Burned in Paris-Hotel St. Louis on Ille St. Louis
Jul 3rd, 2001, 11:45 AM
#44
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You may note that the web site for Frommer's now has a caution about the reservation practices of the Hotel St. Louis. Frommer's rates this hotel especially highly. Perhaps the spread of this information will induce the hotel to mend its ways. Except for their unfortunate habit of disregarding their reservation agreements the hotel is very good. Please note also that the room rate information on these sites and in the travel guides is dated. The upper rate since the renovation is 1300 FF per night, plus taxes and breakfast. I believe the rates start at 900 FF. I'll never find out.
Jul 4th, 2001, 12:42 AM
#45
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I have no good experiences of hotels in Paris, but Hotel St Louis was the worst value for money I have ever come across. <BR> <BR>To back up s.fowler, I would add - do not be fooled by the attractive and stylish foyer: the two rooms we had were indeed very small and astonishingly ineptly constructed (do not hire their building contractors either). The furnishings were sub IKEA. And the staff really didn't give two hoots about anybody as far as I could see. It was reassuring to see them behaving with the same languid lack of interest towards all and sundry.
Jul 4th, 2001, 02:33 AM
#46
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<BR>I've been sent from phone number to phone number, but couldn't find a service which would give advices in english to unsatisfied foreign customers. I still have two organisms to call, but I'm not sure if I'll manage to contact them today, and thereafter, I'm leaving for a short vacation. <BR> <BR>The only useful info I found is that the Paris tourism office will receive, register and handle complaints in relation with Paris police. But they told me they won't give legal advices or informations. At this point, I doubt I will find something else, and it seems that the tourism office is the only hope for non-french speaking tourists who had to deal with an unscrupulous hotel owner.
Jul 4th, 2001, 07:58 AM
#47
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I hate to think that the only hope for travelers is a french government functionaire.In the long run hotels, such as the Hotel St. Louis, that depend on tourist revenue (rather than conventions and group bookings) live and perish by referals from satisfied guests and travel books. If the guide books quit recommending the hotel, noting it was delisted for its unfriendly reservation practices,and guests communicated their displeasure to prospective guests, the attitude of management might be adjusted, and their behavior more hospitable. I recall that there are 80,000 rooms in Paris from which to choose. There's no need to accept uncertainty about whether one's reservation will be honored.
Jul 4th, 2001, 03:38 PM
#48
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Actually, if you are lucky to get room #1 at the Hotel Ile St. Louis (where our kids were moved to after I complained about their room), you get great value for the money. Room 34 was terrible, as described above. On the whole, and after many trips to Paris, I too have never had what I would call a wonderful hotel experience. The value is just not there, and the Parisian's attitude can be appalling.
Jul 4th, 2001, 04:27 PM
#49
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I think we've established that Hotel St. Louis has some problems -- but the generalizations... c'mon folks -- there are plenty of honest hoteliers and nice hotels in Paris at all levels. <BR> <BR>We like to keep it under $100 so we stay at Hotel la Motte Piquet[corner of Rue Cler]-- none of the room descriptions of Hotel St. Louis fit this charming small two star. The rooms are nicely decorated. The bathrooms are white tiled and clean and the front desk, while not faening is helpful in a very french "correct" sort of way. So ask the rest of us for other ideas -- and let this hotel stew in its well earned juices.
Jul 4th, 2001, 04:32 PM
#50
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To the previous poster: I'm sorry that you feel that you have never had a wonderful hotel experience in Paris. However, I'd have to disagree with your statement that the value is just not there. If you compare Paris with destinations like London or New York, I feel that you get much better hotel value for your money in Paris. It is possible to find nice rooms in charming small hotels in the $100 per night range in Paris. I wouldn't even want to see a $100 per night hotel room in New York City. The trick is to know where to look. That's where forums like this one come in handy. <BR> <BR>There are numerous recommendations on this forum for hotels, even specific rooms in the hotels. Other sources like the French Hotel Reservation service (at www.france.com) provide comments from former guests. I've used these sources in selecting hotels in Paris and have been very pleasantly surprised. As others have suggested, we should all add our comments to these forums on hotels, particularly those that abuse their customers like the Hotel St. Louis, to try to spare others from disappointment. Part of the fun of visiting Paris is staying in one of the independently run small hotels, as opposed to cookie-cutter chain hotels. However, they may not all be up to your standards. Using sites like this one to ask specific questions about hotels that you are considering can help a lot in the decision-making process.
