Taking a chance in Paris
 

My husband and I are looking into a very cheap package deal next month through our local travel agent. They in turn are working with someother company. (They tell me they have worked with this company before and have had "minimal" problems with them) Airfare, hotel with breakfast and transfers included. Here the catch. They cannot tell me the hotel they are going to use until the day before departure. They say this is to take advantage of last minute prices on hotels. They can guarantee a 3* category but thats it. You cannot cancel if you are unhappy with the hotel and we have to pay this week. We only use our hotels to sleep and shower anyway. What are the chances we could get a horrible 3* in Paris? Think we should just roll the dice and go? After all, better to go to Paris cheap and stay in a crummy hotel than not go at all right?

Since they can't tell you the hotel that seems to mean they are going to use perhaps a discounter and pick whatever hotel is in a 3* category that is maybe most advantageous to them price/profit wise? That's ONE possible scenario since we have no idea how they really decide which hotel to use; they could very weel be keeping your best interests at heart in terms of location, amenities, etc., in order to build good will.

How bad can it be? If it is within the general confines of the city I suspect using public transport wouldn;t be a problem since the Metro and RER pretty much blanket Paris to the extent very few other public transport systems can match.

If you REALLY do only use hotels to clean up and sleep in (remembering of course that 8 hours is fully one third of your entire day) and the price seems good then why not?

I agree with Intrepid1. You sound like low maint folks. Odds are it will work out okay. Not great, but okay. And that's why you went with a package deal in the first place.

In North America the starring system is pretty much a matter of self-assessment. In France, it is -- unsurprisingly -- a rigorous system of classfication, publicly administered.

It is not, as I understand it, an assessment of standards of cleanliness, service and warmth of welcome so much as an assessment of amenities -- do the rooms have TVs? telephones? etc.

So the chances that the hotel WILL be *** are pretty good -- you will see the rating displayed at the door.

Will it please or disappoint? Will it be far or near to what you want to visit? No way to say.

I'd be nervous if you were going **, cautiously optimistic for *** a class that includes some perfectly good places.

HI
can you mention how cheap this package is?
And, how long are you going for?

I understand budget constraints, but if I were going to Paris for the first time (?) and for a relatively short period of time, it would drive me crazy to be staying in the boondocks so to speak. That's more likely it seems to me than a dirty or unpleasant hotel. Too much time wasted on going back and forth, and perhaps not enough Paris ambience.

Travel agents touting one-of-a -kind myserious deals worry me a bit--why can't you know the company your TA is dealing with?
But if this is the only arrangment you can make then cross your fingers and go for it.

Thanks, that makes me feel better. I guess I am just trying to assure myself we won't be in a total dump. But I guess there's no telling. As long as it has a bathroom and is near the metro we should be fine. Yes, Degas we are very low maintenance. I just wondered if this was a common practice where they don't tell you the name of the hotel. This will be our first trip to Paris!

no, this is not at all commmon practice with travel agents, that's why I'm durbious about the nature of this deal.

Auction sites like Priceline keep the name of the hotel hidden ,mostly, but that's the traveler making a decision to bid or not.

Going through a travel agent who won't divulge and who is dealing with an unnamed company with 'minimal problems' makes me wonder who the travel agent is really working for. It might work out fine, but I don't like the way the TA does business.

Elaine, thanks for the prague info. But as you can see we chose the Paris route instead. I did keep all of it though since we do plan to go sometime soon. The package is 520 Euros for myself and my husband. 5 days, 4 nights. Airfare, 3* hotel with bkfst and all transfers. Seems pretty cheap to me. The airfare is not from the US but rather from within Europe. I have to admit I didn't ask the name of the other company they are going through.

Should have said the flight is from Seville. Even if they told me the name of the company I guess it wouldn't matter much since its probably a spanish company. Its a spanish travel agent. We live in Spain.

From what I know it's standard procedure. Your TA doesn't know because the tour company hasn't told them. If it's a REALLY good price take it. Sometimes even odd locations turn out to be fun because you see a different side of the city. But otherwise there are many nice hotels around 70 euro a night to choose from.

I would want a definition of "minimal problems" -- what were the problems with? Getting you there? The hotel location?

PJl , It makes more sense coming from europe more places do this especially with package holidays to the sun from Europe. I would go for it. Three stars are much better in France than in other countries in my experience. Can they say of the hotel will be central i.e. in the city or will you be outside. Thats probably as good as they will tell you. You could end up with a fab place.

