Review: Moxy Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG)

For the next stop of my trip to Paris and Cairo, I spent a night at the 292-room Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). I had a very early morning flight, so I figured staying at an airport hotel made the most sense. Besides, it had been some time since I last stayed at a Moxy, which is one of Marriott’s “hip” limited service brands.

I’ve gotta say, I had a great stay at the Moxy. While the rooms are super simple, I love how consistent the brand is, and I also prefer the public spaces of Moxy properties to those of most other limited service brands. While I of course prefer the in-terminal Sheraton Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, which I reviewed a while ago, it’s also significantly more expensive.

Booking the Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle

I booked my stay at Moxy Charles de Gaulle Airport with cash, as the rate was just €97. I could’ve redeemed Marriott Bonvoy points, and the rate was 17,000 points for the night. However, based on my valuation of 0.7 cents per Bonvoy point, paying cash was the better deal.

Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle location

The Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is a short distance from the airport, in an area that has a bunch of airport hotels.

All of these hotels can be reached via the CDGVAL train system, which offers free transfers between the airport and the neighboring areas. The train currently runs from 4AM until 1AM daily, and the stop is about five minutes from the hotel. Specifically, the Moxy is near the car park stop, which is the end of the line.

Since I was traveling light, I found it easy to get to the CDGVAL station, though if you have a lot of luggage or limited mobility, you might find this to be more challenging.

Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle lobby & check-in

I arrived at the Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in the early afternoon, and quickly found myself in the playful lobby. Moxy properties merge the front desk and food & beverage experience (presumably to limit staffing), as you check-in in the same general area where you can order food and drinks.

My check-in process was quick and friendly, and within a minute, I had a key to my room, along with a voucher for a complimentary drink at the bar (wine, beer, or soft drink), on account of my Bonvoy elite status.

The lobby had plenty of seating. Inside the entrance and to the left was an area where you could comfortably lounge (whether you want to just relax or work), with a variety of seating choices.

There was even a business center with a couple of iMacs and a printer.

Then inside the entrance and to the right was the main social space of the hotel. You don’t have to order any food or drinks to sit here. I quite like these kinds of spaces — especially when jet lagged, I always work best when I’m not in my room (where the temptation is to sit and bed, and then fall asleep), so I appreciate the “proper” tables that one can sit at.

But even if you’re not looking to work, there’s the opportunity to have fun, with things like foosball tables.

I also love how this property leans into being an airport hotel, with an airplane fuselage that has little nooks you can sit in.

If you prefer sitting outside, there are also some benches, though it was a bit chilly for that during my stay.

Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle room

With key in hand, I headed up to the fifth (top) floor, where my room was located. The hotel has a bank of three elevators.

This hotel has really long hallways, due to its rectangular shape, and my room, 506, was quite a distance from the elevators (which I suppose is good in terms of minimizing noise).

Moxy properties generally don’t have much variation between rooms, and this location was no exception. I was in a standard queen room, marketed as being 17 square meters (183 square feet). Let me emphasize upfront that Moxy rooms are simple — they typically don’t have proper desks, don’t have phones, and don’t have an enclosed closet space.

The room was… like every other Moxy room I’ve ever stayed in? I found the queen bed to be quite well padded, though I do wish that more than two pillows were offered (fortunately I was traveling alone, because otherwise I’d really struggle with just one pillow).

There was a chair along the interior corner of the room, though it was definitely a tight squeeze.

The room also had a wall-mounted TV, plus a little glass table of sorts, with a stool you could sit on. It’s not exactly the most comfortable place to sit, so as I said above, I tried to sit in the lobby while working.

Back near the entrance was an exposed space to hang clothes, along with a luggage rack — I liked the aviation themed wallpaper!

The room had views of a parking lot, so it wasn’t exactly the most inspiring view for an airport hotel.

The bathroom was extremely compact, with a sink, a toilet, and a walk-in shower.

Toiletries were in reusable containers, and were frustratingly difficult to use. The “pump” feature just didn’t work very well, and it was a pain to actually get any decent amount of liquid out.

Wi-Fi in the room was fast and free. I will say, sound insulation in the rooms wasn’t great, and you could hear when other guests would slam their doors. I sleep with white noise (I use an app), so it didn’t bother me much, but for those who are sensitive to noise, it’s worth being aware of.

As is standard at Moxy properties, ironing facilities were available on select guest floors, since that’s (obviously) not offered in the room. They sure choose an interesting picture for that, eh?

Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle gym

The Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport has a gym on the lobby level, which is basic, but does the trick. It has a treadmill, an elliptical, a bike, a bench with free weights, and a punching bag.

Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle food & drinks

The bar area at the Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is open daily from 6AM until 10PM, with a grab and go selection available 24/7. To start, below is the selection you can pick up at any hour, with everything from wine, to beer, to soft drinks, to salads, to packaged snacks.

While I wasn’t at the hotel for breakfast (it’s served from 6AM until 10AM), there was a limited lunch and dinner menu, which looked quite decent. It’s written on a board above the area where you order.

I had a late lunch at the hotel, and had a Pepsi Zero with my drink voucher (I didn’t feel like having alcohol).

To eat, I had a salmon bowl, with salmon tartare, mango, cucumbers, and tomatoes, which was quite tasty.

Late at night I came back for dinner (there aren’t many other options in the area), and had a cheese pizza, which was good enough.

Bottom line

The Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport was perfect for my quick overnight, prior to an early morning flight. Moxy properties are basic, but they’re consistent, which I like. I go in with reasonable expectations, and I’m rarely disappointed.

This Moxy had clean and functional (but petite) rooms, friendly staff, easy access to the airport, and nice social spaces, with a respectable selection of food and drinks. Moxy is among my preferred limited service brands, primarily due to the public spaces, and the decent selection of food and drinks (compared to something like a Hyatt Place or Hampton Inn, for example).

I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again. Of course I’d rather stay at the Sheraton in the terminal, but I wanted to mix it up this time, and this is also typically less than half the cost.

What do you make of the Moxy Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport?