We checked in at the Port Royal Hotel on October 2, 2019, and left for a walk and dinner. When we returned at 10:30 p.m., fire trucks were in front of the hotel. The hotel had a small fire and was shut down. Another fire occurred the next morning. We were relocated to a different hotel and returned at 7:00 p.m. to retrieve our bags. The process took about 1 1/2 hours as the luggage from each room was removed individually. To our surprise, the hotel did not help us find alternative lodgings, although our rooms were reserved nearly 1 year ago. Fortunately, Bruno, the husband of Isabelle, a hotel employee, helped us find another hotel using Booking.com. We were able to confirm the reservation only with my Paypal account. Booking.com would not accept any of our credit cards. We stayed at the Port Royal before and will probably return, but we also liked the alternative hotel, the Citadines Bastille Gare Lyon. Convenient location in a non-touristic location. About 200 euros/night for a one bedroom suite with a kitchen and living room furnished with a comfortable Italian sofa bed. The room sleeps 4 comfortably. We were told the Port Royal will be closed for some time. (Traveler Tip: In an emergency, Paypal may come in handy.)
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We also were at the hotel that night but in contrast were very pleased and impressed by the way that the staff handled the disaster and helped guests. In fact Isobel is a member of the family that owns and operates the hotel. She found us rooms the night of the fire and the next morning had located a room at a local hotel for the next few days. The difficulty of finding rooms for more than forty people in a very crowded Paris at ten o'clock at night was extreme. I know that she and her father Thierry had only one hour of sleep that first night precisely because they were working so hard on placing their guests. Under incredibly difficult conditions they did the best they could to find accommodation for as many as possible. We wish the family well and hope the hotel will reopen as soon as possible.
Long time guests from Canada