Best Western Les Beaux Arts - Compiegne, France     

I've stayed at numerous hotels in Compiegne and this is the best of a poor selection. Its well suited for the town centre. The staff are friendly enough, but speak little English. Best Western (Central reservations) messed up my booking here once and the staff rang the other local hotels in the area to find me another room. The rooms vary and I would say the suites are not worth paying the extra for unless you really need the extra room (i.e. you are travelling as a family). The breakfast is a basic French affair (croissants, jam and coffee). The most notable thing about the hotel is the crazy underground parking facilities. Secure, sure. But not for the faint hearted. Entrance is via a very narrow, descending ramp with tight bends. It’s fair to say that there is ‘not enough room to swing a cat’ down there (although plenty of opportunity to scrap your paintwork!). If you're hiring a car and plan to use the facilities then definitely get full insurance cover. I've scrapped 2 hire cars down there in the past and the paint marks on all the sharp concrete pillars and post show that I'm not alone! The only other option is to park away from the hotel in some unsecured parking down by the river, I’ve never done this but heard stories of cars being broken into, so risking the underground parking is probably still the best option.

Recently stayed 3 nights during March 2005. What a disappointment after reading another possitive review. Everything was warn, with stains in the rugs from previous flooding, ceiling paint coming off from similar problems. Nothing worked right in the bathrooms: shower could not be adjusted, toilet took about 5 minutes to stop water discharge, no shower curtain but a small plastic panel that doesn't cover 1/3 of the area makes for a bathroom floor that gets quite wet. The hotel claims 3 stars but I would be hard pressed to give them 1. The sheets were clean but the covers were quite dirty and discusting. I am a frequent traveler to Europe and seldom get down on an establishment, but I thought future travelers should be forewarned. In all fairness, the hotel does have a great location, the rooms are good size, and the table is quite useful.