Best Western Opera Saint Lazare - Paris, France     

Staying here was a lot less expensive for two people than it would have been to stay at a hostel (at least in a hostel in a non-sketchy neighborhood). The hotel was clean and we could store our luggage in the lobby (in a locked closet) after we checked out but before we left Paris. The people were friendly and the location was excellent (in a cute residential neighborhood with good metro access).

Our room was not clean from the moment we arrived. The shower was dirty and this was dirt which was removed by us using a wet wipe. The sheets on the bed had something that looked like dried blood, and were not changed once during our 4 night stay. The blanket on the bed was in a condition so bad, that had it been my dogs blanket at home, I would have thrown it out. We reported broken glass in the floor of the lift, and 24 hours later the broken glass was still on the floor of the lift. When someone finally deemed to clean the lift, it was not done with a vacuum cleaner, and broken glass was still visible in the lift 2 days later. When our towels were changed, we were left with a mixture of towels, but only one large enough to use in the shower. I don’t think a university degree is required to count the correct number of towels. I also don’t believe that a 3 star hotel (and they advertise themselves as such) should have child sized beds. To call our beds twin was stretching the imagination. I am six feet tall, a not uncommon height amongst men, and I was left with my feet and legs hanging off the end of the bed. If I rolled over I ended up on the floor, or lying over my wife. On our second morning the breakfast service was a total shambles. There were no plates, cutlery, clean tables and many of the food items had run out. Kitchen staff had no interest in the fact that we were unable to eat, and experience shared by everyone at breakfast that morning. Without exception the staff was rude to the point of being insulting. They were often shouting at each other from the central courtyard, or even outside our room. The cleaning staff would run you over if you didn’t step out of their way. The front desk was an inhospitable place to visit at the best of times.