Tribe Paris la Defense Esplanade

Η οικογένειά μου και εγώ ήμασταν πραγματικά χαρούμενοι για την εξυπηρέτηση αυτού του τόπου. Τα δωμάτια θα μπορούσαν να είναι λίγο μεγαλύτερα καθώς ένιωθαν λίγο πολύ μικρά και στενά. Λαμβάνουν κορυφαίες βαθμολογίες όμως, καθώς κάθε δωμάτιο έχει ατμόπλοιο…δεν το βρίσκουμε τόσο συχνά. Σίγουρα θα επέστρεφε εδώ.

La Defense is one of my favourite places to stay in Paris but as my preferred hotel was unavailable I plumped for Tribe, as it’s part of the Accor portfolio. It’s a wee bit of a trek for the RER/Metro station (I like walking so not a problem) through concrete housing estates but I never felt uneasy, no matter the time. I like the funky and modern design and luckily Green is my favourite colour as the bedroom was very Green. Check-in bordered on the rude; I believe he was management and aside from the very cheerful barman the staff were sullen and seemed to see paying guests as a nuisance. Also there is no ramp so you have to carry your luggage up the many stairs to get in. The room was quiet but trying so hard to be chic meant that so much design touches simply didn’t work; there was no iron but rather a hand-held steamer which kept setting the alarm off! I was told there was no ironing board and I hate being crumpled. Also worth mentioning is the bathroom door which is a corrugated plastic type but see through so if you are not staying with a significant other… Beware! Even hanging clothes was a problem as the strange design could only accommodate a couple of shirts. I can best describe the room as slightly odd, a little cold and the service even more chilly. With so many more welcoming hotels in the area I can’t imagine I will be returning. All style and no substance indeed!

My daughter and I were part of a tour with her high school art program, so I did not have high expectations for our hotel. However, I was very—VERY—pleasantly surprised with Tribe. It’s not in the heart of Paris, but it’s very close to the La Defense metro stop and a quick jaunt to the center of the city. The decor is a little wild, with interesting prints, but in a fun and funky way, and the atmosphere of the lobby was great, whether at breakfast or at the bar after a long day of art museums. The rooms were pretty small, as would be expected in France, but we still had plenty of room. The one thing I didn’t like was not having a proper dresser and having to keep everything in a suitcase under the bed for over a week. The bathrooms were bright, spacious and well designed. I was sad that there wasn’t a good way to get to the Seine for a walk or run, but on the other hand there was a grocery right across the street, so that was much appreciated. The staff were very professional and pleasant, and the breakfast was excellent; we still reminisce about the eggs and the pain au chocolat.