AC Hotel Paris Porte Maillot This one isn't exactly central, but it's less than a 10-minute walk to Porte Maillot metro station, so it feels like a pretty good value pick. On price: cash rates in low season are just over €200 before tax, and can hit €400+ in high season. Points redemptions run around 50k, with a peak of only 54k. I thought September would already be low season, but availability has been really tight lately, with last-minute cash rates near $500. I hadn't booked ahead, so I used 54k x2 and 50k x1 to book a few nights — I'd say I got decent value out of it? One night in the middle had no availability, so I stayed one night at the Renaissance La Défense. Worth mentioning that La Défense is also a solid value option — a bit further out, but still very close to the metro. It's surrounded by towering skyscrapers, a completely different scene from central Paris, and in the early morning you can see plenty of office workers hurrying to work. Back to the point — I only have the complimentary Marriott Gold status. On the first night at check-in, I tried asking whether an upgrade was available, and it seemed like the manager looked into it. Afterwards they said congratulations, and that I could choose between free breakfast and a welcome drink. My French is decent, so I asked in French (surclassement) — maybe that helped a bit? The front desk guy spoke so fast that I got lost partway through, so I asked him to switch to English and repeat it, and it was just as hard to follow, but I got the gist. The hallway is pretty plain, with no design flair whatsoever. The room is standard level; the upgrade added a sofa and a double-sided TV partition, and soundproofing is so-so — you can hear some white noise from outside the window. A nice touch is the complimentary bottle of water (though tap water is fine to drink too). The highlight is the free breakfast, which is quite generous: there's the usual continental spread (including French crêpes), plus charcuterie, and the yogurt toppings are unusually abundant. And of course, in France you can't skip the rich selection of pastries. After one night at the Renaissance, checking back in was handled by an older Black gentleman who leaned toward French. I told him I'd really enjoyed the breakfast before and asked if it was included this time too. He initially said no, so I explained what had happened previously, and he then said he'd add it for me. The front desk staff were very friendly — don't forget to say bonjour / bonsoir! To sum up, I think this is a solid 50k redemption spot in high season, since other more central Paris hotels far exceed 50k in peak season. If you have Platinum or can score breakfast, it's even more comfortable!
If you're planning to redeem points, it's worth checking availability for several consecutive nights before splitting your stay, so you don't end up shut out on the middle night and forced to move to another hotel—packing up and switching again is just a hassle.