If you are looking at an extended stay in Paris for business or any other reason, you may feel like you don`t want to commit to properly leasing a property, but you don`t want the expense of staying in a hotel the whole time either.
If this is the case, what should you do?
Why Neither a Hotel or an Apartment is Quite Right
I spent six months working in La Defense in Paris a couple of years back, and this was the situation I found myself in.
I was only staying in the city four nights a week, and didn`t know how long my company would need me to stay with that particular client, so properly renting out an apartment didn`t seem like a great idea, because if I had to leave at short notice to go to another client in another city or country it could be a problem, and because I was already paying for somewhere to live back home in the UK.
On the other hand, staying in hotels, while my company would foot the bill, meant that I had no real facilities and would have had to spend 6 months eating only in restaurants (OK, it doesn`t sound that bad, dining out every night in Paris, but after a 14 hour day at the office there were times when going to a restaurant was the last thing I wanted to do).
The solution I, and many other people on extended business trips in Paris found, was a French concept called “Aparthotels”.Aparthotels
Aparthotels are great, because you book and check in to them just like a hotel, and find yourself in a lovely clean room, but you also get some of the facilities you would expect in a small studio apartment type place of your own, such as a kitchenette and some kitchenware to use.
It is serviced, but not as much as a proper hotel – your room will be clean and your bed made when you arrive, but a maid probably will only replace everything and empty your bins and so on about once a week (or after you leave if you check in and out during the week like I did to return home at weekends).
You usually get a large TV just like in a hotel, but normally you will also get things like a DVD player, to make it a bit more homely.
Other Facilities
Aparthotels do vary in terms of the extra facilities available to residents (you tend to be referred to as a resident rather than a guest, and your room referred to as your apartment or flat rather than your room), but you won`t normally find typical hotel features like a gym, pool or even restaurant, though many have breakfast you can buy in the morning and vending machines with food you can cook in your room`s microwave.
Most have laundry rooms where you can wash your clothes, and often there is a concierge service but everything on top of your rental of the room itself is chargeable.
Aparthotels can be a good happy medium if you are staying in Paris for a while – some of the benefits of a hotel and some of the benefits of your own place. Just make sure you work out where all the nearby amenities are because you will need to be able to get to a supermarket if you want decent food and some bars and restaurants if you want somewhere to go – there is normally nowhere to go socially within the complex.
If you plan on visiting Paris for any length of time you may also want to look into Paris apartments. France Accom is a fantastic comparison site and can help you find some great apartments in Paris within minutes.