Hotel Campanile (Hotel Campanile (Nogent-sur-Marne))

Member Name: deb10

Product:	Hotel Campanile (Nogent-sur-Marne)
Date:	22/02/07 (218 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, clean and comfortable and great food.

Disadvantages: Lots of cigarette smoke and no English channels on the TV.

Campanile
Paris-Est Nogent sur Marne
Quai du Port
France

After a recent visit to Disney land Paris (December 2006), we stayed at a Campanile Hotel in Nogent sur Marne. It is situated just outside the city, along the river Marne, in the countryside near Paris.

We had no idea what the hotel would be like until we arrived but I was assured it was at least a 2* establishment. The tour company gave me the name and address prior to leaving the UK but I could not find many detailed photographs on the internet. www.expedia.co.uk gave a view of the front of Campanille and the descriptions given on various sites were mostly the same, “Modern with restaurant, coffee shop and bar; multilingual staff; situated in the city near public transportation”. Apparently there are rooms for the disabled but these have to be pre-booked as well as the family rooms.

The Campanille group are quite large chain, with hotels in England, Scotland, France, Germany and Italy and have a network of 380 in Europe. Though I have personally never heard of them, I have since found out that Campanille are celebrating 30 years in the business. The company chairman Barry Sternlicht boasts that he is doing his best to provide comfort and hospitality in his network of economical hotels. So let’s see if his word is his bond…..

*** FIRST APPEARANCES*****

After a very early morning pick up from Hampshire and 13 hours later on the coach, we finally arrived at Nogent Sur Marne. The first appearances were pleasing. The hotel was large, quite well kept and all rooms had large bay windows looking out onto the river Marne. Décor wise, it was slightly over board with the lime green paint but none the less a quite impressive residence from the view of a tired pair of eyes and a coach window.

Situated on a very busy main road, it was difficult to cross. Once on the path, there was a flight of about 15 steps up to the main entrance. Fortunately there was also a ramp just around the side of the building.

The doors into the hotel were heavy and non automatic so disabled visitors would find it difficult to enter.

The lobby and reception were like entering a 19750’s time warp. I thought the description said modern! Once again the lime green paint was in abundance, except this time it was paired with mustard too. I think the walls were once painted Magnolia but with all the heavy cigarette smoking going on, the paint has discoloured to mustard. Plastic flowers were situated in just about every nook and cranny, all with a good layer of dust. The smell of cigarettes hit you in the face where ever you go.

I am pleased to say the reception manager was dressed in a more modern style of white shirt and brown trousers, which seemed to be the standard uniform of all staff. He was very polite and gave us a warm welcome and made a big fuss of my children throughout our stay.
On our arrival I was hoping that after such a long and tiring coach trip to Paris we may have been greeted with a tray of some sort of refreshment but instead we were given our keys to the rooms and directed to the lift. By the time we got there, all of us were spitting feathers we were so dry.

The reception is open 24 hours/ 7 days a week but don’t guarantee getting a beverage late at night. It depends on which member of staff is working the late shift. After returning from Disney land very late on New Years day (we were dropped off by the coach at 2.30 am), we were desperate for some snack food and a drink. We were told the bar was closed and shuffled up to our rooms empty handed.

***** LIFT OR STAIR CASE *****

There were 8 floors in this hotel and our rooms were situated on the second floor. Bearing in mind that 48 passengers were all in the lobby area, we had a long wait for this one elevator to make its way back down.

The lift, like the hotel was quite antiquated and only 4 people could squeeze in comfortably. I am rather nervous of lifts at the best of times and I did not feel secure or safe in this tin box so opted for the stairs, leaving my husband with the cases.

Luckily the stair case was adjacent to the elevator but the fire doors were hard to open. The stairs on the lower ground were just stone and the lighting was extremely poor, making it dangerous and very unsafe. However, once you reach the first floor carpeted stair case, the lighting improves considerably.

***** THE ROOMS*****

All 84 rooms accommodate two people comfortably, or three at a push. The third bed is a pull out mattress underneath the main double bed. Doors are opened by the traditional method of lock and key, no swipe cards and electric tagging here.

My husband and my two boys were in the room next door and my daughter and I shared the double bed. Smoking is allowed but you can ask for a non smoking bedroom as I did at the time of booking. The corridor wreaked of smoke as did most of the hotel.

