Mama Shelter Paris East

I have been in this hotel for the last five years. The ambiance is well-designed for the 25-40 well-heeled bunch (In French, les bobos). I am outside that range, but I enjoy the atmosphere and the staff. During this visit, I noticed that the hotel basics are no longer in place: during a 14-day stay, not a single day with a complete set of towels, a significant drop in WiFi speed (a few times below 1 MBps morning and evening time), and a feeble and rickety A/C (the outside temperature was 40C certain days, becoming the rule in summer Paris). I hope Mama will address the issues with urgency. A bobo twist is fun, but only if it colors a robust professional foundation in hospitality. A final note of warning: on F/S/S, the rooms closer to the main street are noisy due to the presence of a loud bar/concert venue opposite the hotel.

We booked this hotel because it was one of the cheapest options in Paris, but we should have spent a bit more money to get a decent hotel. Our room was not well cleaned, there was a small smear of feces on the toilet seat and the carpeted floor had numerous large stains, as well as many smudges on one of the mirrors (presumably left by previous guests). We also were confused and uncomfortable by the kinky undertones present throughout the hotel and in the room, as it was not promoted by the hotel nor mentioned in the reviews I read. Minor but worth mentionning, there was no kettle in the room and there were two hooks inserted in the wall beside each bedpost, presumably playing into the "kinky" undertones. Would definitely not recommend this hotel.

I stayed at the hotel for 5 nights. Each night I was provided a different number of hand towels. The hotel provides you one tiny bar of soap per day, which you are supposed to use on your face, body, and hair (SEE PICTURE). On my second to last morning, I was using the toilet and leaned against the wall with my hand, which caused the wall in the bathroom to collapse, and it was not repaired by the end of my stay (SEE PICTURE). Further, it was never even mentioned to me after I had spoken to the front desk about it. As other reviews have stated, the lighting in the hotel room was terrible. To even have a chance of seeing things properly in your room, you have to turn all of the lights, which requires you flip no less than 6 separate switches located in different parts of the room. Also as other reviewers have stated, the climate control in the room does not work well. Further, the shelf in the hotel room for suitcases was too small to accommodate my suitcase, and most normal, non-carry-on size suitcases. The drapes in the room are also poorly designed in that they let in some light where the window meets the wall. One morning as I just exited the hotel, I spat down a sewer grate near the front door and thought nothing of it. Well, apparently, one of the front desk associates or managers (who was heavily tattooed and had a mustache) saw what I had done and in a fit of rage, went off on me (yelling), and told me no less than 5 times in a row what a rude, horrible, disrespectful person I am. Whether what I did could be considered offensive or not, I thought it was extremely inappropriate for a hotel employee to be treating a guest that way. Admittedly, I maybe could have shown better judgment, but it was handled extremely poorly by that employee.

Let's start with the positive things: the staff is generally friendly and we liked the neighborhood off the beaten track. But: I cannot remember the last time I stayed in a hotel where you had to fight in order to prevent them from giving you new towels every day. By default, you should only get new towels if you throw them on the floor. Here you get new ones unless you discover that special sign that you need to hang up for the staff to see. Also very unusual not to have the electricity in the room linked to the room key. Instead you have to switch off all lights when you leave. One day, when we came back, the cleaner had obviously switched on the light and left it on the whole day. Again, not sustainable. Also: making everything very dark might be stylish but it means artificial lights everywhere, day and night. Reminds me of an Abercrombie & Fitch store in the early 2000s. Finally, the rooms are far too hot! and there is no way you can influence that. You cannot open the windows either. They say it's because now (in April) the 'system' is still in 'winter mode' and cannot be adjusted to 'summer mode'. So, even when temperatures outside are high, the building is heated as if it was winter outside. maybe time to adapt to the reality of climate change? Anyway: not my favorite place. Sorry for the staff, they try their best (except for the one day when they forgot to clean our room at all).

What a hidden gem of a place. Me and my wife walked from the local metro to the restaurant, my advice would be to not be put off by the surroundings and if you're not careful you'll miss it, but once inside you won't be surprised. Really nice vibe playing some soul classics, friendly bar staff and the food was outstanding too. Would highly recommend for those of you looking to experience something different in Paris