I stayed at a 5-star hotel for the first time in my life. As a budget traveler, one simple thing surprised me the most.

21.10.2023 - 17:27 / insider.com / Paris / Star

During my first night at Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris in June, I noticed something was amiss. The large chair in the corner had been slightly repositioned, the curtains were drawn, and the bed looked tidier than I left it earlier that day.

After years of traveling on a budget, primarily booking cheap Airbnbs, hostels, or hotels, I had no idea what the small tweaks to my room meant. Housekeeping stopped by to clean the room that afternoon, so I was surprised to see more changes, which magically appeared before I returned from dinner at the hotel's restaurant.

The hotel, which I'd be calling home for the next few days while exploring Paris, was the most luxurious place I'd ever stayed. I'd arrived early that morning on JetBlue's inaugural flight from New York to Paris, so I was jetlagged, exhausted, and didn't have the energy to question the changes to my room. 

Crawling into bed, I deliriously concluded that someone had snuck into my room to mess with me. I told myself that if it happened again, I'd stop by the front desk to alert them to the courteous interloper playing some bizarre trick on me.

When I woke up the next morning, rested and able to think critically, I realized that the changes to my room were not someone's weird idea for a prank. Instead, they were part of something I had only read about in magazines or heard of in movies: turndown service.

Turndown service — which Architectural Digest calls "the hallmark of a luxury hotel" — is a kind of housekeeping service that prepares a guest's room for bedtime. Staff dim the lights, remake the bed if used, pull the drapes, and the like. Stereotypically, they place a mint or chocolate on guests' pillows, though I didn't find any bedtime sweets. 

In hindsight, it's obvious that Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris would have turndown service. The hotel has been designated a"Palace," a classification only awarded to France's most exceptional hotels. There are just 31 French "palaces" throughout the country. The hotel frequently caters to the stars, counting Cardi B and Maude Apatow — and me, obviously — as recent guests. 

After figuring out what was happening to my room each night, I felt more comfortable settling in for bed. While I think turndown service is a luxury that I can stand to live without in future travels, it was an unexpected perk to experience during my first time at a Parisian palace.