School group (n = 40) searches for cheap hotels in Paris and Rome
 

I am hopeful I can get a few leads on accommodations for about 40 students (aged 15 - 19) who will be travelling to Paris and Rome in March 2011. We need to be in the same hotel (i.e. not splitting the group into different hotels), We are willing to stay in one and two star hotels - or even in hostels. Our accommodation needs to be safe and secure (lockable) and near bus stops/metro. The closer to the center of the city the better for us. Students can be plonked at 3 or 4 to a room. Chaperones usually get single rooms or share with one other person. We anticipate staying 3 or 4 nights in Paris and the same time in Rome.

Does anyone know of rooms or hotels that might meet our needs? Thanks.

tC

What is your budget per person?

Are you willing to stay in a convent?

ellenem - We are hoping to find appropriate digs for about 120 Euro with 4 people to a room.

kybourbon - Absolutely, I would look forward to trying something out of the ordinary. Do you have any thoughts on the topic?

tC

What are your plans for Rome? There are lots of convents/monasteries that have rooms in your price range. Many are near subway stops, but you would want to find one close to what you plan to visit. Some have curfews ranging from 10 - 12. Others have no curfew. Is that a concern?

kybourbon - I must confess this will be my first trip to Rome, so I can't speak with confidence about an ideal location. Certainly if we find accommodations near any of the main attractions, and near local transit it will be to our advantage. The curfew does not concern me too much. We drain the energy from the students with very full days and they are usually quite tired by the end of the day. Thanks for showing an interest in my dilemma.

tC

Do you have a map of Rome with the metro? Is breakfast required? There are several that would probably be in your budget within a few blocks of metro stops Cipro, Lepanto (both by the Vatican Museums) and Cavour (near the Colosseum/Forum). Some convents list they offer group rates and can do some extra meals.

This one is near the Lepanto stop. You would need to e-mail for rates.
http://www.casamariaimmacolata.it/homepageeng.htm

I don't think the one by the Cipro stop has a website and they don't offer breakfast, but I believe they have a kitchen for group use where you could do your own breakfasts. The rates listed below are not up to date. You may have to pay more (or not if they do a group discount).

PICCOLE SUORE DELLA SACRA FAMIGLIA, Casa Di Accoglienza Paolo VI
Viale Vaticano 92
00165 Roma
Tel: 06.3909.1411; Fax: 06.3909.1427; E-mail: [email protected]
The rates are: 32 Euro for a single room; 55 Euro for a double room; 73 Euro for a room with three beds; 85 Euro for a room with four beds. No breakfast or other meals are served. Curfew is at 12:00 AM.

I think a hostel is your best bet.

If a hostel, do you have any objection to 6-person dorms (or even more people) per room?

What you need to do is find a hostel that will work with you to ensure private accommodation for your group of schoolchildren (I know they are teens, but still many hostels would not be into such a large group of kids under 18). For many school groups, this means an HI hostel. Unfortunately the one in Rome is not the best-located, but I think it is near public transport.

A convent could work too, but I think a hostel is best for a group of kids, as it's more likely to be their "style" than a convent. Try www.hostelworld.com and www.hostelbookers.com to get lists of hostels (but I recommend booking directly with the hostel), and try www.hihostels.com to get info about the HI hostel in Rome.

There is an extensive website of Roman convents on the website of Santa Susanna. Santa Susanna is the church dedicated to Catholics from the USA. http://www.santasusanna.org/ourChurch/ourChurch.html

If you do not have a guide lined up in Rome, Daniella Hunt would at Mirabilia Urbis would be a great choice: http://www.rome-tours.com/index.php I know that is not what you asked for but if you decide to hire her, she might also have some tips on places where your group could stay.

For Paris, many hostels would likely satisfy your requirements, so look at the above sites, and also here:

http://www.fuaj.org/

WillTravel - we have no objection to more people per room at all. Thank you for your suggestions. With other groups we have stayed in hostels in Lille (France), Bacharach (Germany), Carcassonne (France), London (England) and others. My primary concern (as you might imagine) is the safety and well-being of the students I will be travelling with. At this time about 75% of the participants on this trip are female which requires another level of awareness on my part. For our hostels we have usually stayed in places that provide breakfast, but if there are good restaurants nearby we can easily adapt. We will be travelling during March, so we will not be in high demand season and hostels may have flexibility.

Salive - thank you for the hints about Santa Susanna and Daniella. I certainly appreciate your support.

kybourbon - I am still trying to think of a witty response to your earlier question asking if I am willing to stay in a convent.

I will use your information to expand our list of options. Thank you to all who have responded to date.

tC

In Paris, try the BVJ hostels. There are two, one near the Louvre, and one in the Latin quarter: http://www.bvjhotel.com/
Very local, very clean, very convenient.
Good luck!

