Which hotel? Conflicting reports....
 

Trying to decide among Left bank hotels:
Grandes Ecoles - recent reports that reservations were disregarded & guests were treated rudely - is this true?
Lots of seemingly good choices from web searching:
Hotel College de France
Hotel Jardin de l'Odeon
Hotel d'Orsay
Hotel Verneuil
All are well reviewed in tripadvisor.com & various travel sites - we want charm as well as reasonable cost (and these are comparable in cost). Does anyone have firsthand experience with any of these?

I don't recall seeing any reports about guests being treated rudely at Grandes Ecoles. I only recall seeing consistent and regular favorable reports.....pretty much matching our wonderful experience there.

I'm visiting next month and I'm hoping Hotel Le Verneuil will be as good as what I've read. Sorry, no firsthand experience yet with the hotel but some here have stayed there. Again the reports were good. Did you do a search here for all the hotels you name? I think there are quite alot of reviews right here by people who have stayed there.

HowardR, there have been a couple of recent unfavorable reviews written on tripadvisor.com about Grandes Ecoles.

ttt

We have stayed several times at the Hotel Verneuil, last time March 2003. The location is wonderful You can walk to the Louvre, D'Orsay Museum and all the Blvd. St Germaine area. Lots of good restaurants in the area. But, then, you can tell by a map that the location is good. The Hotel personell are extremely nice and helpful. The rooms are small (as are most Paris hotel rooms) but very attractively decorated. We have stayed in several different rooms and were happy with all of them. I think that for the price you pay, you can't beat this hotel. We love it and would return in a heartbeat, and hope to.

Hi Travels, I'll be staying at Le Verneuil next month.

I've read how nice this hotel, read that the rooms are very small, and would like to know how small are the rooms that you stayed in? Was there enough space to walk around your bed; are bathrooms are tiny also?

I reserved one regular double and one deluxe double room with canopy bed. Looking forward to staying there!

I don't think anyone but the authors of those posts can say for sure if they are true, but I read them on Tripadvisor and they sound completely real to me. A lot of folks have had good experiences at Grandes Ecoles, though, so it depends on your tolerance for risk that you could have a problem with a reservation. As with many hotels, I know some rooms in it are better than others.

I haven't stayed at any of the ones you list, but have heard of all but the Orsay. YOu have a good list and they are all pretty convenient, but I think the Verneuil and Jardin de l'Odeon (and Grandes Ecoles) are a higher level (3*) than College de France. I prices really are the same, I'd go for the 3*. Depending on when you are going, I'd choose one with AC, also.

I'm really surprised to read those two critical reports on Grandes Ecoles. And, I certainly question the reports. Yet, we have such great memories of our two-week stay there, as have many others on the forum....and we'd go back there in a minute!

topping

To Froncophile03

You can walk around the beds in the hotel Verneuil, just. That is in the standard room. The room is as pictured on their site, the bed is recessed between two closets. That's pretty much how wide the room is. But it is very efficiently designed with a niche on either side of the bed with a phone, a light and room for your book and clock. There is a chair and desk and luggage rack at the end of the bed. The baths are of different sizes. One year we had a large bath where I kept a big suitcase. This year our bath was smaller. All are very clean and well equipped with hair dryer and all the amenities, replenished daily. I have peeked into the deluxe rooms which are larger and I think all on the front of the hotel. Some of the standard rooms are also on the front facing a quiet street. We have also stayed in a standard room with twin beds on the top floor at the back of the hotel. No view, but the room was delightful. The breakfast room in the basement is charming. Hope you agree when you stay there. Have a great trip.

Ooops, on my last posting about Grandes Ecoles, I meant to say that I DON'T question those criticisms.

To TravelsWithStDavid, your description of the Verneuil was 100% correct! I enjoyed my stay there and will be happy to return. I didn't realize that although it's located in the 7th district it is actually on the border of the 6th. Therefore, it's right in St. Germain and only a few blocks from the Buci market. Also Laduree is a couple blocks away on rue Bonaparte/rue Jacob. Location cannot be beat that's for sure!! Nazira during the day shift and the man during the night shift were very easy to talk with and very helpful.
I ended my stay at Hotel du Danube and did not enjoy my stay as much and won't return. The young lady at reception was most unapproachable. And on the whole, although the room itself was good, the bathroom was claustrophobic and needs renovating. There were more amenities at the Verneuil than at the Danube as well.