Hotel Pullman Eiffel Tower

mlpgold

I thought that Tauck booked the very best hotels but this is just a renovated (in the process) 4 Star hotel. The rating system is different in Europe than the states also so this may not even be equated to our 4star hotels.
We were on a Tauck trip once before and stayed at top notch hotels such as the St. Regis and Westin Excelsior.
I am very disappointed that this is where I will be staying during my first visit to Paris,though I have heard the River Cruises on Tauck are the best!
Does anyone have any feedback on this hotel?

SHARHARR

Hi MLPGOLD:

Which trip are you on? I don't know about the Pullman, but this will be our third Tauck river cruise. They are wonderful. and a really good way to travel if you want to avoid the packing and riding for hours on the bus. We've done that too for many years.

We are on May 4 Rendezvous on the Seine trip.

Regards,
Sharon

crackers54

The do usually use the best hotels and the best locations.

dianthuntress

From reading all the tripadvisor posts -- Tauck river cruise guests gets the good renovated rooms, the other posts did have bad renovation experiences.

nedly

The Hotel Pullman Eiffel Tower lists its restaurant and bar as closed for renovations. Can anyone confirm where the first night dinner will be held?

CGorham

My wife and I just spent 2 nights at the Pullman and it was not good, 4/2/14. The construction started at daybreak. Dry wall dust in the air and tracked down the halls. No A/C so the nights were uncomfortable for sleeping. The breakfast was egg soup that they called scrambled eggs. This hotel is not up to Tauck standards. I have traveled with Tauck before and it was first class all the way. The Pullman was a disappointment. We didn't even have a place to unpack.

CGorham

nedly wrote:

The Hotel Pullman Eiffel Tower lists its restaurant and bar as closed for renovations. Can anyone confirm where the first night dinner will be held?

There is a banquet room on the 10th floor with a great view of the tower. This is the best part about the stay at the Pullman.

Hankster

I'd like to hear the moderator's response about the conditions at the Pullman.

Tauck Emily

Hello Everyone,

CGorham, we apologize that your stay at the Pullman did not meet your expectations. We have spoken to the Pullman and the tour manager. They have assured us that as of today:

• The individual restaurant and bar are now fully opened
• The Lobby is finished this week (April 21st) with the restaurant and lobby connected
• Air conditioning was switched on last week and is working well (Unfortunately the week of April 2 was unseasonably warm in Paris and most the buildings had not switched their heat off yet.)
• The Fitness room is now open
• Construction is at an end although there will still be a few workers over the next months to put the finishing touches on everything. This should not affect the comfort of the guests
• The private 10th floor dining area for Tauck’s dinner is right next to the Eiffel Tower. What a surprise at nightfall!

This hotel is very modern and sleek, best of all the hotel is located in convenient location.

Hope this helps,
Emily

RobertG

We're arriving two days early and have booked rooms at the Pullman through Tauck. Are we assured of the remodeled rooms usually reserved for Tauck guests?

Lolasnana

We are on the June 5th trip. Anyone else? How was the rest of the trip beyond the Pullman?

RKL

Any feedback from those who have taken this trip in May or June 2014 on their experience, especially their stay at the Pullman Hotel? We are planning on taking this trip in Sept 2015, and have relatives who will be on the August 4, 2014 trip. We would appreciate any feedback from Tauck guests who have recently completed this trip.

RKL

mlpgold

Now that we are back from our Rendevous on the Seine trip, I can tell you that I am glad that my husband and I arrived early in Paris and stayed at a more Parisian-style hotel before moving to the Pullman. I really would've been disappointed to start my trip there.
It was very contemporary and the rooms were stark,without much drawers for clothes in room and no warmth or appeal. The staff were all very nice but it seemed as though they spoke more English than French so apparently they definitely cater to Americans.
The welcoming dinner was highlighted by the great views of the Eiffel Tower and the twinkling lights which really was the only redeeming factor to this hotel.

British

It may be that the very reason TAUCK chose this hotel for the first night is for the very reason you state, that the hotel staff speak English. Many people like this, especially if it their first time experiencing France or indeed any foreign country. When we were in Paris we stayed in a very small typical French hotel, right in the middle of the action. The elevator barely held two people. The price was very reasonable, one of the reasons we chose it apart from a good location. This was a short side trip from visiting family in England, not a TAUCK extravaganza. It was within walking distance of the restaurant featured in the movie Something's Got to Give, Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton. We ate there the first night and recognized it, watched the movie again when we got back to the U.S.