I don't think you will be unwelcome in a convent. Many state they have group rates (some even state for school groups while others are groups only) and many operate schools and are quite used to kids. I stayed at a convent in Rome that had a large group from Germany staying there.

>>>There is an extensive website of Roman convents on the website of Santa Susanna<<<<

Santa Susanna lists a handful of convents in Rome (out of over 200). They don't update often so their price list isn't accurate.

tC,

A convent is just one of many options (and a pretty good one, BTW)

Look here as well. There are many options for central, inexpensive hotels. Not only for 4 persons in a room for 120E or less, but also 3 in a room for 90E or 2 in a room for 60E.

http://www.eurocheapo.com/rome/ Neighborhood "#8" is not as convenien as the other seven - but still "OK".


And for Paris:

http://www.eurocheapo.com/paris/

All neighborhoods are OK, though #11, #12, and (especially) #3 are not as central as all the others.

I have not stayed here, but did look into to for Girl Scout group I took. It's set up like a dorm and seemed very nice (It was full when I needed it!)

http://www.fiap.asso.fr/index-en.html

I stay quite often at the Marriott around the corner and it's a good neighborhood (I use my frequent sleeper points for free stays :) ) I often see school groups from various places at the Metro stop near here and it seems to cater to them.

Opps, above post is for Paris!

Since you are a school group you can probably hook up with an agency that assists teachers in making plans. I've been on a couple of class trips overseas and I'm sure the teachers in charge worked with TAs that provided help and various trip options. I don't know the specifics since I only went as a chaperone, but I do remember the teacher in charge saying she had options on what to do, where to stay etc.

Good luck. 40 teen age students can be a nightmare! The maturity level of some can be frustrating since a lot of times it's thier first time away from home and they want to act older. We had trouble with students sneeking out late at night and partying in the wrong places. And these were supposedly top of the class students.

Hotel des Jeunes (MIJE) - Maubuisson (Paris, France) - Hostel ...
Hotel des Jeunes (MIJE) - Maubuisson (Paris, France) - Hostel ...





I used to put groups your size up at the group of hostels run by the MIJE in the Marais in Paris - all in neat old townhouses near the Seine in one of the oldest parts of Paris. My favorite was the Maubisson:

Hotel des Jeunes (MIJE) - Maubuisson, Paris: See 10 traveler reviews, 4 candid photos, and great deals for Hotel des Jeunes (MIJE) - Maubuisson, ...
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...de_France.html

>>>>http://www.eurocheapo.com/rome/ Neighborhood "#8" is not as convenien as the other seven - but still "OK".<<<

Actually, several of the listings on eurocheapo are convents. You can do better contacting them directly.

If you want to see where convents are located (including the ones I linked above), pictures of the rooms, lists of amenities, etc. you can check them out on monasterystays.com. Keep in mind that the prices they list are inflated as they tack on a 10-15€ surcharge per night. You can book cheaper by contacting the convent directly.
http://www.monasterystays.com/?show=localities&id=12

The two I listed above are #'s 143 and 210 (purple). I've stayed at 198 (orange) where I saw the German group and friends have stayed at 129 (orange). I paid 50€ for a single booking directly with the convent while monastery stays lists the rate as 62.50€ (I have their e-mail if you want it).

#129 states on their website they have group rates so you might try e-mailing them also. The English portion doesn't work so stick with the Italian.
http://www.domusnovabethlem.it/

Google www.fuaj.org, the French association of auberges de jeunesse, a national association for cheap lodging for students.

kybourbon - I agree. Eurocheapo simply presents a lot of info on many inexpensive, vetted lodgings that can be sorted many different ways (kind of like ITA).

It's ALWAYS best to deal with and book directly with the property.

Let's Go France and Let's Go Europe IMO are super good sources for info on hostels, youth hotels and similar accommodations for groups. At any major library and in any major bookstore - they give the run down on literally hundreds of hostels and budget hotels, etc.

In Rome, I think you can find quads with private baths in convents for the same price you would end up paying in hostels for dorms with shared baths.

teachercanada you are at it again! Your Egypt trip with your students earlier this year was quite something. Paris and Rome should be a piece of cake for you. Best of luck! (Anyone who wants an inspiring trip report should just click on her user name.)

I would contact the tourist office in each city and ask them to reco very modest hotels with decent locations that might have so many rooms available. Also - you should realize that most rooms in europe hold only 2 people - those with beds for 4 are few and far between in modest hotels. I can;t imagine there are many that would have 10 double double rooms.

You may want to consider taking entire dorm rooms in hostels - which would help with the security issue.

Wow, what a wonderful response from so many great Fodorites. Thanks everyone for sharing your suggestions, thoughts and experiences.

I think I will focus on the Paris accommodation aspect of our trip first.

