European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 07, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Hotel Chain has formula for budget trave by John Taylor staff writer if you be seen one formula 1 hotel room you be seen them All. And that simple fact is the reason this French hotel Chain is a great 120 francs a about $25�? you can get a quiet cozy room for three at 165 locations around France. As soon a you walk in the front door you know exactly what you will find. The hotels Are High tech and Low maintenance. Each one is built from prefabricated units assembled on the site. Entry to individual rooms is controlled by tapping in a code not by using a key. The toilets and showers located Down the Hall Are All self cleaning. And you can even pay. For your room with a credit card at a window outside the main door that works just like an automatic Teller at a Bank. As a matter of fact if you Don t eat breakfast at the hotel 18 francs per person you Don t have to Corne Anto Contact with anyone from the hotel management. On two separate trips my family and friends stayed in four different hotels in Normandy and near Paris. All the rooms had a double bed an overhead bunk a sink with hot and cold water a triangular desk wedged into Corner and a television. The rooms were not Large a about 12-by-8 feet a but made Good use of the space. The bathrooms were shared with other guests but the walk was t far and the wait for a vacant one was t Long. When the door is closed after each use a detergent Spray passes Over the toilet seat and floor. A Heater is supposed \ to dry the room but it does t always work so the floors often stay Damp. The reception desk is manned Between 6 30 and 10 and 5 and 9 . When you Check in you Are Given a five number code that opens your room door and the front door. It is Good until noon the following Day when All codes Are changed by a computer if you stay for More than one Day you will get a new code. Those with visa credit cards Don t have to wait for the desk to open to get a room. They can pay a computer out front. Although we did not do this we were told it works the same Way As a Bank window insert your card answer a few questions remove a strip of paper with room number and code. The computer debits 120 francs from your card and returns it. We had no trouble getting a room at any of the hotels v. We went to but were told that the ones in Paris Are full one of the reasons for the Low prices at formula i hotels is their uniformity. / year round and Many of the ones outside the City fill up quickly during the summer. The hotel Chain is fairly new and it is hard to Tell How Well the buildings will hold up. One we stayed at near Paris was beginning to show signs of Wear and tear. It would be a Good idea to inspect the ones that get a lot of use before deciding to spend a Long time there. Many of the hotels Are on the outskirts of towns near shopping centers restaurants and filling stations. Prices at these facilities will probably be less than at similar ones inside cities. And unlike at Many hotels parking was no problem. A the Chain intends to open 19 More hotels in France Early next year. There Are already several in Belgium and some Are planned soon for Germany where the rooms reportedly will be larger and for creat Britain. The company has a Booklet that lists each hotel and provides Brief directions on How to get there. You can also watch for the distinctive signs a Black and red lettering on a yellow background a that Point the Way. Once you know what to look for you May be surprised at How Many of them Are around. Booklets Are available at All of the hotels or by contacting the company at imm Euble be Descartes 29 promenade Michael Simon by 15993163 noisy be grand France. The Telephone number is 1 43r04-01 -00 % a Bantam Trachi. In in ifrance1990 specially guidebooks simplify travel plans associated press All that poet John Masefield asked for his tall ship was Quot a Star to steer her world travellers these Days need More than a Star they need guidelines on where to go what to see where to stay where to eat. There Are plenty of specialized publishers willing to provide far from All of the newer travel guidebooks Fodor s London companion by Louise Nicholson a revised and updated version originally published As London Louise Nicholson s definitive guide walking Tours shopping and dining advice and Quot How to stay dry and have fun on rain drenched Days Quot a including Quot shop for the anti rain kit Quot and spend the Day at the British museum. Fodor s guide of Europe s great cities is a Basic look at 20 cities from Amsterdam to Zurich in addition to specific information on the cities it lists government tourist offices for each of the countries As Well As some tour groups and package deals for Independent travellers. The travel company also has published great Britain England Scotland and Wales and specific guides for Maui and Washington . Chronicle books published the fifth edition of guides to less expensive places cheap sleeps in Paris not the cheapest but the Best values for a variety of tastes and in which ones is English spoken and cheap eats in Paris 125 cafes bistros brasseries and restaurant both by stripes Magazine february7, 1991 Sandra a. Gustafson. The author notes that Quot no hotel can Purchase a listing or ask to be included Quot in her Quot sleeps Quot guide. Handy Quot City travel kits Quot from Doubleday include seven Days in London and seven Days in Paris and four Days in Venice illustrated guides to the major sights with pull out maps. Perhaps the Best guides to Ireland come from the Irish tourist Board which offers a Booklet of Quot approved Quot guest accommodations bed and breakfasts listed by Region and a similar guide to hotels and guest houses. Bantam s France t9q0, broken Down by regions including Paris itself Normandy Brittany and the North the Alps the Mediterranean. Appropriate maps accompany each Section which emphasize the sights. More thematic travel guides recently published include a a Eleanor Berman s travelling on your own ideas for group and Solo vacations. _ _ a a a Rand Mcnally s Magazine format getaway guide great escapes which includes special events across the United states City vacations wilderness explorations and Scenic drives along with Road maps. A Arthur Frommer s third annual new world of travel on alternative vacations. A unbelievably Good deals and great adventures that you absolutely can t get unless you re Over 50, a by Joan Rattner Heilman contemporary is in its third edition revised with new information about How to a. Snake your age a if you re past 50 a pay off in travel. X
