susie

<BR> The March issue of Budget Travel has an article on page 45 about a decent one star hotel in Paris that is $55 including breakfast. The writer of the article describes everything except the name and justifies withholding it by saying &quot;We want to be able to stay here again, after all.&quot; <BR> Does the description ring a bell with anyone? Five floors, near the Sorbonne in the Latin Quarter, run by Monsieur Marc, assisted by Patricia who speaks fluent English, breakfast room seats 12 and has upright piano…. I know there are many that could fit the general description, but just wondering if anyone knows of this particular hotel. Thanks.<BR><BR>Susie<BR>

Sher

I read the article too, and wondered. Hope someone can help.

SiobhanP

Let us know if you find out! I am going to do a search on the web with the information. I think the search is the fun part of trip planning.

moonbeam

I'll wager it is this one! Hotel Suez<BR><BR>http://www.eurocheapo.com/paris/list...ction/suez.asp

Ursula

<BR>Well, my Paris hotel guide lists two one-star places close to Sorbonne:<BR><BR>Excelsior*<BR>20, Rue Cujas<BR>64 rooms, doubles 67-71 Euro<BR>Has also triples and quadruples!<BR><BR>Gay Lussac*<BR>29, Rue Gay-Lussac<BR>35 rooms, doubles 38-45 Euro<BR>Has also triples and quadrubles!<BR><BR>Two other ones, not rated by the Paris Tourist Office:<BR><BR>Grand Hotel du Progres<BR>50, Rue Gay-Lussac<BR>30 rooms, doubles 45-64 Euro<BR>Has also triples!<BR><BR>Marignan<BR>13, Rue Sommerard<BR>30 roooms, doubles 45-64 Euro<BR>Has also triples and quadruples!<BR><BR>All of them have singles, too.<BR>None of them seems to have a web site, at least they aren't listed in my 2002 guide.<BR><BR>Now, I don't know about the number of floors nor the piano.<BR><BR>The search goes on! ;o)<BR>

Ursula

Moonbeam,<BR><BR>Hm.. the Hotel de Suez is a 2* and slightly more expensive.<BR>However, here's the web site:<BR><BR>www.hoteldesuez.fr

Ursula

<BR>Just had a look at the De Suez' site.<BR><BR>It says:<BR>Director: M. M. Bonmarchand! <BR><BR>The 'M' could indeed stand for 'Marc'!<BR>

moonbeam

Hi Ursula!!<BR><BR>I figured maybe the article was written before the dollar dropped below the euro! At the euro figures given , when it was .85-.90 cents it would be about $55.00 ..But NO MORE!!

Ursula

<BR>Well, moonbeam,<BR>As I am counting in Swiss Francs, I usually take USD-Euro 1:1. It's just easier.<BR>You still stick to the De Suez?<BR>Well, we need to find out about the piano. Not sure, but I should be in Paris in May, if not, for sure in July.<BR>But then, I am not staying in that area. We'll see.<BR>De Suez would be in a too crowded and noisy corner for me, anyway.

moonbeam

Hi Ursula..<BR><BR>No I am still a Rue Jacob fan! But we won't be there until October! On the eurocheap website , it says the owner's name is Marc!<BR><BR>Hope you'll do a trip report about your spring trip...you always do the best things when you are in Paris!<BR>J<BR>

Ursula

<BR>'Marc', yes, that's what I found out too. <BR>See my post at 07.20 am.<BR>Well, the July trip is going to be for the Stones gig.<BR>But I won't forget about getting some macaroons at Laduree's left bank branch, of course.

Ursula

<BR>moonbeam,<BR>NOW, I know who you are.<BR>Nice and warm in Fla.?<BR><BR>Here, it's gorgeous and sunny, but cold, br....<BR>At least, most of the snow has gone.

uhoh_busted

Ursula, my birthday twin! We will be in Paris May 19-21 (leave 22 May) perhaps we can gtg?

ira

Hi Susie,<BR> I also read the article and thought, &quot;Gad, why would anyone want to stay here?&quot;.<BR> There are many nice hotels in 5th and 6th for about the same money (100 - 110 E/dbl) where you are not subjected to an old curmudgeon, breakfast is served in your room, and they have mini-bars, safes and A/C.<BR> Finally, why would a travel magazine publish an article about a great hotel find and not tell you where it is?

