Hôtel National Arts et Métiers in Paris

Nice enough, but very LOUD!

This hotel is located in what is touted as a “lively” part of town. I think if you’re young, and in Paris looking for a party scene, this would be perfect. For families or those wanting a more refined and tranquil setting, steer clear of this hotel and this area.

The hotel itself has a very active bar scene in the evenings, especially Thursday - Sunday. When I arrived at 11:15PM on a Saturday night, I thought I’d been dropped off at the wrong place: people were spilling onto the street, and the music was absolutely pumping. At reception, they happily told me they have a DJ on Fridays and Saturdays, but not to worry: he finishes at 2am. This is not my idea of a great hotel atmosphere! The following afternoon (Sunday) the party moved to the restaurant across the street, which then had its own live DJ and a huge crowd in full party mode. Luckily this wrapped up pretty early, and I will say that even on the Saturday we couldn’t bear the music in our room.

Overall the room was comfortable and quite spacious. We also had a lovely balcony, which was perfect for a morning coffee. Everthing in the hotel does feel either a little worn / lower quality, and I think you could get a better room and location for the same price.

The benefit of this area is proximity to an amazing selection of reasonably-priced restaurants, and some super shopping too. But it’s a bit of a hike to many of the other parts of Paris you might want to visit.