RedBalloon - I have checked out the website for BVJ and it looks very appealing. Both locations look terrific. The price seems on target and some meals can be purchased on site.

bardo 1 - thanks for the link to eurocheapo. There appear to be some good prospects for us in the Marais.

CarolA - the FIAP is a place I had already heard of. It is not as centrally located as I would like - but the price is good when one considers that breakfast and dinner are included.

pauljagman - an interesting comment you make about the willingness of travel agents to assist with the "fine tuning" aspect of accommodations. Nearly every travel agency we have ever worked with has tried to direct us to higher star hotels. They do this for the right reasons, I'm sure. They want the travellers to be happy and comfortable. They also like to say they deal with 3* and 4* hotels which provide a higher level of security etc. I am not sure if they make any more money from us if the cost of accommodation is higher. I don't think so. One of my goals is to introduce my students to hostelling so that when they return to Europe on their own, it is second nature to them. They likely won't be staying in expensive hotels if they return. Your second comment (where you wish us well) is welcome. Travelling with 40 teenagers has exciting moments, but I love it! We sometimes have more challenges keeping the chaperones in line than the youth.

Palenque - how nice to respond to you after reading your posts for 4 years. The website for MIJE is quite appealing and I was putting it near the top of the list. Great location, good rates. Just about an hour ago I was chatting with a fellow teacher who had actually taken a large school group to Paris last year (he was teaching at the AFNORTH school in the Netherlands at the time) and they stayed at the MIJE. He thought it was ideal for our purposes (great reviews too). We will definitely do some more research into MIJE. I am familiar with Let's Go France and Let's Go Europe from previous trip planning. I agree they are a great resource.

kybourbon - what a great set of links for information on the monastery option. It looks like we will have lots of choice. I can't seem to find any monasteries in Paris, but that's ok since we now have some wonderful hostel options.

StCirq - I am tickled that you would respond to my question. I have followed your posts for years. The FUAJ website does offer myriad ideas and I am glad you mentioned it. I will need to spend time to digest all the options available on that site alone.

laurie_ann - you flatter me. Egypt was a wonderful trip, but Europe presents a very different social milieu for younger travellers. I've had the pleasure of visiting Paris numerous times, but Rome will be all new to me. That's why I just love this message board. I know I will get wonderful advice from thoughtful, caring, experienced travellers. By the way, I am a he, not a she. I never thought I wrote with a feminine style, thanks for the compliment.

tC

kybourbon - Our posts crossed last night. You are very correct. There are not many hotels that cater to the four to a room option we would like. We have in the past stayed in hostels with 6 or 8, even 10 to a room. I prefer this option because it brings the group together for the experience (rather than breaking them up into groups of 2, 3 or 4. It is also a plus for the security aspect because each student will look after the others. We would never agree to share accommodations (rooms) with other groups or strangers. Thanks again for your input.

tC

I've traveled with groups and prefer less in a room than more. In my experience, the more people you put in a room, the less sleep they get. Peer pressure to stay up all night seems to increase with the higher numbers. Lack of sleep results in sullen, cranky teens. I've also found it good to change roommates every time you change locations (more so with girls than guys). Some convents have shared bathrooms while others have private bath. Most hostels will be shared.

You will find many of the cheaper suggestions on eurocheapo and other sites are not large enough for a group of 40 which is why many student groups stay further out of the center. Adult tours are willing to pay more and are usually more centrally located. That's why I thought the convent option might work better since there are many low-priced and central.

I'm not sure of the entrance fees for student groups from outside the EU for museums in Rome. Most discounts I see for Rome say they are for EU. If you can't get student discounts, I suggest getting the Roma Pass which is 23€. It's good for three days and gets you two free admissions with discounts at others and a 3 day transportation card (good for metro/bus/trams/local trains). It also includes (new this year) some medical assistance. Best value use of the pass is Colosseum/Palantine/Forum (counts as one entrance) and the Borghese (reservation required). These two will just about equal the price of the pass. The transport pass is not good for the trains to the airport.
http://www.romapass.it/p.aspx?l=en&tid=2

There is also just a transport pass available for three days and is 11€.

While staying at the Etap on Rue Dr. Babinski, Montmartre area, I have seen several large groups come and go. The rates are about 55-60Euro per room, which can sleep 3. Two on the large bed and one on the top bunk. The toilet/shower is ensuite. The hotelformule1 is about 10 Euro cheaper per room, but the toilet and shower is down the hall. They are beside each other. The bus is about a 8 minute walk and the metro is about 10 minutes. Metro stop name is Saint Ouen, I believe.

