After researching/reading travelers post here and other sites, I found out that a lot of travelers to Paris have to lower their expectations when it comes to hotels.
A 3 star Holiday Inn/Embassy Suites, Comfort Inn here in USA have bigger/moreluxurious rooms than some 4*5* stars rooms in Paris.
Why is that?
In the USA, I%26#39;ve stayed in hotel rooms, luxury resorts while vacationing in the tropics and business hotels while on business all over the US mainland. I know what to expect here in the USA.
Even in small town America where I had to do business and there are no Marriots or Fairmonts, I%26#39;ve stayed in Holiday Inn Express or Homewood Suites. These hotels, have big kingsize beds, or double queens, with marble or granite bathrooms. High-end amenities. Plenty of space.
Any insight? Paris is supposed is one of the best cities in the world. How come the hotel industry there don%26#39;t follow the %26quot;international%26quot; standards?
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In many places in the USA the hotels will be purpose built and fairly modern. The cost of %26#39;real estate%26#39; is much lower in small US towns than in Paris. Most builidngs which house hotels in Paris(and London) are quite old and may have been used as other things before they were hotels. They tend to be smaller but possibly have more charm and are less like the identikit hotel rooms that you are used to.
However you should look at the size of hotel rooms in New York which seem to be very small (and expensive), even by European standards.
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Well how about hotels in big old Europeon cities are often in exisiting old buildings, not new builds .. So rooms will be smaller as space in center of big cities in any country tends to be expensive, and 100 yrs ago rooms were normally made smaller?
I don%26#39;t think Paris is going to rip down many of its incredibly beautiful older buildings to make brand new hotels( in city center) (even if they were allowed,), to please a few North Americans,, since lets face it ,, it is the young coutries of Canada and American that have the most tourists who expect a big room and all brand new.
Personally I would not choose to stay at a American chain hotel in Paris, why bother, I LIKE character, and find I have stayed in some lovely rooms/hotels ,, with enough room and enough facilities( mini bar, a/c etc) for me.
PS Does a marble bathroom make the Eiffel Tower look bigger.. LOL
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I don%26#39;t know about Holiday Inns, Embassy Suites, being more luxurious or Holiday Inn Express, Homewood Suites with marble bathroooms...or what you mean by %26quot;high end amenities%26quot;.
In Paris, you have to consider that real estate is scarce and taxes are very, very, high. Many of the luxury hotels were built before central heating, indoor plumbing, even private bathrooms were common. And, now that many are Historical Monuments, they cannot just make changes.
There are hotels in Paris with enormous rooms, king beds, larger/marble bathrooms, such as the Hilton Paris (now Pullman). But, then many people declare they don%26#39;t want to stay in a %26quot;business%26quot; hotel, assuming they lack the coziness and charm of the smaller independent properties.
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%26lt;%26lt;How come the hotel industry there don%26#39;t follow the %26quot;international%26quot; standards?%26gt;%26gt;
By this do your mean the %26quot;US%26quot; standard? Older hotels in New York or Boston are very much like older hotels in Paris or anywhere else in Europe - small rooms and even smaller bathrooms. Many of the French hotels have only converted to in-room bathrooms in the last 30 years; before it was common to see one bathroom per floor.
I think most of the Parisian hotels have held up rater well over time and have caché and charm beyond any advantage of extra square footage found in a room at Homewood Suites. What do you suppose a Holiday Inn Express located along Interstate 10 will look like in 100 years?
By the way, there is no such thing as a 5 star hotel anywhere in France; 4 is the top.
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%26quot;A 3 star Holiday Inn/Embassy Suites, Comfort Inn here in USA have bigger/moreluxurious rooms than some 4*5* stars rooms in Paris.%26quot;
Bigger rooms maybe, more luxurious, I doubt it, there are very luxurious hotels in Paris, no need to lower one%26#39;s standards, of course it being Paris, they%26#39;re priced accordingly.
The more affordable charming hotels, in beautiful old buildings with character, often have small rooms, but as an alternative, there are the usual big chain hotels, some of which have large rooms and many amenities.
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%26quot;Paris is supposed is one of the best cities in the world. How come the hotel industry there don%26#39;t follow the %26quot;international%26quot; standards?%26quot;
Not %26quot;how come%26quot; - you surely meant %26quot;because...%26quot;
Cheap granite bathrooms in cheap buildings does not quality make.
And, of course, I defy you to find a 5 star hotel in Paris - there is no such thing.
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%26lt; I defy you to find a 5 star hotel in Paris there is no such thing %26gt;
Better not tell the 4 Seasons George V that!
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The George V knows it%26#39;s a 4 star....
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%26lt;%26lt;Better not tell the 4 Seasons George V that!%26gt;%26gt;
I am not sure of your point gsrtraveller, George V is indeed a 4 star hotel and I am sure that they all know that there.
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%26lt;Any insight? Paris is supposed is one of the best cities in the world. How come the hotel industry there don%26#39;t follow the %26quot;international%26quot; standards?%26gt;
You are speaking of %26quot;American%26quot; standards, not international standards.
The joy of travel is found in the differences between %26quot;home%26quot; and wherever you find yourself in the world, so please don%26#39;t look for your American comforts while traveling internationally. If you do, you will miss so much.
Les voyages forment la jeunesse = Travel broadens the mind.
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