Both rooms were decorated the same, neutral colours, no lime green anywhere except in the carpet. Just like the rest of the hotel, the rooms were very dated and in need of some drastic modernisation.

They were exceptionally clean and tidy but only the basics for furniture. Other than the bed and one wooden chair with a wobbly leg, there was no other seating. A small dressing table occupied the site by the window and a single wardrobe. There were no coat hangers inside but an extra pillow was placed on the bottom.

Tea and coffee facilities consisted of just two tea bags, two packets of Nescafe, two biscuits and two small portions of long life cream. No sugar, just sweeteners. The kettle was just big enough to make one cup but to be honest it was so revolting with the long life cream I only drank cooled boiled water whilst I was there. There was no advice about not drinking the water but we decided to buy bottles of Evian and kept this in our room just incase.

Each room has a TV but unless you speak French then it will be just there to provide back ground noise. Limited channels, there were just 7 and there is no point trying to tune in for other channels as the button has been removed from the remote control.

I had no idea how to turn on the small wall heater and no instructions were given either. Fortunately it wasn’t that cold and the hotel was generally warm anyway.

The bathroom consisted of a bath with shower attachment, basin sink, toilet, and extendable mirror. Once again it was spotless. Yes the tiles had seen better days and the bath had lost its shine but the room was immaculate. Not a stray hair in sight from the previous occupants.

Plastic sealed cups were left on the shelf along with two packets of shampoo and a small bar of soap. I also found a large pile of freshly laundered white towels on the heated rail, warm, welcoming and incredibly fluffy. These are changed daily with room service.

The beds had crisp white sheets on with comfortable pillows and a firm mattress. I must admit it was very quiet which so aided restful sleep.

Apparently they do provide travel cots but you must pre-book these prior to your arrival.

*** RESTAURANT/ “Nos recettes de saison” ***

The restaurant received full marks from us, the food was delicious. You can either choose from un choix de menus (a range of set menus) or from the buffet which is the centre piece of the restaurant. Even the children had their own menu if required.

The menu given to us was in French, they had none printed in English. The hotel claimed that its staff was multi lingual but our waitress did not understand English so it was down to me to translate as best I could in my pigeon French.

The dishes were varied and you could have a set menu from 13 euros. Starters were priced at 5 euros, main meals from 17 euros and deserts at 7 euros. To be honest the buffet works out cheaper as for 15 euros you can eat as much as you like and that includes your starter, main meal and desert.

Items from the menu included burger and chips, steak cooked in red wine, omelette, chicken and new potatoes and the only vegetarian option of ravioli. The burger and fries consisted of a small piece of steak, cooked rare, no bun, no salad but delicious chips, cooked to perfection. Children could order burgers, chicken courgons or fish fingers. All served with fries naturally and comes with a small ice cream tub of Hargen Dazs. This is priced at 9 euros.

However my children eat healthily and they all opted for the buffet, which works out better value as you get three courses and choose exactly what you like. My husband ordered the burger but as it was cooked rare, he wasn’t too keen on eating it. I asked for it to be cooked further but the waitress told me at that time the kitchen was not open.

The buffet plates are situated by the cheese board. There are ample French loaves to cut and eat as you please, just help yourself. The starters consist of pate, two varieties of soup, melon, fish and some continental meats. The main meal is a good selection of coleslaw, salads, with cous cous, rice, more pate, cold pasta and slices of cold meats. The red cabbage, apple and sultana salad was divine, very sweet more like a pudding than a main meal.

However the best bit has to be the deserts. All laid out on a bed of ice, the plates were full, ready for your consumption. I was a complete hog and ate three! I can firmly recommend the crème brulee, apple tart and chocolate cake. My children all had the banana and pineapple cake, covered in syrup and the plates were licked clean. Of course for those watching the calories there are cartons of low fat yoghurt and bowls of fruit salad. I did not fall into that category whilst there which my waistline now shows.

Bottles of chilled Evian are available for your table as are a good selection of soft drinks. There is a bar situated in the hotel reception. There are not many choices of alcohol but they served Bacardi, Vodka, Heineken and a good selection of red or white wines. Prices were from 5 euros.

