28 Rue d'Odessa, 75014 Paris

Hôtel Odessa Montparnasse

Name: Hôtel Odessa Montparnasse
Address: 28 Rue d'Odessa, Paris, 75014, FR
Rating: 4.2

Hotel 2-star in Paris

Presentation

The Hotel Odessa Montparnasse overlooks Rue d’Odessa, just steps from Montparnasse Station, in a part of the 14th arrondissement where postwar brasseries stand alongside cinemas and shops that never really close. People often arrive on foot, stepping off the train, suitcase bumping over the cobblestones.

The façade is Haussmann-style, like most of the buildings in the neighborhood. Nothing sets it apart from a distance. It is only when you push open the door that you realize you are entering a family business, handed down through several generations, where the smile at reception is no rehearsed script.

The original staircase spirals upward, narrow and a little steep, the kind you now only find in old Paris buildings. An elevator serves the six floors, but it is tiny; a suitcase and its owner barely fit inside. Travelers with reduced mobility, or those arriving heavily laden, should keep that in mind before booking: the property is not designed for wheelchairs or large strollers. That is the price of an old building that they chose not to alter.

The 41 rooms are divided into five categories, ranging from just 11 to 20 square meters for the smallest. Singles, doubles, twins, up to triples and quads for families. The furniture has been refurbished, and the fabrics were chosen in warm tones, neither garish nor austere. The bathrooms, meanwhile, remain true to the scale of the building, meaning modest; you can turn around without necessarily raising your elbows, but hot water is available and everything works. The double glazing lives up to its promise against street noise, even if the elevator or certain corridors can sometimes be heard from neighboring rooms on quiet nights.

In the morning, there is no common dining room where you sit down at a buffet. Continental breakfast is brought directly to your door, between 7:15 a.m. and 10 a.m.: coffee, juice, pastries. It is an almost domestic ritual; you wait for it in your pajamas and enjoy it in bed or on the windowsill if the room faces the courtyard.

Outside, the Gaîté district and its theaters are a few streets away. Vavin and its metro station are about a ten-minute walk, cutting through the small streets that slope down toward Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Luxembourg Gardens. Montparnasse at night remains lively, with bars and cinemas open late, but never noisy enough to disturb sleep.

The staff know their regulars, keep smiling even on a busy Sunday morning, and can tell you without hesitation where to find the best bakery on the street or the shortcut to avoid the queue at the station.

A tip, in the late afternoon: ask for a room on a higher floor if you can; some have a small balcony overlooking the zinc rooftops, one of the best free moments to watch Paris settle down before dinner.

Summary of a few positive reviews read on the Web

Warm welcome; the person at reception took the time to explain the neighborhood and note the best way to reach Vavin metro station.
Room five minutes on foot from Montparnasse Station, convenient for an early morning departure without having to lug the suitcase around for too long.
The breakfast was delivered to the room right on time, hot coffee, juice, and pastries, simple and efficient.
Room on the fifth floor with a small balcony, not very large but enough to get some fresh air after getting out of bed.
Despite the bars in the neighborhood down the street, the room stayed quiet in the evening; the double glazing does its job.