The adapter should look like this [make sure it will take a US plug that has a ground as most laptops have.]

http://www.amazon.com/American-Europ...=5336121816-20

november_moon is quite right about some US items not heating up right even with an adapter! I had to buy a French flat iron because the adapter and voltage converter did nothing but turn it on and heat it very slightly! I don't even bother taking a US hair dryer although, the ones supplied by hotels also don't have enough power to dry my super thick hair!

Rick Steves is a good resource on this issue and sells inexpensive adaptors...be careful out there! The idiots at Radio Shack will sell you the wrong thing for $50 and you don't need to pay any where near that!

You can purchase a hair dryer or other types of heating appliances at Darty or BHV in Paris for under 20 euros if you really need one. Having the proper tool for the job means no blown circuits, fires, or other undesirable outcomes.

Melting appliances - or hotel fuses - can be a function of the power of the aappliances you use. Many european hotels are older and they simply don;t have the wattage in their wiring in the room to use the appliances that generate a lot of heat. (Hair dryers and similar may blow both the appliance and the system - whie something like a shaver will be fine since it pulls somuch less power.)

Most hotels give you hair dryers - which are often not very hot. This is a function o the wiring - not the appliance. And trying to use a more powerful drier can fry everything.