judy05

The same can be said about most if not all large hotels in Paris (several of which Tauck uses on other tours in Paris) -- and in all major European cities for that matter. (Obviously the Tauck group is too large to stay at one of the small boutique hotels in Paris.) One of the reasons we travel with Tauck is that the hotels are in fabulous locations. From what people have said -- this one is close to the Eiffel Tower. Period. A friend who took this cruise this in May had nothing good to say about the hotel or its location -- and she is not somebody who complains without reason. My husband and I are booked on this cruise in 2015 and while we have stayed at some fabulous hotels with Tauck -- I for one am not looking forward to staying at this one.

stbarthfan

We were on the 27 April 2014 Rendezvous on the Seine; there was absolutely no evidence of any construction at the Pullman while we were there. Our criticisms: the breakfast location in basement, not enough staff there when many guests at same time for early morning breakfast, our room was not cleaned on 28th when we returned from being gone ALL day, wakeup calls did not work, phone or request. The lobby system of check in & concierge not efficient. On the plus side, the location for the tower, the river, the neighborhood as we walked away from the hotel was very upscale & lovely. With the # of guests on our trip, Tauck could not use any boutique hotels, the Pullman was THE best location for convenience to our boat. If you want a boutique hotel/Parisian experience, book pre-nights elsewhere and then switch to the Tauck hotel, we've done this twice in Paris. We will stay in the Pullman Midi in Brussels next spring because of location and excellent rate for our 1 night there.

LBerger

I was on a Tauck river cruise and stayed at the Intercontinental in Paris. It was terrific. Great location, great room. Wondering why this tour does not stay there as well? Any idea?

judy05

Excellent point. The other river cruises that stay in Paris stay at the Intercontinental. The first line of Tauck's description of the hotel is "Located in the heart of Paris…." That is one of the reasons we choose to travel with Tauck. There is no reason to stay at a hotel that is convenient to the ship. Given the reviews -- I would really appreciate hearing from one of the Tauck moderators why Rendezvous is the only cruise staying at the Pullman. Thanks in advance.

TauckTim

Hi Judy05,

We have multiple trips going through Paris at any one time, and there are a limited number of hotels large enough to accommodate groups from river cruises that are also up to Tauck standards, and for those that are, there are limits to how many rooms the hotels are willing to let to large groups.

As for the other issues that people have mentioned, aside from already corrected issues such as the formerly ongoing work or sections of the hotel being unavailable, we're aware of them and are working with the hotel to eliminate the issues. I hope this helps make things a bit more clear!

-Tim

judy05

Thanks, Tim. I appreciate your quick response. I completely understand your point about availability. That said -- having been to Paris numerous times and knowing the area where the Pullman is located -- it is hard to imagine that Tauck cannot find another of the 1,797 hotels in Paris that would have a more central location. Obviously this did not deter us from booking the trip. I am not somebody who enjoys getting involved in these back and forths on a message board. I just think there is something wrong when only one cruise is staying at a hotel -- in Paris of all places -- that is not located in a prime location for sightseeing other than the Eiffel Tower. Based upon both location and service complaints -- I hope that Tauck will consider that there might be a better alternative in future years. No response necessary. Enough said.

doodle

We are going on the rendezvous on the seine and I'm very concerned about the Pullman hotel. Not one person had anything good to say about the hotel

jdurkin

France does seem to have its difficulties, doodle. There are unresolved issues with the Fairmont Monte Carlo, too, that are keeping some of us awake at night, as well. Well, not literally ... but you get my drift. Yes, I do know that Monaco is not part of France. Technically. I'll use the term protectorate. So, to recap ... France (and its protectorates) does seem to have ...

Cheers,

Jan

ms.sheryl

well, i guess i am in the minority, but i liked the pullman. i arrived a day early and absolutely loved the ability to get out and walk the neighborhoods around the eiffel tower. i popped in at a local boulangerie, escaped the rain in a church during sunday service with the beautiful voice of the cantor and congregation to make my spirit soar, i observed local parisiens, and i walked the beautiful gardens around the tower. the walk to some sights was not all that far, either...i made it to the hotel des invalides, and the alexander III bridge...if i had been better prepared, i might have made it to a couple others...and then there was the welcome dinner with the tower as backdrop...pretty spectacular. i felt like i got a better sense of the true paris because of the location. all this said, i was also mighty pleased that my room had a nespresso machine;-)

jdurkin

ms.sheryl wrote:

all this said, i was also mighty pleased that my room had a nespresso machine;-)

Oh, that's funny, Sheryl. ))

Just goes to show that beauty *is* in the eye of the beholder. And it sounds like you didn't have to suffer the deplorable Fairmont Monte Carlo and their powdered eggs and stale pastries. Lucky you!

Cheers,

Jan