Priceline Hotel: 4* Paris (Champs Elysees-Opera Quarter West) Concorde Lafayette

[Houtx79]

Hi, I'm a new user. Thanks very much for this board!

I'm planning a spur of the moment trip for May 21-27 and have a back up hotel reservation of around $170/night at the Hotel Champlain in the 17th, which has just been renovated and looks lovely but I understand that's not exactly in easy walking distance of the usual favorite sites.

I'd like to beat the $170 price (taxes and fees are included) if that's possible but get closer to the tourist sites. So, I would very much appreciate any advice on bidding for a 3* to 4* hotel room within closer walking distance to the tourist sites, St. Germain or the Opera district have been recommended to me but I'm open, and/or whether I should just stick with my reservation.

Thanks so much!!!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Please let us know your maximum nightly budget before taxes and fees as well as which zone(s) you're willing to accept (everyone has a different opinion of what 'convenient' is).

With that info, are you willing to pay more for a 4* vs. a 3* or are you looking for the least expensive 3 star or better hotel?

Is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option?

Let us know the above and we'll advise accordingly.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[Houtx79]

Thanks so much.

I am willing to split my bid (even on the possibility of having to move to another hotel.) I am hoping to get a better deal than the hotel I reserved so my maximum nightly bid before taxes and fees would be below $155 (as I'm supposed to pay approximately $170/night at the hotel I reserved.)

I'm hoping for Zones 3 (Champs Elysees), 6 (Opera Quarter East - Les Halles), 4 (Eiffel Tower), or 7 (St. Germain) (in that order).

I am looking for the least expensive 3* or better in these locations but preferably a 4* in these locations but even if it's the same distance as my current hotel.

Thanks for your help.

[thereuare]

I am looking for the least expensive 3* or better in these locations but preferably a 4* in these locations but even if it's the same distance as my current hotel.

The chances of being upgraded to a 4* property on a 3* bid are low, so do you want to bid for a 4* first or do you prefer to bid for the lowest price 3* or better hotel in any of the above zones?

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[Houtx79]

I'd want to bid on a 4* first.

[thereuare]

One more question...

I'm hoping for Zones 3 (Champs Elysees), 6 (Opera Quarter East - Les Halles), 4 (Eiffel Tower), or 7 (St. Germain) (in that order).

I assume that price is more important than zone? In other words, did you want to try up to your limit first in teh Champs Elysees zone before moving on to the OQE zone, etc, etc... OR are you looking for the least expensive 4* or better hotel in any of the above locations?

Let us know and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[Houtx79]

I'm sorry. I'm sure I'm driving you nuts with my desire to have my cake and eat it too. Well, perhaps appropriate considering I'm going to the land of Marie Antoinette.

I would say zone and quality is more important that the savings. I think I've resigned myself to the fact that the $155 cap at this late date won't give me many choices so I don't expect to hit on something that will go for $125 and yet be 4* worthy.

My preferance would be for any of the 4* in OQE - Les Halles (by the way, I've seen postings that Hotel Ambassador is now one of the offerings) (I've been looking at the reservation offerings on each of the identified hotels' websites and they are pretty booked for the time frame and beyond the price range so it may be that this would be a free rebid rather than a realistic option for me even with splitting the stay with another hotel) any 4* American chain hotel in any of the aforementioned zones, particulary the Marriott Rive Gauche or the Hilton Suffren. But, if you don't think I could get either of those two without either going beyond the $155 cap or would get put in an offering not as nice as those two hotels then I'll just avoid bidding for this trip.

I think I'll refrain from bidding on Champs Elysees - OQW because all the winning bids in my price range seem to be for the Concord Lafayette, unless you think there's a good chance of getting a different hotel. Perhaps the Concord Lafayette isn't as bad as I think but the latest reviews on it indicate that it's overpriced and farther away than the hotel where I have made a reservation.

Thanks so much.

[WillTravel]

I've posted this before, but the Eiffel Tower zone may lead to getting the Pullman (formerly Sofitel) Rive Gauche, which is actually outside Paris proper. So although there are several well-located hotels in this zone, I would not bid for it personally because of the risk of getting that hotel. Most likely, bidding Champs Elysees - OQW would lead to a hotel that is rather far out, but at least still within Paris.

[thereuare]

Exactly which zones do you want to bid? :)

... and you want to try for your first zone up to your limit, then try for the second zone up to your limit, etc, etc?

[Houtx79]

I'd like to bid in OQE and St. Germaine - Latin Quarter.

[thereuare]

... and you want to try for your first zone up to your limit, then try for the second zone up to your limit, etc, etc?

Did you want to bid up to your limit in the OQE before moving on to the Latin Quarter OR are you looking for the least expensive 4* or better in either zone (the latter would be easier to bid since it gives you more bidding opportunities and you're now within a week of arrival)

Let us know and we'll advise according.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[Houtx79]

The least expensive 4* in either zone.

Thank you.

[thereuare]

Rates are high for these dates so i'm not very optimistic, but...

You have one re-bid zone available when bidding 4* in Paris. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 4* OQE...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $140, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE.

Select 4* Latin Quarter...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $140, if rejected close browser and use our link to re-access PRICELINE.

Select 4* OQE and Latin Quarter...

Bid $150, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $155.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Houtx79]

Thanks very much. I really appreciate all the help. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Houtx79]

I did as suggested and, as predicted, no luck.

Luckily, I'm getting a decent deal at the Hotel Champlain because of its grand renovation special. If anyone is interested in booking there I would suggest going to the Design Hotel Paris Offres Speciales link which, although in French, is offering, at 85 Euro per night, an even better rate than I have reserved.

Thanks so much for all the help and suggestions! I'm glad to have tried.

[Jay Daniel]

I did as suggested and, as predicted, no luck.