Ursula

uhoh_busted (oh, what a difficult thing to type..):<BR><BR>IF it's in May, it will be the Ascenscion weekend starting May 29.<BR>So sorry. Would have been fun.<BR>

e_roz

check out cosy-hotels.com<BR>we stayed at hotel Pointe Rivoli for only $60 night last march, 6 floors, tiny staircase was only drawback since we were in the one 6th floor room!, very clean, nice staff, we were pleased. Brkfast was $6 more I think. Excellent Location, right by metro stop and easy to walk to everything!

Christina

I read that article in another publication (it's a freelancer, she's sold it at least twice) however it did not say anything about a piano. If anyone wants to read it and not get that magazine, it's still online (in the Christian Sci Monitor):<BR>http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0830/p11s01-coop.html<BR><BR>I'm fairly familiar with budget hotels in that area, and I can't think of any hotel that really fits that criteria. It can't be the Suez, it's a 2* and much higher level. In fact, that's the problem, I don't even know of a 1* hotel in that area that does not have a telephone. <BR><BR>It most sounds like the Marignan or the Hotel Gay Lussac because both are known to have somewhat rigid rules and stinginess in ways. The Marignan is run by a man named Paul, however, and does NOT have an elevator. Gay Lussac sounds about right but it has phones. College de France is run by a man named Monsieur Marc, actually (that's his last name) but that is much too upscale, and the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles has a piano in the breakfast room (as I said, the above article doesn't say that that I can see). <BR><BR>Personally, I suspect the author fictionalized some of it (and the names certainly could be) and that's why she doesn't name the hotel. As she describes it, why would you want to stay there, though? It sounds pretty bad and $55 is a rather high rate for the quality she describes, actually. I don't understand the point of that article and didn't like it that well myself because it sounded fictionalized and an attempt to perpetuate a lot of stereotypes about Paris/French people and gives the impression that's what you have to put up with in Paris, isn't that &quot;cute&quot;, etc. (the nasty hotel manager, crummy rooms, and so on). <BR><BR>If you want to stay in a 1* hotel, you can do much better than that -- the Hotel Port Royal, for example, is recommended in many places and is a lot nicer than that description (and so are the owners). <BR><BR>I thought it could even be in St-Germain, such as St-Andre des Arts, but even that hotel has phones and isn't decorated in very old bedspreads as curtains; Delhy's also has phones. <BR>

Ursula

Christina,<BR>Thanks for posting the link for that article.<BR>Like you, I don't particularly like it. And then, I don't see why publish such information without giving the hotel's name, just referring to another place in a totally different neighbourhood.<BR>I think, it's best to forget about it. There are numerous affordable charming hotels around like the Port Royal you mentioned.

Christina

This is old business, and maybe nobody cares any more, but just so Ursula et al do not have to visit the Suez in May -- I have found out which hotel this is!<BR><BR>It is the Grand Hotel du Progres on 50, rue Gay Lussac. Here is one description of it on Lets Go guidebook's site<BR>http://www.letsgo.com/PAR/09-Accommodations-65<BR><BR>I did not think that was it because I don't think Progres really is a 1* hotel, I think it is unrated, according to the tourist office. However, I know it is the one in the article because I saw details in a guidebook that specifically says the owner's name is Henri M.... (Marc or Mart) and also Patricia, who speaks English, works there. It is 6 floors, and has no phones (very rare now) and no TV, but an elevator. Rates and everything else match the article.<BR><BR>So, I was wrong that she fictionalized a lot, except she did misstate the rating as it isn't one star. I suspect that was for literary reasons, as you can't write very well about an unclassified hotel.<BR><BR>I still wouldn't find it so great in comparison to other one-star hotels, and it will be full of Lets Go readers, but if you want details on better rooms, they are described pretty well in Margo Classe's Hello France guidebook of cheap hotels. That's where I saw the mention of Henri and Patricia and knew that was it. It does not take credit cards, either. There are alternatives mentioned in Let's Go of that calibre.

francophile03

Just fyi:

A letter to the editor in the Sept. issue of Frommer's Budget Travel states that the Hotel du Progres (the mystery hotel) has closed its doors. The owner, a M. Mart, had a health problem which required immediate attention resulting in his closing his hotel. There is a 2* hotel next door and it bought the Hotel du Progres. The author of this letter states that he and his wife were the Hotel du Progres' final two guests.