Hôtel 7 Eiffel by Malone in Paris

This was the worst hotel experience I have ever had. On arrival, I raised concerns about the dirt and poor condition of my room, politely asking if I could be moved to a cleaner one. After also pointing out further stains and dirt in the lift, I was told I would be refunded because the hotel “didn’t want me to stay there.” As a young woman travelling alone, I found this response deeply unsettling and intimidating. The staff member I dealt with seemed to be on a power trip, behaving in a bullying manner.

She was aggressive and threatening, insisting I had to leave, despite her colleague engaging with me politely and confirming that moving me to a cleaner room was possible. I was visibly shaking from my interactions with her, with the nice man at reception witnesses. She claimed she had spoken to her manager by phone and that they had decided I could not stay. I waited two days to speak to a manager in person, as none were available when I was at the hotel. When I finally did, I was met with dismissive and standoffish behaviour. At one point, a receptionist even called me a “Karen” and said they “know people like me,” simply because I had complained.

Meanwhile, a colleague of mine staying at the same time raised similar complaints and was treated completely differently, he was listened to, apologised to, offered compensation, and even given a feedback form. When I pointed out the disparity and suggested I was being unfairly treated, I was accused of “playing the race card.”

I spent three days at this hotel feeling anxious, worried about my belongings and dreading interactions with staff. As I was travelling for business, I had little choice but to stay, despite the stress and discomfort. Although I eventually received an apology from the manager, who acknowledged both the hotel’s poor condition and that the staff member involved had a history of reactive behaviour, it was far too late. The damage was done. I also became unwell shortly after my stay, whether from stress or otherwise.

I would not recommend this hotel to anyone. I have recordings of most of these exchanges, which demonstrate that I remained polite and respectful throughout, I was still subjected to an appalling and discriminatory experience. The only rude thing I said was that the dirt in the lift was disgusting, this was after being gaslit and told that it’s going to be cleaned and that certain marks are unable to be removed and “its normal”.

The hotel location is great, lots of lovely boutiques nearby, I love Paris and France and have visited many times. I travel all around the world for business and never had I ever experienced anything like this in my life.