Hotel Le Royal review, Lyon, France

Hotel Le Royal
Place Bellecour
69002 Lyon, France

A 100% Smoke-Free Hotel

By: Dave Grossman,
HotelMagician.com
May 2009

I found the Hotel Le Royal to be an absolutely perfect choice for my 3 days in Lyon.  Really very well done all around.

To start, the location is wonderful, right in the city center on the Place Bellecour (a large open square).  If you are arriving by TGV it’s just two stops on the Metro from Perrache TGV station to Bellecour. If you come in from the airport, you can either take a cab (pricey at over 60 Euros) or take the Satobus to Perrache and again it’s two stops on the Metro. They are working on linking the airport by rail by that was not completed as of my 2009 stay.

From Bellecour, you can also walk nearly everywhere. During my stay (I admit I walk a lot!) I walked west to the old town (Vieux Lyon), north to Hotel De Ville, Northeast to the Park D’Or and eventually to the shopping area at Part Dieu. But even if you don’t choose to walk everywhere, the metro is outside your door and is on two central lines.

The checkin was very smooth. The desk clerks and concierge all speak perfect English (and also indulged my French) and were very helpful in suggesting local sights (I never would have visited their wonderful park without the guidance) and even where to go at night as well as suitable day trips.

The room, as you can see in the pictures, was very elegant. I had a single so the room itself wasn’t massive, but for a single room in Europe, it was a good size.  There was a very nice bathroom with full shower/tub and room on the sink for all my things. The room had a flat panel TV with an assortment of French channels as well as CNN and BBC World in English.

If you book a rate that includes breakfast (most don’t, but mine did), you can take breakfast in the dining room, in your own room (no extra charge) or if you’re in a hurry to get out the door, they will do a “light” breakfast (coffee, juice, croissants) in a box for you. You’re also not held to having breakfast by a set time – if you wake up late, it’s no problem. As a night owl, I really appreciated that.

I can usually think of at least something that bothered by during my stay in any hotel, but I really can’t fault anything about the Hotel Le Royal. I only wish I had booked the Jr Suite (pictures below) as those rooms are really quite breathtaking.  I never encountered rude staff, all requests were accommodated, and the room itself was nicely appointed. I’d stay at the Hotel Le Royal again if my travels took my back to Lyon.

-DG

Pictures of Jr Suite