Apartment hotel or hotel in Paris: how to choose, from the 7th arrondissement

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An apartment hotel in Paris is chosen for the equipped kitchen and long stays: you can cook, do laundry, and the nightly rate often drops after a week. A classic hotel like ours is chosen for the opposite: nothing to manage, breakfast served in the dining room, a ground‑floor bar and someone at reception to plan your day. In practice, the dividing line is the length of stay: under four or five nights, the kitchen is rarely used and the hotel wins; beyond two weeks, or with young children, the apartment hotel holds its own.

Our façade on avenue Duquesne, with red blinds and potted plants

The question is decided by the length of stay, not the displayed price. That’s the answer we give at reception when we’re asked, and we’ll say it straight away: we are a classic hotel, our rooms have no kitchen. If you’re coming for a three‑month contract, we’re not the right address and we’ll tell you so.

An apartment hotel rents units equipped with a kitchen or kitchenette, designed for independent living: you shop, you cook, you hang your laundry. The trade‑off is logical. Service is lighter, breakfast is rarely served in the dining room, and the life of the property often boils down to a check‑in desk. It’s a perfectly rational choice when you stay a long time.

On our side, what we sell is the opposite: you manage nothing. Breakfast is served buffet‑style in our breakfast room, the ground‑floor bar offers classic cocktails and a chef‑crafted menu in a discreet dining room, and you can ask reception for dinner recommendations without opening an app. Check‑in is from 15:00, check‑out at 11:00.

There is a second, less‑often mentioned criterion: location. Most Parisian apartment hotels are on the city’s outskirts or near train stations because they need space. We are at 5 avenue Duquesne, between the Invalides and the École Militaire, within walking distance of the Champ de Mars, the Rodin Museum and the quays. On a short stay, those avoided trips weigh more than a kitchen you wouldn’t use.

Finally, the family question. It’s often presented as a strong argument for apartment hotels, and it’s partly true with toddlers who need meals at fixed times. But for a family of three we have a Triple room designed for that, and our Junior Suite with a view is 28 m² with a sitting area and a workspace. Space also exists in the hotel; it’s just organized differently.

CriterionApartment hotelOur hotel, avenue Duquesne
Kitchen in the unit Yes, that’s the point of the formatNo, our rooms don’t have one
Breakfast Usually self‑servedBuffet served in our breakfast room
Bar on site RareYes: classic cocktails and a chef’s cuisine, discreet dining room
Family format Separate rooms, practical with young childrenTriple room, and 28 m² Junior Suite with sitting area
Meeting room Variable, often absentYes, a meeting room and the option to privatize the bar
Stay length where the format is profitable From one to two weeksFrom one to seven nights, the most common case for us
Typical Paris location Often on the outskirts or near stations7th arrondissement, between the Invalides and the École Militaire
Hours Variable by operatorCheck‑in from 15:00, check‑out at 11:00

Apartment hotel

Benefits
  • A equipped kitchen, so you can eat in when you’re done with restaurants
  • Separate rooms, useful when a child goes to bed at 8 p.m.
  • A nightly rate that usually drops on long stays
Cons
  • Reduced service: no on‑site advice, little communal life
  • Often located on the outskirts, so daily travel time
  • You have to do the shopping, which only makes sense if you stay

Our hotel

Benefits
  • Breakfast is served, the bar is downstairs, you organize nothing
  • The 7th on foot: Champ de Mars, Invalides, Rodin Museum, Seine quays
  • Rooms with Eiffel Tower views, including the 28 m² Junior Suite
Cons
  • No kitchen in the room, so all meals are eaten out or at the bar
  • A format not designed for multi‑month stays
  • The 7th is a residential area: for nightlife you have to go elsewhere

When to choose what

Choose Apartment hotel

You stay two weeks or more, you travel with a baby or a restrictive diet, or you are in Paris for work rather than sightseeing. In those cases the kitchen really matters and autonomy is better than service. It’s also the right choice if you need a living space separate from the bedroom every night.

Choose Our hotel, avenue Duquesne

You stay from two to seven nights, you plan to walk all day and prefer to return without worrying about dinner or laundry. That’s the stay we’re made for: a neighborhood from which you can walk to the tower, the Invalides and the quays, a room with a view if you book it, and a bar on the way back. For three people, ask for the Triple; for a view, the Double with view or the Junior Suite.

Book your stay at Derby Eiffel Hotel