since it did not make it to Paris.

I had to wait a few minutes for check-in, which was carried out quickly and courteously.

No upgrade, but check-out extended to 12pm (I didn’t ask for more).

All that remained was to pay the tourist tax, which I did promptly.

Room

My room (640) was located on the 6th floor of the hotel.

The entrance leaded into a small corridor.

On the left, the bathroom was simple but effective, with a washbasin, toilet and walk-in shower whose pressure was very pleasant. The toiletries, though lacking in completeness, smelled very good.

In the extension, a small closet was available with (unfortunately) hangers that were difficult to use, and a safe.

Then there was the sleeping area with its double bed, a sort of armchair and writing desk, and a poor-quality TV.

All in all, a very basic room, well below the quality of furnishings in the Moxy next door, for example.

To finish, a video tour:

Hotel facilities

The hotel has a gym on the 7th and top floor. It was very basic and very small, with just a handful of machines.

Catering

The hotel has a restaurant and a bar, both adjoining the lobby. The bar closes at 11pm and the restaurant at 10pm, a little early for an airport hotel.

Breakfast service

Breakfast was served every day from 6am to 10:30am, and until 11am on weekends.

While the elements are basic, having it for free means that you cannot finance anything better, unfortunately.

The room was decorated in a modern style.

Service

I don’t know if we can speak of service in this establishment, but all my interactions with the staff were courteous.

Departure

Check-out formalities werte straightforward, and I left my room card in the box provided.

Bottom line

A pleasant stay, but a very basic environment.

Itinerary

As a reminder, here is the itinerary followed:

#	Type	Post
1	Diary	Short week-end in France
2	Lounge	American Airlines Admirals Club, Boston Logan (unreported)
3	Flight	American Airlines Domestic First, Boston Logan – New-York JFK, Embraer 175 (unreported)
4	Lounge	American Airlines & British Airways Chelsea Lounge, New-York JFK T8 (unreported)
5	Flight	British Airways First Suite, New-York JFK – London Heathrow, Boeing 777-300ER
6	Lounge	British Airways Concorde Room, London Heathrow T5
7	Flight	British Airways Club Europe, London Heathrow – Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, Airbus A320
8	Hotel	Intercontinental Paris Le Grand
9	Lounge	Grand Voyageur Lounge, Paris Est
10	Train	TGV InOui First Class, Paris Est – Nancy
11	Restaurant	L’impromptu, Nancy
12	Train	TGV InOui Second Class, Nancy – Paris Est
13	Train	SNCF TER Nomad First Class, Paris Saint-Lazare – Caen
14	Hotel	Ivan Vautier, Caen
15	Flight	Air France Economy (operated by HOP), Caen Carpiquet – Lyon Saint-Exupéry, Embraer E170
16	Lounge	Confluence lounge, Lyon Saint-Exupéry
17	Flight	Air France Business, Lyon Saint-Exupéry – Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, Airbus A321
18	Hotel	Holiday Inn Express, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle Roissypôle
19	Lounge	Extime Lounge, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle 2BD
20	Flight	British Airways Club Europe, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle – London Heathrow, Airbus A320
21	Lounge	British Airways Concorde Room, London Heathrow
22	Flight	British Airways Club World Suite, London Heathrow – New-York JFK, Boeing 777-300ER
23	Lounge	American Airlines & British Airways Chelsea Lounge, New-York JFK T8 (unreported)
24	Flight	American Airlines Domestic First, New-York JFK – Boston Logan, Embraer 175 (not reported)