Thank you again kybourbon. Your advice is spot on about travelling with teens. I appreciate the advice about the Roma pass. It sounds like an excellent deal.

jkbritt - Thanks for your suggestion. I have never heard of these options. I will investigate and add them to this wonderful list of possible accommodations.

tC

They are french hotel chains and are not widely known in US.

jkbritt - I have looked at the website for hotelformule1 and they offer a variety of choices. The prices seem good. Most are near the perifique which is not ideal for us. We would have to travel everywhere by transit, rather than walking. You can imagine the chapeones concern when we try to get 40 teenagers onto one metro car (and get all of them off at the right station). We've never lost a student yet - but it is a moment for concern. Thanks again for your great ideas. We will give all of them serious consideration.

tC

You will have to ride the metro anyway. The stop is about a 10-12 minute walk. There are also Etap's and Ibis's closer in, but they cost a bit more.

It is true you'll have to ride the metro anyway, I would prefer the Formule1 location at Porte Chatillon, myself. I don't think it is that far to a metro stop and they have a tram running now down there which is nice. I just like that area a lot better than Porte St Ouen.

Here is one place we mentioned on another thread, but I thin it would actually be perfect in your situation, although not some others:
http://www.hotel-marignan.com

This place has a lot of rooms and the quads are in your price range, and it even has some quints. It is sort of like a hostel, also, and has a super location near Notre Dame and the Latin Qtr.

jkbritt - Thanks once more for your thoughts. You are quite correct about needing to use the Metro. We have certainly needed in some of our past trips. The benefit for us if we stay close to the central area is the atmosphere. If we were downtown, we could easily take an impromptu walk along the Seine, walk past Notre Dame at various times of the day, walk to the Louvre etc. Everyone says (and I agree), Paris is best discovered by walking.

Christina - What a fantastic location. I viewed the website and I am very impressed. The prices look very reasonable. The accommodation is not sumptuous, but that is not what we are looking for. It looks very safe and secure. Thank you for this great lead.

tC

hi teach,

nice to be in at the ground floor of one of your [in]famous trips.

<<We will be travelling during March, so we will not be in high demand season >>

when I saw that you were going to Rome in March 2011, thinking it wouldn't be too busy, i went to check the date of easter 2011. whew. it's 24th April. plenty of time for you to escape before the hoards arrive. you don't want to be in rome in the week before easter.

regards, ann

Hello teacher,

My daughter staye here when she did a study abroad in Paris:
http://www.fiap.asso.fr/individual-accommodation.html

They have 200 rooms and 500 beds. Rates range from 36€ per person for 5-6/room to 60€ for an individual room. Almost everyone who stays there is a student, although I stayed there for a couple nights one time with my daughter.

It's out in the 14th (which I like but some people would think is a bit far from tourist sites) so you'd have to take the Metro. But it's reasonably priced and my daughter had a lot of fun staying there.

annhig - Thanks for your thoughtfulness. If you consider this stage to be the ground floor - I'll keep Fodor's posted on how the first, second, third, etc. floors progress. I appreciate your enthusiasm and your quest to keep me from the hoards of faithful who flock to the center of the Roman Catholic world at Easter. I have actually asked a few of the travel agents who are bidding for our business to include a short private audience with his Holiness on the Thurday we will be in Rome. Most agents ignored the request, but one explained the Pope meets with the public only on Wednesdays - and only up to about 25 people. I suggested to him we would change our itinerary if he could use his influence to get us in to see him. I would practice my ring kissing if needed. I think we would even settle for a bunch of Cardinals if the Pope was out of town. Really we just want to get a few pics from his balcony. I don't think it's going to pan out for us! We had already checked the date for Easter 2011 and knew we would be in a lower demand tourist season. On a side note, in March 2005, we were in Egypt and on Easter Sunday visited a room in a church (near the Hanging Church) where Joseph, Mary and a 12 year old Jesus were reputed to have stayed for a week while they were travelling in Egypt. It was a powerful moment for many of our group, including me.

Shanti - Thank you for your reply. Indeed the FIAP is well respected and offers an excellent product. The price is good when one considers that breakfast and dinner are included. We have added it to our list for further exploration. It is always nice to hear from someone who has personal experience at lower-priced accommodations. Thank you again.

tC

Our high school kids went to Europe many times, here is there BLOG, perhaps you can glean some tips
http://lfmsseurope2008.blogspot.com/...departure.html

My son and I stayed at MIJE in Marais while visiting Paris. The rooms were extremely clean and even though it was a bit of a metro ride into the city, it was very close to the metro stop. They DO close at 1 a.m. so staying out really late would be an issue, but otherwise, we were extremely happy with our accommodations. They also allowed us to store our luggage since we arrived early. They do close everyday I believe between 12-3 pm for cleaning. Breakfast was also served in the morning, although it was very basic and blahhhh. Nice cafes in the Marais area though. I think it would be a great choice for a group of teens. Nice courtyard with tables/chairs for group get-togethers. Enough room for your entire group to hang out. I did alot of research before arriving in Paris and this hostel (along with the others of the same name, just different locations) seemed to be the best bang for our buck (or euro)!