Hotel Review: Courtyard Paris Gare de Lyon

Background

I was visiting Paris for a quick 2-night stay and planned around the fact that I would have needed to get on an early train the day of checkout from the Austerlitz Station. Given that the Courtyard Paris Gare de Lyon was less than a 15-minute walk from the Austerlitz Station, it was the perfect location for this trip. And, since rooms in Paris are notorious for being small, it’s often not an easy feat to find a room that fits 3 adults. Thankfully, the Courtyard Paris Gare de Lyon has a good number of Family Rooms which was perfect for us. Opened in late 2018, the Courtyard offers 249 rooms inside a 19-story tower.

Rates for the Courtyard Paris Gare de Lyon start at approximately 200 EUR a night or 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points but can vary depending on the season. Family rooms start at approximately 275 EUR a night. I work with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays. If you are interested in staying at the Courtyard Paris Gare de Lyon feel free to email me at takeofftotravel@fora.travel or fill out the contact form at the bottom of this post if you have any inquiries.

Courtyard Paris Gare de Lyon Takeoff Points

Pros: New modern property, large rooms for Paris standards, convenient location
Cons: The room didn’t feel that cozy, the AC worked but no fan controls, cleanliness issues with the sofa bed and towels.
Takeoff Point: A newer, modern option with Family Rooms near Gare de Lyon could make for a solid home base to explore Paris.
Overall Takeoff Score: B

Getting to the Courtyard Paris Gare de Lyon from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)

Another pro of this property is the convenience of the airport. You can take the RER B to Châtelet-Les Halles which is 4 stops (34 minutes) if you choose the right one or 12 stops for the other line (39 minutes). These trains run quite frequently, and there are clear signs at the airport to direct you to the ticket booth and train tracks. It cost 11.80 EUR for an adult ticket.

Then at Châtelet-Les Halles, you transfer to the RER A line for one stop (2 minutes) to Gare de Lyon. The best part is that the transfer is directly across the tracks, and when I arrived the RER A was waiting for me, so I just quickly hopped on.

Also, one of the closest exits from the RER A train, Rue Van Gogh (13), pops you right in front of the hotel. I unknowingly just exited the closest exit and it happened to be right in front of the hotel. Lucky me!

So, I was able to get to the hotel in less than an hour, which honestly would have been just as long in a taxi/Uber depending on traffic.

Check-In

I arrived right at 3 pm, and our room was ready as it was the standard check-in time. Two of my friends arrived earlier in the day and left their bags with the hotel as the hotel said that early check-in wasn’t available which was a bit of a bummer.

At the reception desks, they have an umbrella stand where you can rent umbrellas for 2 EUR for 48 hours. Thankfully, it didn’t rain during our stay so we didn’t have to rent any.

I have Marriott Platinum status, and the welcome amenity at the Courtyard was 10 EUR in Food & Beverage Credit nightly, or 500 Bonus Points. I took the Food & Beverage Credit, and thankfully we didn’t have to use it all in one day, so we used 20 EUR on the last night from the Pantry on snacks for our train ride. Additionally, we were handed a voucher for welcome drinks at the nice bar.

There were 3 guest elevators, and they were the new efficient ones where you put your floor number in to get assigned an elevator, similar to ones in corporate office high rises.

Family Room

To fit the three of us, we booked a “Family Room Parisian View” as it could fit up to 4. Our room was located on the 9th floor and it was on the corner of the floor As you entered, the bathroom was straight ahead, with the closet space to the right. The website lists the room as being 27 square meters (291 square feet). I did like how new everything felt, but it did give a bit of sterile vibes. So, both a pro and a con.

There is an iron and board in the closet. Additionally, there is a safe and small fridge for personal use. A toothbrush kit and shoe shine were also provided.

A hot water maker and a separate coffee machine were provided. The coffee machine was prefilled with coffee balls to reduce plastic waste. Tea sachets were also provided, not wrapped.

