Review: the Hilton Paris Opera hotel

This is my review of the newly refurbished Hilton Paris Opera hotel.

After 13 years it was time for me to pay Paris another visit.  For various reasons my last trip had not worked out well and I had found ways of avoiding Paris for over a decade.  I had, of course, been making a mistake.

The Hilton Paris Opera invited me for a two night stay including breakfast to find out more about this property which opened as a Hilton hotel in January 2015.  Head for Points paid for my Eurostar return ticket.

In 1889 Paris was hosting the Exposition Universelle.  To accomodate visitors from all over the world, the Hotel Terminus with its 500 rooms opened in the exact building that is today home to the Hilton Paris Opera.

From 1974 until 2014 the hotel was part of the Concorde group until the hotel was branded as a Hilton.  $50 million has been invested to renovate the hotel bringing it back to its former glory.  Amazingly, Hilton had been without a single hotel in the centre of Paris – if you exclude the business hotel at La Defense – for a number of years.

Today the Hilton Paris Opera has 268 rooms including 29 suites, a gym and an executive lounge as well as a number of bars and restaurants.

Where is Hilton Paris Opera?

The Hilton Paris Opera is, as the name suggests, very close to the opera – although not as close as the InterContinental which directly overlooks it – and therefore the major department stores.  Saint-Lazare railway station is right outside the hotel with trains that take you anywhere in Paris. I took the RER from Gare du Nord which is just one stop away and takes about 4 minutes – no point getting stuck in traffic taking a taxi.

I was impressed by the building and its majestic entrance hall. Here is a press photo as an iPhone cannot really do it justice:

My room at Hilton Paris Opera

I was an hour early but still able to get access to a room.  My room was a corner Executive Room on the second floor. With two windows the room was very bright.  I loved the Paris inspired design with an Eiffel Tower, the hotel roof and the grand salon on the wallpaper.

The bed was a kingsize and very comfortable.

Opposite the bed was a desk with two sockets and two USB ports that also connect to the TV. The TV had French, German and English channels as well as various news channels in other languages.

The desk chair was the right height and comfortable.

Next to the desk was a reading corner with an armchair and a small side table.

One thing worth noting is that I had issues with the wifi inside my room. I assume it was because of the location of the room as the wifi was impeccable everywhere else in the hotel. If you have to work on your laptop, you should probably not go for a corner room or make sure to get a room with lounge access.

This picture shows the bathroom door on the left, the wardrobe with minibar and coffee facilities and a large hanging space with ironing board. The door on the right leads to a small hallway with a possible connecting room.

There was no kettle but the Nespresso machine doubled as one having a button for hot water. I tried it and can assure you that there was not a tiny bit of left over coffee in the my cup.

Superior Rooms have a kettle instead of a Nespresso machine as I noticed when I did a tour.  Similarly, bath robes and slippers are only found in executive rooms and suites.

The bathroom was a great size with marble tiles and surfaces. There was a rainfall and hand shower head.

The mirror was an anti fog mirror which is great after a steaming shower.

The light in the bathroom was good enough to do your make up.

The hairdryer was in a bag next to the towels – and again I have to complain about it… Like the hairdryer at the InterContinental Vienna you had to keep pushing a button down in order for it to work ….

The toiletries were standard Hilton issue by Peter Thomas Roth. Except for the conditioner, which doesn’t do it for me, I do find these products great.

I’ve always wondered about the amount of waste that is being produced in hotels simply by unfinished toiletries. That’s why I love that Hilton Paris Opera is the first hotel in continental Europe to work with Clean the World. Discarded soaps and bottled amenities are being recycled and given to people in Europe who are at risk for hygiene-related illnesses.

Other rooms

During my stay I got to take a look at some of the other rooms.

The design in all the rooms is the same – they all have this very attractive take on art deco.

The colour scheme varies depending on where in the hotel your room is located.  This is a picture of another Executive Room that lies on the interior side of the hotel. Those rooms have a blue scheme whereas the rooms on the exterior side have a yellow scheme (as you can see in the pictures of my room).

Here is a suite on the 4th floor with separate bedroom.

This is the suite’s living room.

Hilton Paris Opera gym

The 24 hours gym was spacious and well lit with a separate room for floor exercising.

All machines have a TV and are connected to the internet.

Whilst the building is 127 years old and its ground level with Le Grand Salon (more on that in Par 2) gives a great impression of the Parisian Golden Age, the rooms were surprisingly contemporary.  I liked this combination of classical sophisticated and contemporary modern design throughout the hotel.

In part two of my Hilton Paris Opera review (click here), I will look at the restaurants and executive lounge.

The Hilton Paris Opera website is here if you want to find out more.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit and debit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

There are two dedicated Hilton Honors debit cards. These are especially attractive when spending abroad due to the 0% or 0.5% FX fee, depending on card.

You also receive FREE Hilton Honors status for as long as you hold the debit cards – Gold status with the Plus card and Silver status with the basic card. This is a great reason to apply even if you rarely use it.

We reviewed the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card here and the Hilton Honors Debit Card here.

You can apply for either card here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 30th April 2025, the annual fee on the basic Hilton Honors debit card is halved from £60 to £30. The sign-up bonus is also easier to earn – you need to spend £1,000 either in the UK or abroad within three months. The usual bonus rule requires you to spend the full £1,000 outside the UK.

NEW: Hilton Honors Plus Debit

10,000 bonus points, Hilton Gold status and NO FX fees Read our full review

NEW: Hilton Honors Debit

2,500 bonus points, Hilton Silver status and 0.5% FX fees Read our full review

There is another way of getting Hilton Honors status, and earning Hilton Honors points, from a payment card.

Holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card.  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton Honors points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points.