Hotel Balzac Paris

My husband and I ended our European honeymoon at Hotel Balzac, and it was perfect. Immediately walking into the lobby was a Parisian vibe we dreamed about experiencing. The front desk team was friendly and gracious in acknowledging our special occasion by offering complimentary cocktails in the bar and a room upgrade. After spending our days shopping and sightseeing, we retired to our room for the balcony views and room service. The cozy robes and bed were precisely what we wanted. Thank you, Hotel Balzac (and Marco), for a beautiful stay!

This is my first time placing a review on the Net. Yet it was such an incredible experience that i would like to share. The staff at this hotel were incredibly welcoming and helpful throughout our stay. Especially Mr Jihad, the concierge, that helped us making the staying epic. The renovated rooms were so clean, and very comfortable. We also enjoyed the convenient location close to major attractions in Paris. I highly recommend Hotel Balzac and will definetely book everytime we visit Paris.

We have stayed 3 times at the Balzac’s slightly older sister property, the Hotel Norman. Eventually we grew tired of the Norman’s shortcomings (friendly but somewhat confused staff, weird electrical issues, service oversights, etc) For our 4th visit to Paris, we decided to take advantage of a suite upgrade offer at the Balzac, which otherwise would be beyond our desired budget. The front desk staff is cordial, professional, efficient and largely well organized. There were a couple of minor missteps in the service during our stay. The package we booked included a bottle of champagne which was not in the room upon arrival. We had to ask for it. On the one day we had the room serviced, housekeeping neglected to replenish our water, coffee, cream or cups. This was a regular issue at the Norman. I’m not sure why the minibar is such a problem for these 2 properties. The suite itself was very nice, with high ceilings, freshly refurbished. The bed and couch were very comfortable and the room was mostly quiet. The living room was oddly spare. There was a desk, a comfortable couch, a coffee table, 2 chairs and the mini bar, but lots of wasted space and almost entirely bare walls in both the living and bed rooms. Not much in the way of decorations. No ottomans. No day bed or couch side tables. No cozy lamps. It looked and felt incomplete. Certainly not “luxurious”. While a bit crowded, the Norman’s decor is much homier and more inviting. The Balzac room felt a bit sad and lonely by comparison. The bathroom was our only major disappointment. For a suite in a brand new refit, it was surprising to have a single sink and not a double vanity. There was no room for toiletries on its narrow sink’s sides. The lighting was also a bit dark. The small toilet seat was already loose and would not stay up, and had a quite old style flush button. It almost seemed to be an older toilet from the previous hotel. The shower was a major problem for us. None of the pictures on the website indicate there are rooms without a walk-in shower, and we have never encountered a modern hotel without one, yet our room was tub-only (with a rain shower head above). The tub itself was quite tricky to get in and out of, as it is raised several inches above the floor and has wide marble sides. There are no handles anywhere to assist exiting the tub. I had to sit down on the edge of the tub and swing my legs over the side to avoid risking a fall. I was told the rooms have a mix of tub and walk in showers. It would have been nice to have been made aware of this in the room description or given a choice upon check in. Next time we visit, we will ask for a shower suite, and if one is not available, we will have to consider a different hotel. The largest downfall of the hotel is its breakfast service. We had stopped by the Balzac (during a previous stay at the Norman) for a coffee one weekday afternoon and were impressed by the weekday staff. Very attentive and efficient. We later realized this was because it wasn’t busy. Upon staying over a weekend, when things were busy, our experience could not have been more different. They were clearly understaffed. We were ignored for several minutes, so decided to seat ourselves, whereby we went unnoticed for several more minutes. We counted around 6 uncleared tables, including the one next to us, all covered in dirty plates. Service was slow but the food was decent. Some days we were immediately given nuts and olives during afternoon or evening visits to the bar, while other times we had to ask. We were excited by the bar snacks menu listed on the website and printed on the menu, but were told the snack menu was no longer being served. This seemed odd for a brand new hotel. So we never got to try the truffle croque monsiuer. :( We always try to give a new place the benefit of the doubt, and we will try the Balzac again to see if the rooms receive some nicer appointments and the breakfast is tightened up. But we also gave the Norman the benefit of the doubt 3 times and they never improved on the their weak spots. Being that the Balzac is under the same ownership, we are not super confident they will address the shortcomings. We hope we are wrong!

What an experience! Beautiful property and the staff is the best of the best! ESPECIALLY Jihad and Violette! Can’t wait to return! Close to amazing food, good views, transportation. Hotel always has an amazing spa experience, which was a must!

Wonderfull, stay. The perfect address in Paris. All the staff is so nice and accommodation are incredible ! Fine Food also ! I recommend the family Suite Eiffel view. Close by the champs Élysée It give you the opportunity to shop and come back in the room in less than 2 minutes.