You cannot set a tab up and charge the evening meal or lunch to your room, it has to be paid for there and then by either credit card or euros’. They do not accept sterling. Service charge is not included but a tip is expected.

Breakfast is included in the price of your room and this is buffet only. Because the buffet selection is situated on a wooden platform in the centre of the restaurant, it becomes somewhat hectic. There should have been a one way system in place as it was just one massive free for all and as a result very hectic.

Breakfast items included three selections of cereals which you pour out of canisters, yoghurts, fruit, dry cake similar to Madeira cake, croissants plain or chocolate, dry toast, bread rolls, cheese, hams, crackers, biscuits and fresh orange juice. If you want tea and coffee, its make your own by placing the tea (and there are many bags available) or coffee granules into a cup and pour in the hot water from the jugs provided. The milk is fresh and unlike the stuff in the hotel room, it tasted delicious with my Earl Grey. Just like the buffet in the evening and lunch time, everything is on a bed of ice and chilled to perfection. You can eat as much as you like but the minute the restaurant shuts, everything is removed within seconds, including your plate if you haven’t finished.

The opening times are: morning – 6.30 am to 9.30 am, lunch 12 – 2pm and dinner 7.30- 10 pm. It is best to get to the restaurant at least an hour before closing otherwise you will be turned away.

The waitress service was actually quite comical, it reminded me of the BBC comedy show “Faulty Towers”. The poor girls were rushing around the tables like little ants, watched by the manager aka Basil Fawlty. I appreciate the restaurant was always busy but the staff were so accident prone. We lost count the amount of times glasses were dropped, plates were smashed, flowers were knocked over and waitresses skidded on the floor. No dinner was dropped whilst we were there.

I must admit I really enjoyed the buffet food but what let the restaurant down was the amount of smoking allowed here as well. There were no designated areas for smokers and we were sitting right amongst the fumes. It was quite choking and there was no ventilation regardless of the hotel having air conditioning, which I saw no sign of at that time of our stay.

*** THINGS TO DO THERE*****

Apparentley you can use the facilities next door which included a swimming pool and bowling. However everything was shut whilst we were there and to be honest the hotel offered nothing to do and was absolutely boring. Even the river cruises were closed and these were situated opposite the hotel.

We just stayed at the hotel as it was part of the Disney Land package tour and it was somewhere to rest our heads at night. To be honest where the hotel is situated and what the establishment has to offer was absolutely nothing. I would not stay there any longer than a few nights as they offer no entertainment what so ever, a weekend is long enough.

The train station is close by which is a 20 minute ride away from the centre of Paris, but there are no shops or facilities within walking distance of the hotel and believe me we did try to find something on New Years day.

If you bring your own car, Disney Land is an hours drive away. There is parking facilities on site but I had no idea where.





*** TO CONCLUDE***

This Campanile hotel offers an economical stay on the outskirts of Paris, with easy access to the city centre and the train station is within easy walking distance. The bus line 114, 120 and 210 also takes you into Paris.

For a tourist rated 2 * hotel the place is very clean and tidy, with daily room service. Though very dated inside, it is quite good value for money but I would not stay there any longer than necessary. If you just want somewhere to sleep and shower for a few nights, then this place is ideal. The staff are polite but certainly do not go that extra mile for their guests, especially when the restaurant is busy.

Watch out for any flying crockery!

Useful Information and Websites:

www.campanile.fr/hotel
www.expedia.co.uk
www.campanille.com
www.online.allrez.com/hotprice.
www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi - for up to date currency conversion


If you wish to book a room either use the websites listed or call the hotel direct on Reservation Number 0164 62 4646.

Payment can be made by credit cards, traveller’s cheques or gift vouchers. At this hotel there were no cash tills.

One night in a double room low season is 78 euros per room – 1 Euro equals 0.65 pence as at the time of writing. However in the summer the price drops to 69 euros per person. Winter is extremely popular due to the Christmas parade and New Years Eve fireworks at Disney.

Rates are quoted per night per room exclusive of taxes and meals unless otherwise specified. Some rates may require special identification. Extra persons, children, roll-away beds may be subject to additional charges. This information was taken from http://online.allrez.com/hotprice/paris.

Thank you for reading

Summary: Great for a just a few nights away but not any longer.