Luckily, I'm getting a decent deal at the Hotel Champlain because of its grand renovation special. If anyone is interested in booking there I would suggest going to the Design Hotel Paris Offres Speciales link which, although in French, is offering, at 85 Euro per night, an even better rate than I have reserved.

Thanks so much for all the help and suggestions! I'm glad to have tried.

what link are you refering to ? how was hotel champlain?

[lmldds]

what link are you refering to ? how was hotel champlain?

Yes, please share! I am also interested in the link for the special rate for Champlain in June. How was your stay?

[thereuare]

This might be the LINK.

[lmldds]

Thanks so much for the link. Unfortunately, I dont think this is the one HouTx79 referred to. This website offers a renovation special starting at 125 euros per night, while HouTx79 mentioned 85 euros per night on the french web site, which I still cant find after googling all day. Thanks again! Please let me know if you get any more info.

[Houtx79]

Sorry to take so long to respond. I was away. :) So, I ended up bidding on a hotel in the middle of our stay. The Champlain was a reasonable 3 star hotel -- clean, newly renovated including bathrooms and accommodating staff (especially, after they get to know you) although they were working out some newly reopened hotel bugs (phone call transfers from the US were hit or miss). Cons: tiny elevator, distance and, most importantly to me, no view. The view of our room was of the much graffitied train rail line and not a charming French neighborhood (if you look very closely at the pictures on their website you can see the creative angling and the graffiti). The Rome Metro is about three blocks away and isn't on a direct line to the major sites and so we had to transfer or walk a ways, which isn't a big deal but got tiring after a couple days considering how much you walk in Paris. In addition to the generally accomodating staff, one thing nice about the Champlain was its proximity to the Parc Monceau and this great little street Rue de Levis where they had food shops and bakeries perfect for compiling a picnic.

So, after a few days we ended up bidding at an internet cafe (I know, security, security!) and got the Concorde Lafayette for $152/night for May 25-27. With the exchange rate, it was a better deal. On our first night, we went to the Arc de Triomphe and seeing the Lafayette, I realized it wasn't as far as I feared so I went to the hotel before bidding just to check it out. Considering the exchange rate, it gave me some peace of mind to pay in dollars and to have the hotel pre-paid. The Concorde is directly connected to a shopping center (with a gourmet grocery store on the bottom floor if you want to eat in or get picnic food -- we saved a lot of money by getting food and wine from food shops instead of restaurants) and the metro. The Arc de Triomphe was walkable but by the time we relocated, our feet were begging us to save the walking for absolutely necessary. The Concorde is on the same train line as the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, etc so it was so much more convenient for getting around. The beds were softer (although they only provided comforters versus light blankets). In addition, considering the Champlain's new renovation, the bathroom was more dated (however, the provided toiletries were much nicer). In checking in, we requested a room with a view and got one of the Eiffel Tower. The area around the hotel is a business center and the hotel was very busy b/c it seems to constantly host conferences. Honestly, it's not 4* by American standards, but it was more comfortable than what is considered 3* in Paris. I would call it an American 3 to 3.5*. They fudge a little with the standards, the top floors, which I don't think get sold to Priceline, are 4* with perks like gym access. The floors below the 25th floor don't have the extra 4* perks.

However, if you're still interested in the Hotel Champlain, here's the link: http://www.hotelchamplainparis.com/fr/offres/ for the special rate. It looks like it's now 95 Euro a night. I didn't book directly with the hotel for the 110/euro per night rate I paid. And, when I tried to get the 85 Euro rate they advertised, it was only available on certain days -- not necessarily every day of my stay. I went through a website called Laterooms.com, which was hit and miss as far as rates, but seemed to beat the Champlain's web rates by at least a couple Euro.

Hope you have a lovely time!

[thereuare]

Thanks for the follow-up.

Hopefully at the Internet Cafe you remembered to access BetterBidding and use our PRICELINE link to begin your bidding. :)

Glad you enjoyed your trip.

[lmldds]

Thanks for all the advice. I bid up to 200 on PL with no luck, so I ended up getting a backup at the Champlain through the hotel website for 125 euros/night. (The link for 95 euros did not work..) I will keep looking but at least I have a hotel now. Was it really that bad to transfer on the metro while staying at the Champlain? It's only a few blocks from the stop, right?

[Houtx79]

I'm really sorry for the late response again and that the link wasn't working.

It really wasn't bad, it's just the Champlain isn't really geared towards American tourists. It seems to me to be more a European business hotel. As far as 3* in Europe go it was pretty decent b/c it's new. It's not a bad walk from the train station (about three to four blocks) but it's a darker, more quiet street a few blocks from charming in the evening. I didn't feel unsafe but then I was always with someone. The Champlain was clean, the furniture is nice and the bathrooms are new. It's small enough that the service was personal and after a day the staff knew you by sight. The front staff including Mr. Arnaud and Nicolas and other members of the staff were very nice and accomodating. Mr. Arnaud Seguin speaks good English and was very helpful. You may want to mention a former guest referred you and that will speed up the getting to know you process. Also, at checkout you may want to make sure they don't charge you for breakfast (they were very accomodating about removing it from my bill) we never ate it at the hotel b/c it's too expensive. Also, when I booked through laterooms the price was inclusive of tax (except a 1 euro city tax.)

Honestly, I would bid an extra $20 a night for 4* accomodations closer to the tourist sites if I was planning a stay longer than 4 days. But, the Champlain isn't a bad hotel at all and is probably nicer than many 3* in the city. Do try to visit the Parc Monceau if that's your thing, it's a really lovely spot.

Bon voyage!

P.S. In all the excitement, I don't remember if I used the PRICELINE link. :) However, I'm about to bid on another hotel stay and will certainly use the link. :)