cherylm

Can anyone compare and contrast these two hotels. They are my final choices for a June 1st trip to Paris--my first! (FYI, hotel/room quality is probably a little more important to me than location.)

Underhill

not hard to do, as they're quite different. the madison is a smallish 3*; the concorde is a large 4*.

Lutece

I am not familiar with Hotel Madison, but I can tell you that on my husband's and my first trip to Paris together in 1998 we stayed at Concorde St. Lazare. We loved it. The lobby is beautiful and I believe has historical designation. The room was almost normal American-hotel size, and the bathroom was very large by Euro standards and quite lovely. It had A/C too, which was nice as it was July and a tad hot. The breakfast was a huge feast; it kept us going until dinner each day. The hotel was part of a airfare/hotel package through American Airlines and the breakfast was included. Otherwise, I think it was rather expensive. We liked the location, with easy access to the metro and several lines converging there. In any case, I have not one bad to say about the place. No matter where you stay, I hope you have a wonderful trip!

Dlemma

Another take on Concorde St. Lazare - the lobby is beautiful, its near train stations, shopping, etc. But, it's a big hotel and I didn't think there was a lot of ambience, once you got past the lobby. There were lots of American tour groups staying there, which isn't what I come to Paris to see.

I guess Concorde St. Lazare is OK, but give me a small quirky hotel on the Left Bank any day.

gradyghost

Cheryl: We stayed at Concorde St Lazare this past October enroute by train from Gare St. Lazare to Normany. It served that purpose well. I would not choose the hotel for a prolonged stay in Paris. There are many other hotels for that purpose depending upon your needs and desires.
Gradyghost

Guenmai

I've been vacationing in Paris, almost annually, since the mid-70s and have stayed in a lot of districts and hotels. And personally, I would pick district/area over hotel. You won't be in the room that much anyhow...Paris is a be out in the street kind of city. I have neither stayed at the Concorde nor the Madison, but I have stayed at a hotel in the 9th...probably the Concorde's district and although the hotel was very nice I really wanted to be in the 6th...where the Madison is located. I have been staying in the 6th since the early 80s. I know where the Madison which is an excellent location and there are a lot of places you can walk to from the 6th...like the Louvre and I even walk to Notre Dame from the 6th. Plus the streets are just more interesting there and the shopping is beyond amazing. There are a lot of hotels to choose from like the Hotel de Fleurie on rue Gregoire de Tour or the Hotel de Buci on rue Buci right smack in the middle of quaintness with outdoor flower markets, food markets,lots of cafes, and bakeries...plus the entire part of the rue Gregoire de Tour between rue Buci and Blvd. St. Germaine is lined with restaurants on both sides of this narrow street...a friend of mine owns a restaurant there so I know the area very well.There are a lot of narrow streets in the 6th and not lots of wide boulevards although there are some boulevards that connect it. Happy Travels!

cherylm

Thank you very much for your replys. Although I'm still unsure where to stay! To sum it up, it sounds like the St. Lazare it probably the better room, however the location of the Madison is much better. hmmm...

Underhill

if you book a superior or deluxe room at the madison you will get a lovely, good-sized room. all the rooms were redecorated last spring, and the bathrooms are large. i am very particular about rooms too, and i don't think the madison would disappoint you IF you can get a reservation; the hotel has many regulars.

Underhill

if you book a superior or deluxe room at the madison you will get a lovely, good-sized room. all the rooms were redecorated last spring, and the bathrooms are large. i am very particular about rooms too, and i don't think the madison would disappoint you IF you can get a reservation; the hotel has many regulars.

i posted a detailed review of the madison at tripadvisor.com.

