Upon arrival, while the neighborhood was charming, and slightly reminiscent of Brooklyn or Queens, NY, the staff, for the most part, was coldly polite. There was only one person who was remotely pleasant, and that was only because my husband went down to reception to request an iron, sans shirt. The owner of the establishment denied us the opportunity to see our room prior to paying, saying it was “absoutely impossible,” then followed us closely up the small staircase and pushed us into our room, stating “See? Very nice. Clean.”

After literally stripping the bed of its linens, checking for mold, dust, and anything else that should not be in a clean hotel room, we were satisfied that things were up to par. Our room was very clean, nicely decorated, with new upolstered chairs, new carpeting and wallpaper, new comfortable, but slightly small for a double mattress, and a very up-to-date en-suite full bathroom, complete with jaccuzzi; however, the shower did not have a curtain (talk about dangerous).

The street was lined with impossibly quaint bakeries and, down the street and around the corner were a series of delectable cafes, pubs, clubs, pharmacies, and facilities offering entertaining activities (billiards, mini bowling, etc). A half block from the hotel is the Metro, which connects to everywhere in Paris centre, which was approximately a 10 minute ride to metro stations near the Latin Quarter, Luxembourg Gardens, and other touristy sites, via metro and RER lines. You can also catch a train from this metro stop to Charles DeGaulle airport for 8 euros per ticket. Despite the lack of, what can only be described as personable-ness of the reception staff, I would recommend staying here and plan to do so when my husband and I return in February for holiday.

Thank you for taking the time to send us your review of Les Chansonniers. We’ve just added a note to the bottom of our review of the hotel. We’re also sending a correspondent over to revisit the hotel and update the review, if necessary.

Thanks again,
Tom

Tom Meyers
Editor
http://djddz.com

They wanted our money in full upon arrival, before we had even seen the room. Sensing at once that this place wasn’t adding up, I said we were so tired and would pay in the morning. (The “reception” is more like a smoke-filled bar, and has no full-time receptionist 24/7.) Early next morning, after a horrible, fitful sleep, my wife and I scouted for somewhere (anywhere) else, and luckily found one (a bit more expensive, but very well worth it: Hotel l’Alhambra, in the 3rd arr. by Oberkamf metro). The only good news of our nightmare at this hotel was that they did not make a stink when we cancelled, and did not charge a penalty for short notice of cancellation.

I imagine if one spent more at this hotel, the rooms are a little bigger, but you’d still have to deal with the ugliness of the whole place, the uneven winding stairs, the thin walls, and ancient amenities (crappy bed, etc.) Why bother? Just don’t even consider it.

Note on location: we had no problem with the slightly rundown, vaguely sketchy neighborhood. It has its own charms, and is indeed very close to the famous Pere Lachaise cemetery, and really not that far a walk from the very beautiful “Marais” (4th arrondissement) neighborhood.

When we visited Les Chansonniers we did not encounter the problems you mentioned and it is consistently one of our most popular hotels. If we have a different experience during our next visit, we’ll be sure to update the review accordingly.

We should note, too, that just last month the New York Times “Frugal Traveler” visited Les Chansonniers and described his experience as “hitting the bigtime.” You can read the full review here.

Warm regards,

Pete