Paris - 3* vs 4* Hotels (Please HELP)
 

Good morning,
I'm planning a trip to Germany and Paris in February. I've heard (in Germany) there is a huge difference between 3 star and 4 star hotels. I'm planning on using Priceline.com to bid on hotels in Munich and Paris. I've got Munich figured out... but not sure about Paris.

Can anyone recommend a "zone" in Paris that is centrally located and also safe. Should I bid 3* or 4*?

Thanks,
Spartacus_33

I don't know of any country where there is a guaranteed huge difference in 3* and 4* hotels across-the-board. There is a spectrum of quality and comfort for any star level of hotels in any country I've been in, but maybe Germany is different.

I'd find out from biddingfortravel which 3* and 4* hotels you might get in Paris in which neighborhood and base it on that. I don't think their zones in Paris are very good, but think you are pretty much guaranteed a large chain hotel if you bid 4* (like Meridien, maybe Novotel, whatever -- you can check, perhaps Sofitel). I think you get the Meridien Montparnasse or Sofitel Rive Gauche if you bid 4* in whatever area Montparnasse would fall. Those seem okay to me, I've never heard of any other areas in Paris for Priceline that end up being very good.

I think you get the Novotel in the 15th if you bid for whatever is called Eiffel Tower area, but that's not as nice a hotel (maybe 3*, but if not, should be).

I know someone who bid 2* Latin Qtr and got the Libertel near Censier metro where I have paid to stay, quite happily, so that is a good choice if you are willing to stay in a 2* hotel.

In Paris the arrondisements spiral out by number from the center of the city. So I would suggest the 4th thru the 7th as good neighborhoods to stay in.

Do the priceline zones correspond to the arrondissiments?

Nope, they don't really. Many of the Paris priceline zones are quite large and you could get a hotel pretty far from the center of things. This is not a problem for some people, so it's a personal choice.

spartacus_33 - You can go to www.biddingfortravel.com and see what hotels people have gotten in each zone and for each star level, of course realizing that any other hotel could come up at any time. This will give you an idea of the quality level and locations of some of the hotels you might get.

For me, so far, the risks in Paris have not been enough for me to consider priceline there, though I've used it in London and various cities in the US. There are many low- to mid-range hotels in Paris that are perfectly nice, depending on the ammenities you require, so I've been happy going that route.

The "Priceline" Zones are listed below:

Bastille - Bercy
Batignolles - Montmartre - Republique Champs Elysees - Opera Quarter West Eiffel Tower - Grenelle - Montparnasse La Defense - Neuilly
Opera Quarter East - Les Halles
St. Germain - Latin Quarter - Montparnasse

Having never been to Paris... any "Zone" suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Spartacus_33

I've been to Paris at least 3 times and have usually stayed in the 6th. I must say, though, as I walk around Paris I do see many nice hotels in many areas.

I used PL to book hotel in Paris at the last minute Jan 2004. We were in Rome and not ready to head home yet so extended our stay and hopped a cheap Volare flight to Paris. 24 hours before we arrived, I won a bid on Priceline for 100USD per night and got the Novotel near the Eiffel tower. The hotel was very nice and clean and quiet and we enjoyed our stay. The "special" rate posted at the front desk when we checked in was 225 Euro per night so I was very happy with the price we paid.

I would choose a different area if I do return to Paris although we were able to find everything we needed for a short 2 night stay in easy walking distance.

Hi Spartacus - I just returned on the 2nd after staying at the Le Meridien Montparnasse. It is a very good hotel... if you like the business-like hotels.. Some people dont like it because it is not very Parisian :)

It was very convenient, 5 minutes walk from the Montparnasse Bienvenue metro... And there are lovely cafes around the Rue Montparnasse and also a wonderful creperie (in a kiosk) near the ice skating rink, below the Montparnasse Tower (I think it is called Henri's).
Going through Priceline was not a bad option as the good hotels were booked out when I was looking.

I would personally opt to stay in the proper St. Germaine area the next time I go to Paris (I loved this area the best).. Latin Quarter pales in comparison. I think the Latin Quarter should be called the Greek Gyro Quarter... or the Cheap Souvenir Quarter .

Good Luck .. you will love Paris.