Jul 4th, 2001, 07:29 PM
#51
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I think if you go with lowered expectations about your hotel, you'll be fine. A hotel with a.c. is a requirement in July and August. Actually the staff at St. Louis was quite warm to us, although I had to be quite persistent to get the room change. And as to the generalizations, I think it is only honest to admit that the french are very patronizing towards americans.
Jul 4th, 2001, 08:54 PM
#52
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I have read that faxes are legally binding in France, so I always request a confirmation by fax. I've never had a problem so far. There are reports of a few hotels that routinely overbook and handle cancellations poorly. I always re-confirm when I book my airline tickets, and re-confirm again several weeks before departure. I figure with three or more faxes, I'm not likely to be first choice for being cancelled or "walked".
Jul 5th, 2001, 02:08 PM
#53
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Once more into the quagmire. I am one of the lucky patrons almost burned by the reservation policies of Hotel St. Louis,though, in the end, they honored our specific reservation. We'd reserved a top floor room with balcony, the largest in a hotel known for very small rooms. We did not want any other room in the hotel because we (rightly) felt it'd be too small. Those requirements were clearly articulated in writing to the Hotel months in advance, and they took our reservation under those conditions. We had no interest in entering a legal fray to get another room there or elsewhere.Those things are costly and time consuming. My wife and I both are attorneys. We'd gone to Paris to escape our work. We simply wanted what we'd bargained for. <BR> <BR>I am somewhat surprised that people argue in this forum seriously that Paris hotels are not good values. I find them great money values when compared to rooms in other great world capitals. Comparable rooms in London or Rome cost far, far more. And, they're not in Paris. <BR> <BR>Again, I've been to Paris many times over many years and have had one potentially bad experience with one hotel. I don't believe even a significant fraction of hotels design to take advantage of foreign travelers. I'm also not closed to being convinced that the French have disdain for Americans.
Jul 6th, 2001, 01:01 AM
#55
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Hey XXX: J'y reponds: My French is adequate. It impresses my wife, she says. I've observed that the French warm to people who make an effort to speak their language, no matter how poorly. During our last visit I was teased, good naturedly, by a cafe proprietor, who conveyed his enjoyment of my speaking French with an Italian accent. <BR>I've read remarks in this forum insisting that only people whose French is flawless can "appreciate" the subtle and not so subtle derrogatory remarks about Americans, frequently spoken in the native language. My response is simply I care most about how I'm treated, and don't wring my hands or gnash my teeth over what a waiter or shopkeeper, who doesn't know but is working for me, thinks about me. I'd also suggest that it is easy to read body language and facial expressions without knowing a word of French. There is a world of difference between a smile and a smirk and my toddlers can "appreciate" that distinction. Again, we enjoy ourselves in France, convey this, I believe, to others, and are well treated by the French. To those folks who choose to feel differently, I'd suggest they refrain from making a trip they will not enjoy. <BR> <BR>Again, we digress. This primary focus of this thread is and should remain the shabby reservation practices of the Hotel St. Louis.
Jul 6th, 2001, 11:42 AM
#56
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Yes, we digress. But you are quick to jump to a lot of assumptions, and they are not all correct. If you love Paris more than any other travel destination, then by all means continue to go there. I only suggest that there is a whole world out there, and Paris is not the end - all, even though most Parisians are firmly convinced that it is. Now as usual, you may have the last word.
