Which room should you book at Le Bristol Paris?
Book the Deluxe Room with balcony: 45 square meters facing the hotel's garden, with a private balcony, from 2,390 euros a night on the hotel's own site. Every room in that category overlooks the garden, so the view is guaranteed by what you book, not left to the front desk.
At Le Bristol, the side of the building is the whole decision. Rooms face one of three things: the inner courtyard, the street (rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré or avenue Matignon), or the garden, which the hotel puts at 1,200 square meters. The garden side is the one I would pay for. It is the quiet side and the green one, and Le Bristol sells it by name, so you can book it rather than request it.
If the balcony is not worth 100 euros a night to you, the Deluxe Room with garden view is the same size and the same view from 2,290 euros. I would still take the balcony from April to October, when morning coffee outside is the reason to have one.
How do the Le Bristol rooms compare?
| Category | Size | Guests and bed | View | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior Room | 35 m² | 1 guest, queen-size bed | Courtyard | €1,590 |
| Executive Room | 40 m² | 2 guests, king-size bed | Courtyard | €1,990 |
| Deluxe Room | 45 m² | 2 guests, king-size bed | Courtyard or rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré | €2,190 |
| Deluxe Room with garden view | 45 m² | 2 guests, king-size bed | Garden | €2,290 |
| Deluxe Room with balcony | 45 m² | 2 guests, king-size bed | Garden, with balcony | €2,390 |
| Prestige Room | 50 m² | 3 guests, king-size bed | Courtyard or rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré | €2,490 |
| Prestige Room with balcony | 50 m² | 2 guests, king-size bed | Courtyard or rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré | €2,690 |
| Junior Suite with garden view | 55 m² | 3 guests, king-size bed | Garden | €2,900 |
| Junior Suite with balcony | 55 m² | 2 guests, king-size bed | Garden, with balcony | €3,490 |
| Deluxe Suite Garden | 90 m² | 3 guests, king-size bed | Garden | €4,700 |
The garden rooms sit in either the newer Residence wing or the historic main building, and the hotel's page does not let you choose between them. The pages describe marble bathrooms with a bath, a separate shower and a double vanity from the Superior Room up, so the bathroom does not change the choice. Each room is decorated differently, and the hotel says the photos do not show every room in a category.
Which Le Bristol rooms should you skip?
Skip the Superior Room if there are two of you: the hotel lists it for one guest, with a queen-size bed. It is a solo business room, and a good one, but not a couple's room.
Skip the Prestige Room with balcony too. At 2,690 euros it costs 300 euros more than the Deluxe Room with balcony, yet its balcony faces the courtyard or rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, not the garden. You get 5 more square meters and a worse view from the balcony you paid for.
The plain Deluxe Room is the one trap in the middle: same size as the garden rooms, 100 euros less, but it can put you over the street. If the price matters, take the Executive Room at 40 square meters instead; it faces only the courtyard, so it keeps you off the street.
Who should upgrade to a suite at Le Bristol?
Upgrade for a third guest or for a living room; for two people who mainly want the garden, the Deluxe Room with balcony already has it.
- A family of three: the Junior Suite with garden view, 55 square meters, sleeps three and keeps the garden side, from 2,900 euros.
- A balcony and more room for two: the Junior Suite with balcony, 55 square meters over the garden, from 3,490 euros. It is a 1,100 euro jump over the Deluxe Room with balcony for 10 more square meters, so book it for a long stay, not a weekend.
- A separate living room on the garden: the Deluxe Suite Garden, 90 square meters, from 4,700 euros.
The Eiffel Tower is in the view only at the top of the list: Suite 1925, and the Paris and Honeymoon suites, which the hotel lists with city views that include the tower.
What should you ask for when you book?
Book a category with garden in its name, or the Deluxe Room with balcony, and the garden view is settled; the Prestige Room with balcony is not, since its balcony faces the courtyard or the street. Then use your request for the building.
- The wing: garden rooms are in either the Residence wing or the historic main building. Say which you would rather have if it matters to you; the category does not decide it.
- Connecting rooms: the Deluxe Room with garden view and Deluxe Room with balcony can connect to an adjoining room, which is how I would put a family with teenagers on the garden side.
- A baby cot: the Deluxe garden rooms list one on request; ask when you book, not at check-in.
The from-rates move with the date and the season. Check the rate for your nights on the hotel's site before comparing it with another hotel.
What else should you read before booking a Paris hotel?
The Ritz Paris room guide and the Hôtel de Crillon room guide cover the other palaces on the same side of the city. The where to stay in Paris guide picks the neighborhood before the hotel, if you are still deciding where in Paris to be.
For the trip around the stay, the early arrival hotel guide covers a morning landing, and the four-day Paris itinerary plans the days around the stay.