There is certainly a major difference between three and four stars, as we discovered last week when we changed to a four, after a miserable start at a hotel that had misrepresented itself as a four but was a three.

I wouldn't dismiss any hotel based solely on not having enough stars, any more than I would assume that a 4 star must be a great and satisfying hotel.

Hotel stars are government ratings based on measurable criteria like elevators, restaurants, number of private bathrooms, a/c, size of lobbies, front desk staffing, etc. Stars are not awarded by the gov't for decor, cleanliness, location, pleasantness of staff, quality of food, quality of plumbing. Yes, the odds are better that more stars would mean a nicer hotel with more amenities, but the expectations of guests in 4-stars are also higher because they are paying more.

There are some givens that I want in a hotel no matter what I am paying: great location, cleanliness of course,an elevator, and a/c if I'm traveling in summer. If I can't afford those things, I go another time, or stay for fewer days. But that's me.

Beyond that, my budget and particular frame of mind for that trip, determine the hotel (and the stars) I choose.
I've been in 3-star hotels that I'd recommend any time, and 4-stars that I thought were dumps, or at least, very disappointing.
I'm about to stay in a 2-star in Paris--that will be a new experience for me and I hope I've chosen well.

To pariswasfab--would you please provide some details? Your post could be helpful to others if you tell us more.

I would need more than just details to confirm that the difference in one hotel being bad and another good was the fact that one was a three star and one was a four star. The difference in how good they were could very easily be just as great between two three star hotels. I think it is pure chance in this case that the three star was terrible and the four star was wonderful.
It is simply naive to think that the reason one hotel was great and another was bad was because one had an extra star.

spartacus (loved that old film), If I had to pick one of those Priceline zones, it would be St. Germain-Latin Quarter-Montparnasse and hope I'd end up with a place in either St. Germain or Latin Quarter areas.

We stayed at the Holiday inn Place D'italie in the 13th. the hotel was very nice and the room was clean but small, the bathroom was the biggest we had in Europe. We liked the local restaurants in the area and were right at the metro and bus stops. safe area and a big indoors shopping mall across the street. Sept '04 87.50 Euro per night included a good breakfast plus 5 Euro a day indoors parking

We stayed at the Holiday inn Place D'italie in the 13th. the hotel was very nice and the room was clean but small, the bathroom was the biggest we had in Europe. We liked the local restaurants in the area and were right at the metro and bus stops. safe area and a big indoors shopping mall across the street. Sept '04 87.50 Euro per night included a good breakfast plus 5 Euro a day indoors parking. Holiday inn calls this a 3 star hotel and it may be
however, I can't say, since it's the only hotel we have ever stayed at in Paris

For advising a first time visitor to Paris, I'd advise you follow Beachbum's post...those areas are terrific and central. From the "hub" you'll go out and about and see the town. You'll go back again sometime, don't worry...and next time try another area, and then another, and then another... <GRIN>

Good morning,

Thank you all for responding. Damn, I love this site!

I think I'll go with Beachbums suggestion and hope that I wind up in the St. Germain portion of that zone. If I land in the Latin Quarter... I guess I'll just deal with it.

Once again... thanks to all of you.

Spartacus_33

This is exactly the advice that I was hoping for.

Sure, some details, first about the three, which misrepresented itself: no room service, small and out of date bathroom, inadequate attention at the desk, lack of follow-through in making reservations (part-time concierge), old fashion furnishings, tiny room, cranky elevator, threadbare carpets, stained ceilings, small, small room .... yes, I know from numerour stays in this city that Paris hotel rooms tend to be small. But a three is not usually that small.

Needless to say, five minutes after checking in, we checked out, went across the street to a four star, and had a blissful trip.

I can provide names, if necessary, but lets simply say both places were on Rue St. Honore, near the Place Vendome, not exactly a run-down area.

HI pariswasfab and spartacus. W/o the names of said hotels, we don't know which to avoid. However, not an issue for me, b/c we never stay in that part of town. Spartacus, we prefer the St. Germain area but the Latin Quarter is also fun--esp if it is a first trip to Paris!!-- and a very short walk to the St.Germain neighborhood.

