So, you just booked your flight on Air France—or Delta—and you have a layover in Paris? Maybe you even purposely chose that particular airline for that layover—and now you need a place to stay?

What’s a good hotel for a layover in Paris? Here are the questions I asked myself for this particular trip:

• Where do I want to stay in Paris? (This is especially important when thinking about what time your flight arrives, while factoring in the time you will lose in customs and immigration, and Uber).
• How far is it from the places I want to visit?
• How can I fit this hotel in my budget? (Costs vary greatly in Paris. I always try to get a layover in Paris, and during a 3-day layover I picked Sonder).

 

How to Pick a Hotel For a One-Day Layover In Paris

OK so you booked your flight into Paris (or in Mauritius in my case) and you’re wondering if it’s possible to even fit a hotel in during a layover. 

Now you’re asking yourself where you want to stay, but before that, you need to figure out if you want to do Airbnb, Sonder, a hotel, or use Booking.com. I’d skip Airbnb/Sonder and focus on either Booking.com or your preferred travel portal—I use Amex travel portal.

And here’s why: You want to be pampered. 

You just got off a long flight and you’ve carried your carry-on luggage either on the train, Uber, or through the cobblestone streets of France. 

After your long flight with a layover, do you really want to buzz the side of a door or talk to someone about how to check in or even find the location on Google maps, walking around circles in the middle of the night? No! 

This is a gift to yourself. Treat a layover like a luxury. 

A lot of people treat layovers like a painful waiting process like you’re on time out. This isn’t “The Breakfast Club” or “Home Alone.” 

While I find that long layovers are especially common with low-fare tickets (like my trip to Denmark)-—which I assume helps promote the local destination—I believe that layovers are essentially a blessing in disguise. 

You get to taste the culture for just a bit before you pay full price. You know, like going to a gelato place and getting a free sample before you commit to paying fully for the scoop! Except here you are paying for the hotel.

But still, you can get the sounds, smells, and vibe of the city or country with a short layover. So let’s be pampered! Vive la pamperedness! 

From there, here are the three questions I ask myself:

1. Where do I want to stay? Location, location, location. There is no point in staying in a far-away location when it’s hard to see the city, like Formule 1 / F1 Hotels (which is a discount hotel). Instead, you want to be in the center of the area that you can get to within walking distance, with the rest of what you want to see accessible by Uber. That way, you drive down Uber costs and focus on accessibility. Accessibility is king.
2. How much does it cost? I either go for a low price point (which is what I did once in Barcelona with Hotel Barceló Sants), or I go a little more high-end (ME Barcelona), since some hotels have benefits with the Amex portal. So check with your credit card program. In addition, Booking.com has offers through their Genius program.
   
3. Budget considerations: Be mindful of your budget—do you want to meet it or stretch it a little bit? Like for instance, in a layover in Denmark, do I pick Scandic—which I stayed in at Svolvær—or do I splurge and pick an Amex preferred hotel?
   

That’s how I selected EKTA.

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Why Choose Hotel EKTA?

Hotel EKTA is located just blocks from the Arc de Triomphe and it’s a block away from a French supermarket—Monoprix.

That means three things:

1. Steps to the Arc de Triomphe:I can walk to the Arch and the famous avenue pf the Champs-Élysées when I want, whenever I want. (0.34mi / 800m. An 8 min walk.)
2. Get French Snacks & Chips: The proximity to the grocery store means I can load up on French snacks that I can’t get in the States. (Again one block. A 2 min walk),
3. Hop on the Train: With convenient access to George V train station on the Champs-Élysées (again one block), I can easily get to other destinations in Paris. Plus, some of my favorite stores are also on that same street, most notably Sephora.

So where EKTA delivers is location. And from there, it only gets better.

Check-In

The check-in process is very straightforward. Walk up a few steps and you’re greeted with the welcome counter. It’s nothing fancy and gets the job done. The staff on site was super friendly and everything went without a fuss.

The check-in process at Hotel EKTA was smooth and efficient. Walk up a few steps and you’re greeted at the no-frills welcome counter. Nothing fancy and gets the job done. The staff is was super friendly, making the experience hassle-free.

