Member Advice on Chain Hotels: Etap Hotels

This review is very similar to my opinion on Formule 1 hotels, but there are sufficient differences to warrant a separate review for Etap. I have to say that when I have a choice, I always pay the bit extra and go for Etap

Etap are the Accor chain's two-star offering. They have hotels in the UK, France, Luxemburg, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria Hungary and Israel.

In the UK, they have ...
...at City Airport. A room Barking will set you back £36.95 for one, £41.95 for two or three. At the airport it's £34.95 and £39.95. All you can eat buffet breakfast £2.95 extra.

They have several hundred locations in France (they are a French chain), including on the outskirts of Paris, accessible to public transport. Room prices depend on location, and are again quoted for one person, with a supplement for two or three in a room. Near ... more

This review is very similar to my opinion on Formule 1 hotels, but there are sufficient differences to warrant a separate review for Etap. I have to say that when I have a choice, I always pay the bit extra and go for Etap

Etap are the Accor chain's two-star offering. They have hotels in the UK, France, Luxemburg, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria Hungary and Israel.

In the UK, they have two hotels in London, one in Barking and the other at City Airport. A room Barking will set you back £36.95 for one, £41.95 for two or three. At the airport it's £34.95 and £39.95. All you can eat buffet breakfast £2.95 extra.

They have several hundred locations in France (they are a French chain), including on the outskirts of Paris, accessible to public transport. Room prices depend on location, and are again quoted for one person, with a supplement for two or three in a room. Near Paris, it's about 45 Euros for a room, with a 3 Euro supplement for two or more. In the provinces, it's cheaper. For example, a night in Calais is 31 Euros with a 6 Euro supplement for two or more, in Tours it's 29 Euros with no supplement. The supplements don't apply for children 12 or under. Breakfast is 4 Euros.

Booking is easy, either on the website, where there is an interactive map for finding locations, or direct with each hotel. Rooms can be guaranteed with a card, and can be cancelled up to 7pm. You can register at the website so your details are stored for future reservations, but it's not required to do so in order to make a booking. However, for checking out the prices of each hotel, the guidebook they publish is easiest. Pick one up during your first stay.

The rooms are functional and clean, with a double bed and a bunk bed, so three people can sleep comfortably. There is hanging space for clothes and a TV, which has some satellite channels depending on the location. There are no keys. You are allocated a PIN number at check in, which you enter onto a pad at the front door and your room door to unlock them. The main advantage they have over Formule 1 is that each room has a bathroom (although it's very small) with shower.

Breakfast is an all you can eat buffet, with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, orange juice and various types of bread, butter and preserves. It's nothing fancy, but it fills you up, and the bread, including crispy baguettes, is usually very fresh.

The front desk is staffed only during breakfast and peak check in times (5-9 or 10). At other times, except in Belgium, Luxemburg and Hungary, there is a machine into which you put the card you used to guarantee your booking, and it debits the money and gives you a receipt and the PIN to get into the hotel and your room. If you don't have a reservation, and there are rooms available, you can use the same method to secure one. You can also be reminded of your PIN by inserting your card.

The main disadvantage is that they tend to be in out of the way places, very few in main centres. There are none in right in Paris, for example, though quite a few on the fringes, which can be close to public transport. The individual hotel details on the website will tell you. Car parking is generally available, and often secured (again, use your PIN number to open the gate).

They are often located close to shopping centres and restaurants. Often they will be close to an IBIS hotel, and guests at Etap can get special deals at the IBIS restaurant.

Especially in France, both Etap and Formule 1 are extremely useful on road trips, or for family holidays in your car on the cheap.
 

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