Best Western Aramis Saint Germain - Paris, France     

For the past several years I have been spending my New Year holiday regularly at the Aramis Hotel. This year again I stayed there for four nights at the beginning of January. This is my favourite Parisian hotel because, as everybody seems to point out, it is conveniently located and the staff are kind and friendly. But this year I was a little disappointed. First of all, my room (Room 14) was not only very small (there was only a few feet of free space around a double bed) but also extremely dark. The window faced a narrow space which contained a metal staircase and a flue, and admitted hardly any daylight at all. As a result, the room was very dark regardless of the time of the day. I would wake up in the morning and think it was still in the middle of night because no light was coming in through the window. It was as if I were staying at the bottom of a deep hole. Although the staff were pleasant, there were a few occasions when I thought that the standard of service was slipping. For example, one morning when I ordered breakfast at about 10.30 (breakfast costs 12 euros and is served between 7 am and 12 noon), I was told that there was no fruit juice and no baguette left. French breakfast without baguette? There is an excellent bakery across the street. Couldn't they have just popped out and got some bread for their guests? Also the price of a room had gone up quite a bit. This year I paid 520 euros (plus tax) for four nights' stay. At the same time last year I paid 435 euros also for four nights. The Aramis may not be as good a value as it used to be.