Hotel De France Invalides or Hotel Du College De France - help!

Perhaps this will help:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187147-d507036-r2879103-Hotel_de_France-Paris_Ile_de_France.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187147-d292872-r2978526-Hotel_de_France_Invalides-Paris_Ile_de_France.html

Still can't decide - both look good. This is the worst part of the trip preparation!

I can't help you with the Hotel du College de France, but I stay at the Hôtel de France all the time and love it for what it is - a good-value, clean, friendly place with really good mattresses and nicely appointed bathrooms. The rooms are smallish, but if you ask for a renovated room (I think there's still one floor they haven't finished renovating, but could be wrong as I was last there in October) you'll get a nice room.

Can't help you with the bedding arrangements. The Hôtel de France has rooms with all sorts of bedding arrangements, as does the other hotel, I would imagine. It depends on what you ask them for.

Recent review of du Colleges on TA:

"...The location is fantastic for many of the tourist attractions- a few minutes walk from Notre Dame and the Louvre, as well as the Pantheon. The price was definitely in our bugdet, but I believe that 90 euros a night is off season pricing. The front desk was very good with direct hotel reservations via email, but not helpful in planning day trips or making restaurant reservations. When we arrived, everybody was friendly and spoke at least some English, which is great for your first time in Paris if you are not fluent in the native tongue. They gave us a list of restaraunts they recommend within walking distance ranked by price which was very useful. Our dinner at La Petit Prince was the best we had in Paris! The rooms, however, left a little to be desired compared to the pictures they have posted on the net. Ours had very old, stained, and burned carpet, and a bedspread that looked very used. When people smoked in neighboring rooms, it was like they were smoking in yours. The reputation for thin walled European hotels is definitely confirmed at the HCF - bring ear plugs. However, the bathroom was recently redone and there is a safe in the room. Housekeeping service was spotty - sometimes your room was cleaned, sometimes not. Breakfast, at 8 euros a day, we found to be a deal compared to other places nearby. All in all, if you don't expect brand new furnishings in the rooms and you are on a budget, this is a very reasonable place to stay..."

I stayed at the Hotel du College de France last October and loved it. Our room (a triple) was a very nice size and the bathroom was surprisingly big. Our room was clean, the hotel staff were welcoming and friendly, and the breakfast was very good. The location couldn't be better and the price was right too. I would definitely stay there again.

jame:
Did you have one of the top-floor rooms? I think there are only 2 or 3 up there.

Hotel du College de France is wonderful.

I have stayed here twice in the last 5 months and have had two different rooms one on the 6th floor (a double with a view of the eiffel tower) and a single on the 2nd floor. Double room waw a bit larger than the single room, but the single room had only a shower and the double room had a tub and larger bathroom. It also had a safe in the room and the single did not.

The staff is wonderful--do a search on here to find out more info. I have posted it before. Next time I go to Paris, I plan on staying here. Price is right, location is perfect (2 metro stations nearby and also RER station), located on a side street, lots of places to eat and only a short walk to Ile de Citie and Notre Dame.

Don't worry about it not being clean, it is spotless!

Au Revoir,
susie