ckag

My boyfriend and I are going to Paris for the first time in less than two weeks. We booked our hotel back in June, but yesterday I noticed an error in the reservation. We need it for the 18-25th but the reservation is for the 15-22nd (I had the right dates in my subject but made a typo in my email to them, and am sick that I never caught it).

Needless to say the hotel is booked up now. They have been very nice and have put us on a wait list, and told us not to worry they will find us alternate accommodations for the last three nights if they do not have a room open up.

I’d prefer not to switch hotels during our stay if they do not have a cancellation—and don’t like not knowing where we’d be staying. And fortunately, even at this late notice, one of the hotels we originally considered (Saint Thomas D’Aquin) appears to have a room available online (we’ve emailed to confirm but haven't heard back yet).

What would you do: take the risk that something will open up, or find something else?

Andrew

Personally, if you are already assured the first few nights I wouldn't worry about it. People always cancel, and your chances of staying extra nights once you are already booked in a hotel are much better than getting in if you aren't already staying there. Even so, they've said they'll find you alternate accomodations worst-case.

If you get there and all else falls apart, you can always do Priceline.com. You would be able to bid up until the day before you check in (done it - from an internet cafe in Paris), and sometimes you can get good deals on really chic places, not just business hotels. (See BiddingForTravel.com and go to the France hotels section.) But I'm guessing you will have no problem either staying where you are or getting another place through that hotel.

Andrew

StCirq

Just to confuse you further, I'll disagree with Andrew. This happened to me once with my favorite hotel in Paris and a room did NOT open up. The hotel they eventually sent us to (and I had faith in this hotel's selection because I'd been staying there for 20+ years) was absolutely horrible.

I'd book something else. Yes, your chances of getting a room are fairly good, but if they do send you to another hotel it may be far below the standards of what you would have booked yourself.

Christina

I would also go with the sure thing for your entire stay -- if the hotel was just about as desirable as the one you booked for the wrong dates. That is a very very busy time in Paris, and I think the odds they will get a cancellation for those dates you want could be less than 50 pct, if it is a small hotel. They may have other people on the wait list, anyway -- this was your fault, so I think anyone who was just on the wait list to begin with should have priority over you, but they may do things differently since you'll already be in the hotel.

Of course, you haven't really heard back from St Thomas d'Acquin and the online thing may be unreliable--they can't be accurate to the minute or even day sometimes.

I'd switch if they do have a room available for your entire stay and you liked that alternate choice okay.

ckag

Thanks, everyone. I'm waiting to hear back from D'Aquin and if they indeed have a room available will book with them. Still can't believe I made such a ridiculous error—though guess I’m lucky I caught it now.

Let’s hope this isn’t a sign of things to come for our trip.

SuzieC

and another recourse is laterooms.com;
There will be a room somewhere in Paris...and all of them are close to a metro line, with restaurants near by...and close to SOME tourist site or some-such.
Two weeks...and all that romance!!

starrsville

I just checked paris-hotels.com and found options in the 75-`125 range in St. Germain that have availability (or appears to at least). Some of the hotels have on-line booking and some don't. But, I'd see what's open and do some cross checking with tripadvisor and this board.

I'd book for the entire stay as well.

suze

Worst case scenario I would start of your trip at the one hotel you have reserved, and take an afternoon and walk around in person to pick another place to stay nearby (if necessary).

Call me crazy but I enjoy dropping into the lobby of hotels that look appealing. Moving rooms if it is nearby is not big deal (we ended up doing it when we hated our hotel choice/room the first night in Paris).

starrsville

The one I clicked on (pretty much at random) was Claude Bernard. The rate is 115 euro for every night except Fri @ 138. The reviews on this board sound pretty good. The location is wonderful - I stayed nearby when I was in Paris. A short walk to the Seine and Notre Dame and lots of places to eat nearby.

Just an idea of one hotel or website that may be useful -

winesipper

Suze is on the money in my opinion. Good advice to follow.

Tom

ckag

Thanks, everyone. I don't expect to hear from D'Aquin until morning so I'll do some checking around in the meantime (Thanks for the website Suze).

I'd usually be pretty easy going about it, and not worry since I do have a confirmed reservation for the first 4 nights, but since my high school French is pretty rusty, I'd rather have it all settled before we leave.

ckag

Opps sorry meant to thank SuzieC for the website suggestion.

Andrew

Well, for what it's worth, you won't necessarily have to worry about speaking French in Paris. It could help but I've been there twice and don't speak more than a few words. Most people in the hotel industry in Paris speak enough English to get by.

Walking around checking out hotels can be fun, and I think that's a great option as well. Some of these places may be small and won't be booked because they aren't in the guidebooks and don't have online reservations systems but may be perfectly fine, and you can see that for yourselves. Maybe you'll find you'd like to stay in a different part of town for the second half of your stay anyway...

Andrew

LadyOLeisure

Don't worry -- there are many many hotels in Paris that do not use the internet to book. I would expect that you can find a good place for the rest of your stay once you are there. (You may even decide you WANT to move to a different neighborhood to enjoy a slightly different ambience!)

ckag

Thanks, again, everyone. D'Aquin was our 2nd choice (and is likely in a more convenient area than Varenne) so we'll book that if it has a room.

I'd like to say I'll take my chances once I get there, but I'd probably obsess over finding something and it would take time away from cafes and museums.

francophile03

If you can get a another hotel room booked before you leave, I think you should reserve it. October is typically a high season month and rooms are usually booked in advance at hotels that are in more popular areas. The St. Thomas d' Aquin is in a very nice area.