Turning left, the room had a king-sized bed, as well as a built-in luggage rack. My friends said the king bed was fine, with no issues. Towards the window was a sofa bed that turned into a queen-sized bed. I had the sofa bed and it was sufficient for a sofa bed. Not the best sofa bed, but certainly not the worst.

There was also a table with spinning chairs. The spinning chair could use some reupholstery as it was ripping.

USB charging was available by the TV, as well as inside one of the phones, and outlets were on each side of the bed. The TV had a screen share function which was nice for streaming from your phone.

View

In terms of the view, the room was booked as a “Parisian View”. We overlooked the city with the major focal point being a building under construction which was a bit depressing. But, we did have a peek-a-boo of the Eiffel Tower which was nice.

The AC worked, but I wish we could control the fan. It seemed to have 3 fan settings, but it never worked.

For water, the hotel provides a large Brita bottle that can be refilled. Each floor has a “Water Dispenser” which has a Brita filter and you can refill the eco-friendly bottle.

Bathroom

The bathroom was a standard three-piece and was a solid size for Paris. There was ample counter space and a large tub with a glass partition for the shower. The water pressure was alright, and it came with shampoo, shower gel, and conditioner. At the sink, there was a bar of soap but it was missing hand lotion.

Unfortunately, some of the towels had noticeable stains.

Food and Beverage

A Starbucks is connected to the hotel as well, you just have to walk outside to access it.

The Market is located next to the reception desks and is a little sundries store that is open 24/7.

The main and only restaurant is called K & B Restaurant which is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and for drinks.

We grabbed our welcome drinks here, and we could grab one from the “Elite Cocktail” list, which had a solid amount of options. I got the Paris-Bali cocktail and enjoyed it. Breakfast wasn’t included in my rate or for Platinum Members, and was 24 EUR per person for a buffet. I thought the restaurant’s decor looked cute.

The hotel has a rooftop garden, that I don’t believe is accessible to the public, and some of the herbs and vegetables grown are used in the restaurant which is a nice touch.

Amenities

The fitness center located on the 1st floor is open 24/7. It on the smaller size but has everything you need for a workout and looks quite nice. It just lacked natural light.

The hotel hosts a small conference space on the 1st floor, and there is also a pool table and Connect 4 for guest use which is a nice touch. My friends and I enjoyed a game of pool with our welcome drinks.

Service

The employees encountered were friendly, and the only time we had a service request was on the first night when we opened up the sofabed and discovered that the bedding was dirty with food crumbs everywhere and certainly had been used but not replaced. I called the front desk and thankfully they sent someone within minutes to replace the bedding. I appreciated the quick response time, but considering it’s a Family Room, I feel that housekeeping should always be checking the sofabed bedding after each checkout.

Location

I found the location to be quite convenient for both my needs on this trip and any tourists. Gare de Lyon sits on many metro and RER lines for connectivity and sits on Metro line 1 which is personally my favorite Paris metro line. Line 1 operates very frequently (3-5 minutes), with newer cars and stops at all the major attractions (Louvre, Champs Elysees).

The property is also very walkable, only a 20-minute walk to the Marais. On the first night, we tried a delicious ice cream spot called Baltis, then walked about 35 minutes (1.5 miles) to the Saint-Germain area.

The Verdict

Overall, the Courtyard Paris Gare de Lyon suited my needs for this trip. The new modern rooms were a plus, and the Family Room was a good size for Paris standards. The room just didn’t feel particularly cozy, and cleanliness could have been improved upon.

 

Have you stayed at the Courtyard Paris Gare de Lyon? How was your experience? Comment below!

 

Cheers,

Ty

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If you are interested in booking a stay at the Courtyard Paris Gare de Lyon, feel free to email me at takeofftotravel@fora.travel or fill out this contact form below. If you have other trips you’d like for me to help plan, feel free to reach out as well! 

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