Getting to the room was more of a challenge. You know how I mentioned that Parisian hotels are tiny? Well—wait till you see the elevators. However, this elevator, in particular, was extremely, extremely tiny.

The Room

Normally the problem with European hotels—especially ones in Paris—is that they are too small.

And yet, here is where EKTA delivered. It made up for this with maximizing space in every nook and cranny.

You won’t notice it at first—but each of the ends of the bed are, in fact, storage units. If you look closely at the image above—the left and right side have a curved façade, and those flush sections are the storage areas. The left and right side of the bed open up to a closet, even housing an ironing board and a super-mini fridge.

Near the bed, you have a mini cubby hole where you can charge your devices, store your remote, and even have a private night light.

You can also tell this hotel is frequented by international guests since there are wall units for EU, UK, and USA/CAN charging outlets.

The bathroom was also efficient for Parisian standards, and I felt like it met my hotel bathroom needs. And by that, I mean sufficient water pressure. I just hate low water pressure!

Amenities

While I didn’t use many amenities, I did take advantage of the in-room TV. 

I did notice upon departure, that there were a few newspapers during my checkout. Good if you want to stay on top of current news or bush up on your French.

Food

There is a breakfast that is laid out in the morning. But, I was in a rush to pick up French snacks at Monoprix—so I did not indulge. But the breakfast looked sufficient for enough energy to start your stroll on the Champs-Élysées.

Service

This is a no-frills hotel where the location acts as the service to your journey. Therefore, don’t expect the type of service that you’d expect at your final destination or like the Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa.

However, service is attentive and friendly, and they offer to assist even when they aren’t visible. For instance, the front automatic doors lock at night, but a quick call to the front desk will have someone come to assist you.

5 Paris Layover

Tips, Tricks, and Logistics

• Pack Light for Your Layover: Having just a carry-on makes navigating Paris much easier, especially when dealing with tiny elevators and cobblestone streets. Note: If you checked in your luggage it will be on its way to your final destination. However, that still doesn’t stop me from freaking out that my luggage might be on a carousel after a few incidents last year on the way to Tallinn, Estonia and Orkney, Scotland.
• Get a Hotel Near a Metro Station: The Paris metro is efficient and affordable, making it easy to see major attractions quickly during a short stay.
• Stock up on French goodies: Make time to visit Monoprix or a local boulangerie to bring home authentic French snacks and pastries that you can’t find elsewhere.
• Use Mobile Payment Options: Most places in central Paris accept contactless payment, making it easy to pay without having to exchange currency for a short layover.
• Check Airport Lounge Access: If you’re flying with Air France or have Priority Pass, take advantage of the excellent lounges at Charles de Gaulle for your departure.

Trip Soundtrack

Because every adventure needs a soundtrack, each of my trips comes with a theme song. And for this trip's anthem? Well, it's...

Conclusion

Hotel EKTA is centrally located—right in the heart of Paris—just a block or so away from the Arc de Triomphe.

You definitely can’t beat the location and in most cases the price. If you’re a hotel-like experience without a hotel feel, but not Airbnb, then you could consider Atelier by Sonder, which is on the other side of the Champs-Élysées. But I will have to say that even though that place is closer to the Champs-Élysées in a more lively section—the room and service are a lot better at EKTA.

Therefore, if I see a chance to snag a good deal at Hotel EKTA—and I have a layover in Paris? You best believe I’m gonna take it. But FYI—prices swell considerably with this hotel. It’s like the stock market. Right now, at quick glance, some of the more basic rooms are running €550+ a night ($600+ USD). At that price, I’ll pass, but at €183 ($200 USD)? Sign me up!

In transparency, my price was $188.49 USD. When you factor in taxes ($18.85 USD) and hotel fees due at the hotel ($18.35 USD), this brings the total to $225.69 USD (approximately €206).

Before you head to the airport, make sure to stop by Monoprix to get your favorite French snacks. If not, then venture to the Boulangerie across the street and get some French pastries.

And, if you’re in a rush and also flying Air France—then skip those two steps and head straight to the Air France Lounge at Charles de Gaulle airport.

That’s all!