10 rue Lafon, Toulouse, France | (618) 248-8274
Main train station within a five-minute walk
Tidy, pleasantly furnished apartment units with full kitchens
Petite outdoor pool with a handful of loungers and sun umbrellas
Small gym, sauna, and solarium
Free continental breakfast buffet included in rates
Private parking is available on site (with fee)
Laundry, dry-cleaning, and currency exchange services
Free Wi-Fi throughout building
Cribs and high chairs on request
Hotel's neighborhood lacks charm
Streets at night can feel a bit sketchy to some guests
Restaurant does not serve lunch, dinner, or alcohol
Pool is seasonal, and hotel lacks a business center
Form follows function in the design of this three-and-a-half-pearl apartment-style hotel, a few short blocks from the main train station of Toulouse. It's perfect for business travelers and families who care more about covering their essential needs than making a fashion statement. That's not to say there's no attempt at flair, particularly in the pool, garden, gym, and lounge, but by and large the design and furnishings of its 34 apartments are IKEA basic. The main sights of Toulouse are not within the immediate vicinity, but virtually all are within 20 minutes walking distance. If more neighborhood charm is desired, the Hotel Novotel Toulouse Centre Wilson provides a good alternative a 10-minute walk away toward the center of town.
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Scene
A practical apartment-style property with doses of flair
For families and business travelers the Privilege Appart-Hotel is primarily appealing for its functionality and convenience, especially as it's so close to the train station. That said, there is some admirable effort at design, which the hotel claims is inspired by the '70s "with a new twist." Flashes of this pop up in leopard print and Greek key-pattern carpeting -- accented by a few ferns, asymmetric coffee tables, expressionist paintings, and aromatic diffusers -- in the lounge and dining area. The AstroTurf in the back courtyard also gives a little wink to '70s style. Any social scene takes place around the heated pool (open in spring and summer months), but its small size and lack of a bar limits this scene to simple submersion, splashing, and suntanning on daybeds.
Location
Outside city center but walking distance to sights
Privilege Appart-Hotel sits just inside the northeast edge of the canal that rings the old city. Those arriving to Toulouse by train will only have a brief four-minute walk from Matabiau Station to the hotel. Such proximity, however, does come with some of the grit that inevitably coagulates around major urban train stations, making some past guests a touch uncomfortable, especially at night. The city’s main sights aren't as conveniently located, though thankfully, most are still within a 20-minute walk. Guests can also make use of the metro that stops at Matabiau, just one part of The Tisséo Network that threads the city with trams and buses. Shuttles run every 20 minutes from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport to Matabiau Station and take 20 minutes. - Four-minute walk to Matabiau Station (train and metro)
Rooms
Apartments with full kitchens and dabs of pre-fab retro design
While the Privilege Appart-Hotel bills its decor as being a “contemporary take on '70s' style,” there’s a pre-fab look to the furnishings and decor of the studios and apartments here that make them closer to IKEA than Studio 54. Still, their simple, functional, and sparse furnishings have a pleasing, tidy style with a few retro pops of colors for flavor. All units come with a full kitchen stocked with the basic appliances (microwaves, burners, mini-fridges), while living areas and bedrooms add comfortable double beds, flat-screen TVs, work desks, safes, air-conditioning, coffee and tea facilities, and free Wi-Fi. Bathrooms are outfitted with shower/bath combos, plus hairdryers, bathrobes and toiletries by Nuxe. All units apart from basic studios include sofa-beds, and several have balconies or terraces.
Features
Kitchens, pool, sauna, and gym support long term stays
The amenities here are more intended to satisfy than impress, but they do occasionally aim for elegance, starting with the pool, which, although small, offers some relief from the heat. Loungers here on the wooden deck or the little AstroTurf courtyard give another place to relax, as does the small sauna, which can be found in a tiny gym by three cardio machines and a pair of dumbbells. Dining options stop at the included continental buffet breakfast, but the full kitchens in each unit open up endless potential for cooking; just bring your own alcohol, as none is sold on the premises. There is no specific business center, but amenities like dry cleaning, laundry, currency exchange, and free Wi-Fi throughout the property provide helpful extras.
