Hotels in France by Jamie Dunford Wood

Hotels in France come in a wider variety of forms than perhaps anywhere else. In Paris we have the Grand Dames and the garrets along with the more recent design offerings. The provincial cities lag behind, with plenty of old style French hotels of dated decor and unmodernised facilities. Boutiques are only slowly arriving, and the established hotels tend to trade on their reputations. The gap has been plugged - unhappily for those who rate character, at which the French hotelier has always excelled - by the blander chains: dominated by the brands of the ubiquitous Accor group, the Sofitels, Mercures, Novotels and Ibis. Service here can be appalling, not least because the French social security system makes it difficult and expensive to fire anybody. The French reputation for bloody-mindedness is alive and well at this end of the hotel industry.

In the countryside things are alot better, and it is here that real value can still be found, in the owner-managed establishments where service and livelihood are closely intertwined. Old style hotels retain charm and character, often with a modern twist, and their prices can still be amongst the most reasonable in western Europe. Traditionally the best of them were always restaurants with rooms, and the great British chronicler of these, Richard Binns, provides some real gems to base an itinerary on. Comfort can sometimes be sacrificed; but this is generally more than compensated for in the quality of the cooking.

There are the chateaux, many of them hastily converted into hotels and B+Bs by hard-up aristocrats. Again stuffed with character, often eccentric, sometimes pompous, occasionally corporate (especially where golf is involved), they are always an experience worth having. Then there are a new breed - city sophistication brought to rural locations, as epitomised by some of the Relais & Chateaux and the resort hotels of the Cote d'Azur. The cooking is often Michelin quality, the fabrics expensive, the pools inviting - but for the price the service is not always as professional as it might be, for at this end of the scale these properties are seldom owner-managed; the investment is too high. One convention here: prices are normally quoted in France including state tax, excluding city tax (generally a euro ot two per night) and breakfast.

Take a look our listings of luxury hotels in Paris and you will find a wide range of hotels to choose from.