B&B for just £10 per person! (Etap Hotel)

Member Name: hypno06

Product:	Etap Hotel
Date:	05/04/09 (253 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Clean, and Functionable

Disadvantages: Basic

You will probably all be aware of the "budget" hotel chains such as Travel Inn, Travel Lodge, and Holiday Inn Express. If you have travelled into Europe you will also be familiar with Ibis, Novotel and Campanile Hotels.....all providing similar accomodation at reasonable prices.

You may not be aware of Etap, though, but I would suggest that if you are ever looking for accommodation on a tight budget, that you give them a try.

Etap are a chain of 370 hotels, mainly on the continent, and predominantly in France. They also have sites in the UK, including Glasgow, Leeds, Bradford, Birmingham, Southamton, Cardiff and London City Airport. Further afield there are a few sites in Brazil, Australia and New Zealand, Indonesia and South Africa.

If you are looking for mid-range, comfortable hotel rooms, then Etap is not for you - if you are looking for a cheap, clean room where you can lay your weary head and get a decent breakfast in the morning, then Etap is worth a look.

I have only stayed in Etap hotels in France - we make regular trips to the Alps and need to have a stopover on the way. By the time we stop we are tired, and so just want somewhere easy to find, that is clean and has a bed...

Etap hotels are often situated on the edge of towns or industrial estates - we have never been troubled by noise, though - although that may simply be because we are so tired by the time we arrive, that we will sleep through anything!

**Booking**

You book your room online at www.etaphotel.com - the site is very easy to use and can tell you straight away of availablity. You print out your reservation and you MUST take it with you because it has a pin number that you will need when you arrive.

**Price**

Prices start at £32, obviously the ones that are in Europe are priced in Euros and so the sterling equivalent price will fluctuate with the exchange rate.

**Rooms**

You get a room that contains a double bed, with a "bunk" single bed above it - so you can sleep 3 people (ok, it is cosy, but it does the job), with an en-suite bathroom or shower room, and TV/coffee making facilities/bedside cabinets etc. It is basic, but it is clean and functionable - bedding is provided with ample pillows and blankets etc. Decor is very neutral, but don't expect an interior designer to have visited.....

**Breakfast**

Included in the price is an all you can eat breakfast - again, it is basic, but in France it would include bread, cheese, cold meat, yoghurts, unlimited coffee, orange juice, cereals etc.......Considering that you are only paying approx £10 per person per night if you have 3 in a room, to get a good breakfast included is very good value, and sets you up for the next part of your journey.

**booking in**

Although there is usually someone on reception, it is not always manned, and there is a system of "self check in" operating - you simply enter your pin number on a keypad by the front door, and this lets you in both the front door and your room. Easy.....as long as you have remembered to take your reservation details with you!

**staff**

To keep the costs down, staffing is kept to a minimum, but we have always found everything to run smoothly, and those that are about are very friendly and helpful.

**additional info**

These sites generally have ample car parking, at no extra cost, and I have never had any indication that the carpark is the target of thieves etc, so have been happy to leave our ski kit in the roofbox without worry. I don't really fancy unloading everything only to have to put it back in the car the next day.

All in all, when you consider that you are getting bed AND breakfast for around £32 a night, for up to three people, I think that ETAP hotels are very good value for money. We will definitely be using them again.

www.etaphotel.com
www.accorhotels.com

Summary: Budget hotel rooms ideal for a stopover, but don't expect anything flash.