Thanks for the details, pariswasfab. Until your post I never knew that stars are given or withdrawn for the following items:
size of elevator
how old or outdated the furniture is
size of room
size of bathroom
how dated the bathroom is
threadbare carpets (I guess a four star loses a star when their carpets wear out?)
ceiling stains
lack of attention at the desk

While all these things may have been disppointments to you, there is NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING that suggests they aren't just as likely to occur in a four star hotel, or just as likely NOT to be found in a different three star hotel.
The only item you mention that has anything to do with star ratings of hotels in the availability of room service.

Your first hotel was terrible and your second was great -- but other than the room service, nothing you say has anything to do with their star ratings.

Patrick, we are in Paris annually and have stayed in a range of two to four stars, and yes, there are major differences, including everything on your list. You are strident about your view, btu I'm unclear why.

Our normal range is from the left bank across to marais and the first and possibly second. And from numerous experiences, we are able to walk in a place and immediately discern the true rating. In a four and five star one NEVER sees the deplorable conditions we experienced in the three. Not all threes are that bad, but tend in that direction, visibly, and yes, there is a difference between threes and fours, and that of course is what the original issue is all about.

From your adamacy, I suspect you tend toward the two stars. If you ever enyter a three, take a good look, and you'll not see much difference. But if it's a four, ever, you'll see.

pariswasfab - What you don't seem to understand is that star ratings are given by the government, and are a function ONLY of which amenities a hotel offers. I'm sure it's true that most 4 and 5 * hotels tend to be higher quality in general, but that is not a criterion that must be met to be given a 4* rating. You could have a total dump that has all the necessary amenities (lists are available online if you care to search for them) and it would still be 4*. These ratings are not subjective in any way and they do not reflect quality, charm or beauty. Only specific amenities. It's not difficult. ;)

Oh, perhaps you're discounting the effect of stars per se. Isn't it possible hotels attempt to strive for the star level they're accorded, and by the same token, take the path of least resistance when graded down? One need only look to the restautant ratings to see the subtle but definite effect of stars. In school, when teacher gave you an A, didn't it encourage you to try harder? Hotels with low esteem, and why couldn't stars serve as a reasonable measure, like people, go in the same direction, lower. In any event, thanks for this interesting discussion, but travel calls. Thank my lucky stars!

I think there's a misunderstanding here.

I agree that a 4-5 star hotel is likely, given the prices they charge and the demands of their clients, to be much more upper-crust in amenities, in luxury, in decor, room size, etc. I agree that a 2 or 3 star, which charges less, may statistically, POSSIBLY, be more likely to have iffy decor or amenities.
But I agree with Patrick that the number of stars, per se, doesn't guarantee that the decor is new or that the rooms are large or that breakfast tastes great, because those subjective factors are not part of the ratings.
And even in 4 or 5 star hotels, I've been in some that were pristine and gorgeous and very well fitted out, and others, at the same or higher price, that were tired and gloomy and inconvenient.

Are we equating Priceline's (or any entity that "rates" hotels or restaurants) star ratings in the U.S., which I think may be subjective re decor, cleanliness, etc., and the European hotel star ratings that are governmnent-set and apply only to objective things (elevator, A/C, full restaurant on premises, etc.)?
Does Priceline use the same criteria for assigning stars for Europe as it does in the U.S., or does it accept the local govt star system? I'd guess the latter, but perhaps most American Priceline users are not aware of that.

You might want to click on pariswasfab and see if he has unregistered himself yet again. I would hesitate to believe anything anyone posts on the forums, who then unregisters his name after each posting.
Remember <i>blacktie?? or Amazed?? Leone??</i>
People like this do a disservice to genuine posters who ask questions and expect honest replies.
But unfortunately some people have needs that cannot quite be understood, so best to check on the information you are getting to see if it comes from a valid source.
Scarlett

pariswasfab, or Leone, or Blacktie, or whatever your name is this week, I now rent apartments in Paris, but I used to generally stay at three star hotels there and sometimes four star ones. I have never stayed at a two star because they don't have some of the amenities I look for or I never found one that appealed to me.

