With over 18,000 hotels and over
800,000 beds, France has more space than any other
country in the world outside the USA.
France's hotels vary from the five-star "palaces", such as Fouquet's
and the Hôtel Crillon in Paris, or the Majestic in Cannes,
to rundown 0-star hotels in the side-streets of provincial towns
or
suburbs. Between them lie the rest, a wealth of privately run
independent establishments, often in town centres or small towns, and
the thousands of beds offered by the modern hotel chains, most of whose
establishments are located on the outskirts of towns and cities,
close to main roads or motorway exits.
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Classification
of hotels in France
The
sector is heavily regulated, and all hotels are registered and
classified by the government, through regional prefectures. Until 2009,
classification went from 0 stars to 4 stars; but in 2009, a new
five-star ranking was introduced. In 2010, there are less than 100
five-star hotels in France, with concentrations only in Paris, the Alps
and above all the Riviera. The five-star ranking will remain
highly selective, meaning that certain 4-star ho tels in France will
continue to offer services ranked as 5 stars in Spain, or some other
country which may have a more extensive scale. The
official French star rating system is based on amenities, not on the
quality of the amenities. Other organisations may provide unofficial
quality-based rankings.
Hotel chains
France
is European leader when it comes to hotel chains. There are two big
groups dominating the market, Accor and Louvre hotels, and both operate
a number of chains offering different levels of quality to cater for
different types of customer. By far the biggest
chain in France is Accor
with 1414 hotels in 2009; Accor is the
world's third largest
hotel group, and its hotels in France - from four-star to one star
chains - include five of the country's six largest chains.
Click
the box on the right to book at best discounted rates directly with
Accor, throughout France .
Luxury hotels in
France:
The only chain of five-star hotels is the Lucien Barrière hotel
chain, with hotels in Paris, Deauville, La Baule, and several major
resorts. Other five-star hotels such as the emblematic Crillon
in Paris are independent, or attached to other
more diverse chains.
Four-star hotel chains
The largest selection of four-star hotels in France are the Sofitel
and
Pullman
hotels,
belonging to the Accor group; which each have a number of outlets in
the main cities and on the Riviera.
Three-star
hotels:
The largest chains are Novotel
and
Mercure
Budget
hotels:
Among the largest chains are Ibis
, Etap
,
Campanile and Kyriad. (2 stars), and Formule 1
and Première Classe (1 star).
Outside of the major
groups, there are a number of other chains, including Marmotte hotels, the
low-cost B&B
Hôtels chain (180 hotels
throughout France, with facilities for pets) , Balladins and Fasthotels, as well
as hotels affiliated to a number of international chains such as Best
Western or Comfort Inn.
While the big chains do have city centre establishments,
particularly at the top end of the range, most chain hotels are to be
found in the suburbs, on main roads or near motorways.
The one-star brands are frequently located right on main roads, and
sometimes even in business parks, so they are not to be chosen if you
are wanting to enjoy the colour of local life, or are looking for a
hotel in a calm location. But if it is an no-hassle overnight stop you
want, the chains are ideal.
Independent
hotels
Independent
hotels are for travellers wishing to stay in city centres, or in small
towns or the country; they will generally be preferred by travellers
who prefer hotels with character to the featureless chain hotels.
Eighty-three percent of French hotels are independent establishments;
however, by and large they are much smaller than the chain hotels, and
actually account for less than half of the total annual number of
bed-nights in France. They
vary from the very best to the very poor.
The majority of them - though by no means all -
are old
hotels, establishments that have been in operation for many years,
which is why they are often to be found in city centre locations, or
else in small towns or even in the country. Some offer delightful and
very homely accommodation, but while most independent hotels offer
reasonable-to-good value for money, and most have invested in modern
facilities, it is still possible to come across low-graded hotels,
notably in cities where running costs are high, with small cramped or
noisy rooms. It is always a good idea to check out a hotel's website,
if it has one, or to follow the recommendations of other travellers,
particularly if you are wanting to book a room for more than one or two
nights.
The Independent-hotels.info
site for France
has a small selection of hotels, notably ones in calm locations. A fair
number of independent hotels belong to referral chains (associations of
independents) such as Logis
de France.
Most hotels in this chain are traditional establishments in towns,
villages or the country; but the chain also includes some modern
suburban hotels, so it is best to check any establishment out on the
Internet.
France also offers a growning number of bed and breakfast
establishments, in everything from castles to converted country hotels.
Click here for a choice of Bed and
Breakfasts in France.
Wifi in hotels in France
Hotels
in the Accor group tend to have wi-fi connections, but it is (or at
least was) not always free, though the policy seems to be changing.
Etap hotels now offer free wifi. .
A growing
number of independent hotels, and other chains, provide free wifi
access.
It seems likely that free wifi will be standard in most hotels in the not too distant future.
Rates, Prices
All
hotels must by law display room rates clearly in the room. The rate
dispayed is the "rack rate" (i.e. the basic undiscounted cost of the
room, including tax), which may be higher than the price you have paid,
specially if you have booked through a discounting intermediary. The
rate displayed in the room should not be lower than the rate you paid,
unless you booked through an agency charging commission on top of the
price. The information provided should also indicate the local tourist
tax, if there is one.
Generally speaking, hotel prices in
France are
quite reasonable, by international standards. Prices are always quoted
per room, never per person, though some hotels may have variable prices
on a room, according to the number of people using it.
Eating:
Basic hotel prices do not usually include breakfast, though all hotels
provide breakfast as an optional extra. This is normally a "continental
breakfast", a croissant, bread butter and jam, and coffee or tea being
the standard staple. In a two star hotel, breakfast usually includes a
glass of fruit juice as well, and from good two-star hotels upwards,
the breakfast menu generally includes a selection of cereals, yoghurts,
possibly even fresh fruit, ham and cheese. Few hotels, except those at
the top end of the range, will provide a cooked breakfast. In a
two-star hotel, you should not expect to pay more than 8 or 9 €uros per
person (2010 price).
Booking.
For
independent hotels, you may have to contact the hotel directly;
alternatively, use an online hotel booking service which includes a
certain number of independent hotels.
For
hotels belonging to the chains, visit the chain's website directly, or
else book through an online booking portal. You may get a
better
price by booking through an online portal, though this is not
necessarily the case.
Other useful sites:
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