I am considering Hotel Beauboug (near the Pompidou Center) in Marais neighbourhood or Hotel Louvre Saint Anne (1st arrondissement). The friends we are going with want to stay near the Eiffel Tower. I would think one might pay more to be near the Eiffel Tower. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

The 7th, the arrondissement in which the Eiffel is set, is an expensive neighborhood, and contains many diplomatic residences. Beyond that, the prices of hotels vary greatly within and between districts. The tower can be see from many vantage points around the City.

Enjoy your trip.

And there are reasonable hotels in the 7th also.

Not always. I stayed 4 nights at Novotel at the Eiffel Tower via Priceline. The hotel itself was nicer than most of the other Paris 4 stars I have stayed in, save the Marriott.

I use PL for cities like this and have won the Novotel for 125USD and the Meridien Montparnese for the same. The Novotel was a nicer property.

I stayed in an apartment literally right across the street from the Hotel Beaubourg. The street itself is very small... more like an alley, and is right next to the Pompidou. It's a good central location, but not exactly charming.

For the price, I think you would have a better experience at the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles in the 5th or maybe even the Hotel Familia, which everyone seems to love.

If you click on my name, you'll see a thread about Paris hotel rooms for under $200. There were some GREAT suggestions on it.

And I agree with you - the Eiffel Tower area can be seedy and expensive if you want any kind of a view.

After nine trips to Paris I always stay in the 6th.
It's the best arrondisement for cafes, shops and activity!!! Here are a couple reasonably priced hotels-enjoy!
Hotel Le Clement-**
pariserve.tm.fr/hotel/clement/english.htm

Grand Hotel des Balcons**
8, rue Casimir Delavigne

Hotel du Globe-***
15 rue Quatre Vents
globe-paris-hotel.com/index.html

I recently stayed at the Hotel du Cadran, in the 7th, in July. It was extremely convenient, affordable, and the staff speaks English.

Enjoy! Paris is a wonderful city.

Please don't mention it if you are all planning on staying in the same room.

I normally stay in the 7th in very reasonable hotels.

I wouldn't stay near the Place Beaubourg because even though it's probably a lot safer than my Washington, DC, neighborhood, I don't like to be out at night anywhere near Chatelet. Especially when there's a wealth of other neighborhoods to choose from.

We stayed at the Beaubourg once or maybe even twice. It's a perfectly fine hotel and the neighborhood is fun. You can't see the tower from there but you are certainly close to the Pompidou center. Why not have your friends stay near the tower and you stay at Beaubourg. It will give you "spaces in your togetherness" as Kalil Gibran suggests and may preserve your sanity. you can decide where to meet each day and see how you like your respective choices.

http://www.relaisbosquet.com/index.html

The Relais Bosquet is in the 7th and is popular for good reasons. Not fancy, not spartan, just a very gracious, pleasant place to base a Paris stay. I've stayed there a couple of times and enjoyed the hotel and the neighborhood (it's right around the corner from the Rue Cler and also just down the street from the aforementioned Hotel du Cadran).

bookmarking

Hotels in the 7th (Eiffel Tower) are not necessarily more expensive than other areas.