You totally seem to be unable to understand my point. Just because a hotel has the necessary amenties to make it a four star does not guarantee that the furniture is better, the people working at the desk are more competent or friendly, or that the carpet doesn't need replaced. To think otherwise just shows how little you know about the hotel business. If your little theory were right, there would never be a complaint about a four star hotel about any of those things you mention. You don't have to read very much to see that there are frequent complaints about tacky furniture, cramped rooms, poor service, and stained carpet in not only four star hotels but even five star ones as well. I'm not sure why that is so hard for you to understand.

And for the record, I'm assuming that we are talking about government ratings here --- not Priceline ratings. Although they work pretty much the same way. The number of stars doesn't necessarily reflect quality, but rather the amenities that they offer.

Scarlett, have you settled on a particular apartment yet?

Yes, dear, we have :D

parisperfect, in the 7th with a view of the Eiffel Tower from the bed!! and the dining room.
This will be our first time in an apartment in Paris, we will see how it goes..but it is in Paris so it cannot be that bad!

Frankly, I'm still stuck on the thing about a hotel located in Paris and not being &quot;very Parisian&quot;???????? Is that because the rooms were big?

HI Scarlett, even though I have been writing on and off for almost a year, I still do not understand a lot of how this board works. Can you explain how you figure out that someone is registering and unregistering all the time. If I had known that he/she (pariswasfab) was not a sincere poster, I would not have bothered to answer...Thanks.

One of the most interesting things about pariswasfab's posts is that although they are &quot;in Paris annually&quot; and have definite ideas about hotels, it is hard to imagine why they've never found one they'd return to, and why since supposedly they long ago learned that the four stars are superior, that they would have booked a three star this time, knowing that 3 star hotels are inferior. Let's face it the posts just don't make much sense.

I was advised by an email who this poster was. I didn't realize at first who it was. Not sure how Scarlett found out. Funny that she and I were posting at the same time with the other names of this poster.

Hi socialworker,
Just click on the posters name, if they have de-registered, odds are they are not for real!

Thinking back over the past 4 decades of travel, none of the most enjoyable hotel stays I can remember were in 4 or 5 star hotels. It all comes down to personal likes and dislikes. But the basic point is still correct--having more stars doesn't necessarily make one hotel better than another.

I stayed in the most charming hotel steps from the Eiffel Tower called Hotel Relais Bosquet. It was in the Eiffel Tower/Ecole Militaire area, off Avenue Bosquet. It was a great neighborhood and my hotel overlooked a cute street with small shops, cafes, etc. It was a five minute walk to the Eiffel Tower. I walked and took the Metro everywhere. My hotel was very clean and more than comfortable with lots of amenities...it was around $130/night. I'm assuming it would be a three star. Enjoy!

Liz27,

Thanks for the recommendation. I'm assuming the $130 was Euro?

Thanks,
Spartacus_33

spartacus, I've heard the Relais Bosquet is nice, also. It is a 3* and that is probably 130 euro. They have a website so you can see www.relaisbosquet.com

I've never been in a 4* hotel that was a dump or of the level of a 2* hotel. I'm one who thinks the star ratings matter, but that's because I view the things they rate as part of quality, definitely. However, I don't agree that one must move from a 3* to a 4* because of a major difference between those rankings, that's for sure. I just think there is a difference between 2* and 4* hotels, for example. I usually stay in 3* hotels in Paris now, but have stayed in a share of 2* ones there and none were as nice as the 3* hotels.

In any case, I think Priceline introduces a whole different factor into this problem -- the really nice 2-3* hotels just aren't going to be on Priceline. Priceline is a real subset of all possible hotels, and I've never seen nice, independently-owned smaller hotels on Priceline. So what you get with Priceline is not what you get if you research and book yourself.

I think the Montparnasse/Latin Qtr etc area is def. the best on there but have never heard of anyone getting a hotel in St Germain from Priceline.

&quot;Not being Parisian&quot;: I imagine that means a chain hotel, where one is much like another, or like the Beau Rivage in Nice, where the rooms give no feel whatsover of being in Provence.

Oh, please, &quot;Pariswasfab&quot; who used to post as &quot;Blacktie&quot;. Are we not supposed to recognize that &quot;Blacktie&quot; has now become &quot;Blackattire&quot;? How surprising that Blackattire agrees with himself as Pariswasfab.