greece

The Hotel Concorde St-Lazare is located in the 8th not the 9th arr. in front of the st-lazare station and the rue st.lazare iin't quiet at all . You'd better get a room on the high floors.Also the hotel is not in walking distance from the sites(except the Opera Garnier that is a 15min walk). If you like a grand hotel in the right bank (oposite the Opera Garnier) then you should look at the Scribe which is a 4l hotel much nicer than the St-Lazare with more elegant rooms. They have the same prices and their classic rooms are spacious for Paris (sometimes have promos for the superior and deluxe rooms around 200euros with breakfast). The MAdison is a 3star boutique hotel just oposite the St Germain Church the location is better than this in the St.Lazare.

oberost

Don't know if you are committed to either. If not, my wife and I have stayed at two hotels in the 6th that we thoroughly enjoyed.
1) Pas des Calais- right off blvd, St. Germain and around the corner from Deux Magots
2) Le Sainte Beauve- small, not far from same area.
Both are quality, I think, but have nice location.

artistamerica

Cheryl,
Unfortunately, I have no good news about the St. Lazare. I was there in October, beginning my tour of France to see more of VanGogh's territory as I am an artist as well.
I asked the concierge at the Lazare for the most affordable and easiest way to get to Auvere, 20 minutes north of Paris. He called a Taxi company and got a rate of 43 euro, wrote it down for me and asked a cab to be there in the morning, 9:30am.
In the morning I told the bell hop that I had a taxi waiting to take me to Auvere. He took me to a car and off I went.
In the states, taxi's are quite clearly marked. In France they are NOT. We took a bit longer than the 3 hour time I was quoted (for 43 euro) and felt that the fare might now be about 100-125 euro.
Upon checkout I was horrified to discover that the Hotel St. Lazare wanted to charge me 455 euro each, for 2 trips to Auvere!! I argued that it was impossible, I wasn't even there the for the first day they wanted to charge me for and secondly, their concierge quoted me 43 euro. They said they'd drop the first charge after I found it necessary to threaten getting my credit card company involved. I was forced to pay for the second bill or they threatened to add it to my colleugue's bill!! She didn't even go with me. There is a word for that.
Honestly, I'd have paid a fair amount to the "Taxi" driver that I asked for. There was a switch made by the bell hop when I went with him to the "Cab". He put me in a French limo at 100 euro an hour.
I was forced to sign for the fare. I didn't want my friend to have to do battle once we got home. We were hosed. No question.
The rest of our trip to France was outstanding with plenty of wonderful B&B owners and merchants. We just don't trust the Lazare. It isn't an accident that I was put into a limo. Someone made out on that one.
BE CAREFUL. Be explicit. Ask and ask again about fares and charges BEFORE you agree to anything there.
If I can stop even one person from staying there one night, I've settled up with them. Two or more and they have received that bad karma that they send out.

Happy travels. I am sorry that I can't say anything nice about the Lazare except that the drunk in the alley outside our window the second night at 2 am had a decent voice. The echo helped.

Tere

I would book the Concorde. I am also very picky and didn't like the rooms and bathrooms at the Madison at all! And it's not worth the money, but that's my opinion, most people here seem to like it.

Underhill

I'm curious--what kind of room did you have at the Madison, and what was wrong with it and the bathroom?

francophile03

Apparently Tere got a courtyard room from an old post I read. From what I understand, the best rooms face the church.

Tere

Yes, I had a courtyard room, with annoying wall paper and carpet colours,and very dark. The bathroom had red tiles, which matched "wonderfully" with the orange and blue of the room. It was ugly and I paid 205 euros for it. Never again!!!

francophile03

Yuck! Only a blind person would appreciate that room, Tere. That is another reason to request a room that faces the church even though you pay dearly for those types of rooms.

Underhill

Note that the Madison's rooms and halls were renevoted last spring. All is now cheerful and quite pretty. But there's no doubt that the rooms facing the Blvd. St-Germain are by far the best and the largest, which is quite large by Paris standards.

Tere

Francophile and Underhill, I am glad to hear that they renovated the rooms this spring . They really needed that. Paying 205 euros for the room I had was the worst hotel deal I ever made!I was there 2 years ago.At the time the Madison had mine and many other bad reviews at Tripadvisor.Merry Christmas everyone