Hotel Du Helder

Lyon room and area review

Liked: The place is good for the price,Pros: Staff is very attentive, room was clean and organized, and a very close walking distance to great places and old town we didn't have to take the bus or anything to discover that part.If you have a late departure by your train or airplane after your check-out, they have a baggage room so you can go amd enjoy a bit more before departing (there's no lock or special rack to secure the bags, everyone put them all together in the same place and you just open the door when you're going to pick them up)Tip: they offer a $10 breakfast, it's good, but there's also a nice cafeteria 2 blocks away which offers also good food.
Disliked: Cons:If you arrive too late, the hotel is located 2 blocks away from a very not looking area and reported pick pockets we never went to that side (not related to the hotel but something to consider)The air-conditioning in our room didn't work, on previous comments they said they're doing some renovations, that's all good, but the amenities should be updated when they are ready to be used. In conclusion the place has AC but doesn't work.It's a bit noisy when people arrives late, you can hear the elevator, people opening doors and entering rooms.

Needs improvements

Liked: The staff were all friendly and helpful and gave me a refund for the parking.
Disliked: I prebooked a parking space but unfortunately the car park was too tight to fit our medium sized car (more clear instructions should be given prior to arrival). We went to park on street but had to park 15 minutes walk away in a ‘safer area’ as warned by the receptionist and again by a local resident when we parked nearby the hotel. This made us feel quite unsafe in the area, to the point where we didn’t explore Lyon the next day as we didn’t want to leave our things in the car, we just packed the car and left the city, which is a shame.There was no wifi in the room as the signal was too weak, no sockets by the beds (only one for the tv which we had to use in turns to charge our phones). There was also no air con, instead a desk fan was provided. Overall, the room was below standards and needs improvements to offer a better guest experience.

Disappointing

Liked: The bed was good and the staff was nice as well
Disliked: Shower without curtain is not convenient at all, the carpet was not very clean my feet were black, bad isolation and no airco

Lovely, convenient, comfortable & clean.

Liked: Convenience - close to river cruise shipsBuffet breakfast for 10 euros - good price & good range of food & drinksStaff were all very helpful & friendlyRoom was a good size & comfy bed. It’s old but very well kept
Disliked: A little bit rough outside.

Major upgrades needed

Liked: The location is great, the reception staff was smiling and friendly
Disliked: I didn't believe it was possible in the 21st century to book a room without air conditioning. The tiny room wasn't cleaned properly. There were small pieces of broken glass on the dusty carpet right in front of the window. I doubt the room had been vacuumed recently. And the view out the window was of construction scaffolding. The only means of cooling was a fan, which didn't help when the temperature reached 38 degrees. Lyon is in the south of France after all, and the temperatures in the summer are unbearable. In addition to the fact that the small room had a bed without night stands, we only had one socket, which didn't work well. The second socket was in the bathroom. The bathroom itself was OK, but needs ventilation. I will definitely look for another accommodation when I return to Lyon.

Thank you for hosting me!

Liked: Attentive staff, hot and cold water available in the bathroom and it was clean that is highly appreciated.
Disliked: No AC only fan, hotel has is a bit old designed rooms but it’s ok. after renovations it will be nice.

Passable

Liked: Position and staff
Disliked: No air conditioning, the rooms are old, few sockets.

Good

Bad

Disliked: The photos did not reflect what the room was in reality. Not clean. There was major construction work being done out in the hallway while guests stayed in the rooms.