Thanks sfowler and SiobhanP you guys make me feel much better. I'm going to ask tonight if they can at least give me an idea where the hotel will be. We are going to confirm everything tonight and see if we can get any more info. Even if we can't I guess this will definitely be an "adventure".

A three-star hotel in Paris must conform to certain standards; therefore, the hotel itself will probably be fine. But my guess is that it will be far from the center of things and that you'll end up spending a fair bit of time getting to and from the sites. If you're willing to trade convenient location for a low package price, it should work out fine.

The hotel deal sounds very similar to this:
http://tinyurl.com/39jnu
Wonder if it's the same agency?
I'd find out what the possible areas of the hotel are.

Ask the TA what hotels have been used in the past.

Just a quick warning: a friend of ours had a similar package (from the US, though, and not Spain) with no hotel name.

It turns out their Paris hotel was at CDG airport! Hardly Paris, I'd say. Please get a gaurantee of an inner part of Paris before paying anything, or at least ask if the promise not to put you in an airport hotel.

I guess you can have minimal problems with anyone, but I'd want to know what they were. I agree if it is guaranteed to be a 3*, you should not end up in a dump as there are standards. I wouldn't do this with no guarantee of location, however. I would insist on knowing whether it will be in Paris proper (inside the peripherique, in arrondisements 1-20). I wouldn't agree to even that, but some people will, as if you are on the far edges of Paris, it will take a a long time commuting and won't be that pleasant around the hotel, perhaps.

It depends on your budget and how much you are really saving with this deal. It would not be better for me to go to Paris cheap and stay in a crummy hotel for a small savings, but I don't get much vacation time so make sure I get best enjoyment for the time I have.

You probably will be okay,however I have traveled to Paris a half dozen times and will not stay in an unknown hotel. 4 years ago stayed in a 3 star in Paris, Hotel was clean but room was size of my bathroom in my home! Which is not large !! Created problems with storage,etc. I now stay in 4* only and check hotel out on their home web-site. Being close to a main metro stop is a great advantage also...keeps your time commuting short. I travel to Europe as a hobby, 2-3 weeks per year. I have used the same TA for 10 years(she loves the business), Trust is a major requirement of mine. Who needs the stress, you're traveling for enjoyment!

I would be less worried that it turns out to be a <dump> than that it might be in a *FAR* removed location from central Paris. Yes, I know there is Metro and all but for me walking distance to all the greatest sites, momuments, landmarks, gardens is one of the best things to do in Paris.

I'd be curious to know where you're flying from, the package cost per person, the approximate departure date, and the number of nights. If you are a seasoned traveler I'm sure you have found a good price. If not, be aware that package deals can be more expensive than separately-purchased services.

For example, one can fly from the U.S. West Coast to Paris for under US$500 per person and stay at a simple but decent hotel in Paris for about 60 Euros per room per night. Transfering from CDG to any location in Paris by regional express train (RER) + Metro is just over 8 Euros per person each way. Hotel breakfasts in France are usually "continental", which means bread, butter, jam, coffee, and a 1-ounce "Mini Baby Bel" or "Vache Qui Rit" cheese if you are lucky! This is a waste, not only in terms of cost but also because you can assemble a much more interesting breakfast from shops and markets around a (well-chosen) hotel.

Regarding the anonymous package vendor and the anonymous hotel, I would steer clear.

Assuming the flights work out, your greatest hotel-related risk, as others have said, is not quality but location. The least expensive Parisian hotels are found in the suburbs, far from tourist activities.

Here's an important observation about hotel star ratings, while we're on the topic. Though hotel star ratings are indeed regulated in France, (American) travel vendors can and do make up their own rating scales. For example, Priceline advertises 2, 3, 4, 5-star levels in Paris, when in fact the maximum government-assigned rating is 4 stars "de luxe".

Even if the anonymous package vendor is quoting government-assigned ratings, some of the criteria are arcane. For example, do you care about the square footage of the hotel lobby? (Full details, in French are at: http://site.voila.fr/vente_achat_hot...classement.htm ).

If you post your trip details I'm sure many of us on the board will have suggestions for low airfares and affordable hotels.

Happy travels!

Paul Marcelin-Sampson
Santa Cruz, California