We were recommended to the Hotel D'Aubusson, in the 6th Arrondisement in Paris. Has anyone stayed there, or know of it? What do you think? I hate to be a pain, but I am very picky about hotels, but was told this hotel is a real find.

I'll probably be the only one to say this, but I was a little disappointed. We went with another couple and both rooms were very small!!! The staff was indifferent ( I speak French) and gave some bad advice re: restaurants. I might stay again if I could be certain of a larger room.

Gary, <BR>I was disappointed that the D'Aubusson was booked for our recent Paris trip. It was my number one choice after months of research. As for Pat's negative comments above, I've never heard that the hotel's rooms are any smaller than those in any other locally owned hotel, but have read that room sizes vary (as is the case with most small Parisian hotels). <BR>As said, I can't give firsthand info, but 99% of the reviews I've read about D'Aubusson are glowing. <BR>Have a great trip, <BR>j.

I have mixed feelings. The hotel is in a wonderful area. We paid extra for the Grand Luxe room and were disappointed. Nothing wrong with the room just not what we expected for the price. Next time would probably just go standard room. Would stay there again but I'm also investigating Le Regent just down the road.

Reviews have varied - more good than bad. For whatever reason (I've never been there) it's the last year or so that the not so good reviews have come in. Before that the reports were unifomally good except for reports of overbooking. People have been turned away and transferred to other hotels after arriving, confirmation in hand. Here are a bunch of comments: <BR>Hotel d' Aubusson (4 star left bank)- <BR>elegant, larger than usual rooms <BR>wonderful hotel <BR>front desk not helpful at all <BR>beautiful bathroom <BR>Interior is very attractive. <BR>Services and quality have slipped <BR>a little gem of a place <BR>rooms are nice size <BR>The rooms are lovely and quiet <BR>staff was very helpful <BR>small rooms, not great <BR>getting a reputation for overbooking <BR>room was lovely,quiet <BR>overrated <BR>street is very noisy. <BR>desk was very helpful and very friendly. <BR>street is very noisy. <BR>really disappointed overall <BR>For more Paris information e-mail me- [email protected]

I'm afraid that glowing reviews must also be taken in the context of the Left Bank--that is to say, when a good new 4* hotel opens here, it's a real event! If the D'Aubusson were on the Right Bank, I don't think folks would make such a fuss.

Wow, am I surprised to read these comments! I highly recommend the hotel. <BR>I stayed there this past Dec. <BR>We thought the hotel was lovely, touches of luxury, the left bank location excellent, short walk to either Odeon or Saint Michel metro stops. Hotel staff very helpful and pleasant, and the museum pass is sold in the lobby. We had a superior room and thought it charming, spacious and well-appointed, bathroom also. Plenty of hot water, plenty of thick towels, hair dryer, little amenities like shampoo. Room was the equivalent of about $240 I think, can't recall the amount in francs. <BR> <BR>I have had small hotel rooms in Paris and elsewhere (Paris examples are <BR>the Lenox St Germain, the Marronnier, etc which cost somewhat less but which were so small that we felt the rooms were not pleasant places to spend any time in. We were constantly in each other's way. <BR>Our room at the d'Aubusson was definitely not one of those. Perhaps there is a wide variation in the room sizes, can't say about what others have felt. Expectations, preferences, and assessments are subjective of course. <BR>I'm pretty picky about hotels, "clean" and "comfortable" are not enough for me unless at the time budget considerations are outweighing everything else.

I too, HIGHLY recommend this hotel! It does have some right bank qualities, but 'attitude' definitely left bank. My room was superior the biggest room I've ever had in Paris (okay, that IS subjective) but it was wonderful! Marble baths, GREAT towels and shampoos, large bed, cental location (one block from the Seine and the Pont Neuf)but quiet too. The messages I received weren't a hand scribbled note, all typed and written on letterhead in gold foiled envelopes...not really essential, but a nice touch. Wonderful lobby with terra cotta tiled floors and persian rugs, a lovely room to the side with a bar for coffees and breakfast, and a lounge dominated by a wonderful ancient chimney and mantle for drinks by the fire. It isn't snobby or stuffy by any means, but with my experinece there, it isn't a cramped you can't stand up or move around, but if you look up, you get charming oak beams? <BR> <BR>I'm sorry you had a bad experience there! <BR> <BR>Wendy

Thanks to all for your information. At this point, based on the mixed reviews here and some other mixed reviews I've found elsewhere, we will probably not stay at the D'Aubusson. We are thinking about the Lutetia, and if anyone wants to say anything about it, have at it. I am also considering changing things completely, and going for the big buck at the Crillon, yesterday I found a reasonably good rate directly through concorde hotels for the Crillon, still about $150 per night higher than the Lutetia, but I have always wanted to stay at the Crillon. We'll see.

The Lutetia is a very nice hotel, very good location, but it much more impersonal imo than the d'Aubusson which would make sense since it is much larger. My family stayed there last month. It was good for family arrangements since the rooms were of good size, room service was available, etc. <BR>The Lutetia is in a potentially noisier and busier street, so I'd inquire about a "quiet" room. <BR>This is all subjective, each is a nice hotel in its own way. Because it is larger, and part of the Concorde chain, the Lutetia is more commercial in feeling, imo. I will use an example in New York in case you've been here: The Lutetia to me feels more like the Plaza Hotel in NYC, while the d'Aubusson feels more like the Lowell or another one of the "boutique" hotels. EAch is quite nice, but different from each other. <BR>The d'Aubusson to me is a jewel, but jewel may not be what you want on this trip. <BR>I'm sure either choice will be fine--there's more than one great hotel in Paris. Good luck.

Friends of mine recently stayed in the Lutetia and found it kind of run down and would neither return there nor recommend it.

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Keep in mind that there is barely a hotel or restaurant in Paris that someone hasn't liked and someone else hasn't disliked. It's all very subjective and depends on past personal experiences, level of demands, expectations, who the desk person was when you asked a favor, for a restaurant the mood of the waiter, whether the chef was sick, etc etc. Nothing is black and white or written in stone. Use the reviews as a guide, not absolute fact. For more Paris information e-mail me - [email protected]