When to reserve a hotel in Paris for Oct. 2009?
 

I'll be needing a room for 2 in Paris for 3 nights, Oct. 15-18, 2009. When I look at the various hotel web sites they all show specials and internet prices on their rate pages. But when you go through the booking process and put in your dates, the prices go up. Example: I'll see special three night package for 120 euros a night. If I were to actually book it for my dates October the price becomes 150 euros. This does not make me want to book in advance. All the 2 and 3 star hotels seem to be using the same reservation software.

Is it better to wait and make a reservation about 1 month before going? Would that be considered last minute? Are websites like wotif and Priceline better at last minute reservations than booking direct with the hotel? Is there anything major going on in Paris at this time that would cause the hotels to fill up? I would have thought with the recession and travel down that there would be better prices on Paris hotels out there at this point in time.

October is a very busy time in Paris. Is is certainly not too early, but it may be on the too late side.

October is a busy month (fashion, trade shows, conventions), and the 3, 4 and (now) 5-star hotels are quickly booked solid.

1 & 2 star hotels are generally not affected by this agitation, but you have to know the ropes to find the good deals.

If you are not looking for "charming" but just a place to sleep at night, I think that the 'low' end Accor hotels (All Seasons, Ibis, Etap...) are very often a great deal and extremely reliable. They have the added advantage of allowing you to cancel your reservation free of charge until 7 pm on the day of arrival. So you might want to take a look at www.accorhotels.com and see if anything interests you. You can make a reservation.... and keep looking for something better.

Short answer: ASAP

I can't see any reason why waiting to book until one month ahead of time would save you money. If you see that your chosen hotel has lowered its price after you book (which rarely happens IME), then try to re-negotiate your price or cancel and rebook. But chances are, waiting to book will only make it harder to find any available rooms, and what you will find will be at higher prices.

PS: The last time I was in Paris it was in October and I was surprised how many places were fully booked 7-8 months in advance. We had to settle for our 4th or 5th choice (we were looking at very popular budget-ish places in the 5th and 6th arr).

<B>YESTERDAY</B>...no, make that <B>two</B> days ago!

I booked tow weeks ago for an October arrival and my first and second choices were not available. So I agree, the sooner the better.

Tout de suite!
We went to Paris October 2008 and had everything planned and reserved by May 2008 and that seemed late to some.

I do have one 2 star booked at 101 euros a night through venere.com that I can cancel up to one month before going, Hotel Au Royal Cardinal. That seems like a lot in dollars ($140) for a 2 star nothing of a place. It does appear to be a decent location, in the Latin Quarter. I'll try for a better hotel via Priceline and see what comes up now. But the best deals there are usually about a month out.

I would book something that will be refundable until much closer to your arrival date and then try to see if something cheaper comes up later. The reservation system is a bit confusing to me -- you can always email the hotel directly and ask them their rates and their cancellation policies. I would email the hotel you are interested in and tell them what rate you found at venere.com. They will usually match this rate and will most likely give you a better cancellation period. By the way, I don't think the rates you are finding are excessive for Paris.

Hi Sus,

>.....101 euros a night ...... Hotel Au Royal Cardinal. That seems like a lot in dollars ($140)....<

100E/night is a reasonable rate.

It's not the hotels fault that the Euro is up to $1.40. :)

((I))

Now. Paris has a ton of conventions that book up large blocks of rooms and you don't want to be stuck with the poor choices that are left over.

Sus, Stayed at that hotel few year ago, nothing special - basic, but location was quite good.

I've stayed at the TImhotel in the 5th, another "basic and good location". It's a chain with several locations in Paris.

>>When to reserve a hotel in Paris for Oct. 2009?<<

three months ago . . .

€101 is really not a lot to pay for a room in October, especially in a good location.

I will point out that "good locations" are not essential in Paris due to the ease of transport and the lack of safety issues.

While first time visitors generally want to be as close to the center as they can afford, quite a few return visitors stay farther and farther from the center as they get to know the city better and the charm of various neighborhoods.

be aware that the star system for rating hotels in europe may not have the same connotation as in the US; a 2* property may be rated that way if they dont have an elevator, onsite restaurant or lobby that is around a corner. best to check the photos on the venere or similar website and read the traveller's reviews.

You wouldn't try to book a great hotel in San Francisco, NY or Boston in October for less than US$140, would you? People have such strange ideas about Europe, that hotels in one of the most expensive capitals are supposed to be the rate of a Motel 6 in the US in some podunk town, and that October is supposed to be some discount period (an idea I really don't understand at all, it isn't in any major US city that I know of, either).

However, the French rating system is not so capricious that a great hotel is rated 2* because of no restaurant. That is not a criteria for even a 4* hotel in Paris, I believe (some room service may be, but there are 4* hotels in Paris withough restaurants, like the Aubusson). Elevators are already required in 2* hotels if they have enough floors. So don't think a 2* hotel is rated that way just because of those things, as it isn't.

I just checked TripAdvisor for your hotel, and it gets pretty good reviews, mostly on the "Cheap and Cheerful" side.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...de_France.html

:-)