Hotel Colbert Avignon - Not recommended

How disappointing! I suggest that you let the Rick Steves folks know about your experience by using their "Guidebook Feedback Form" on this website: https://www.ricksteves.com/forms/guidebook-feedback-form. Since the RS folks say that they will be doing a blitz tour of many European destinations as soon as it is Covidly safe to do so in order to update their guidebooks, your experience may be vital in whether this hotel makes it into the revised edition of the France book.

We've stayed at three hotels in RS guidebooks and decided that choosing on Booking, but reserving directly, is much better for us. The one in Bolzano was fine and helped us with a medical problem, but the ones in Cologne and on the Moselle were places we'd never recommend. Lesson learned. I'm sorry you lost your money and hope you found a better place.

The hotel we stayed at in Avignon for our RS France My Way tour a few years ago was also not good (Hotel Bristol, for reference). I'm sure there must be nicer places but Rick's folks need to keep looking!

Thanks for posting and warning us. Sorry this happened to you. We’ve stayed in a few RS recommended hotels that were not good, and one was really bad. We stopped using his recs and like Bets, we use Booking.com. Only people that really did stay in a hotel can leave a review.

My experience with Hotel Colbert was just the opposite - well above par. We there in April 2014, so the A/C was a non-issue. I continue to recommend it to people on this Forum, so I hope yours was an isolated experience.

Estimated Prophet, I'm glad you had a good experience but that was 7 years ago-maybe management has changed?

I was an early reader of 'Europe Through the Back Door' and was interested to see Rick recommending so many things we had 'discovered' as well e.g. we hiked the Cinque Terre at a time there were no other Americans there (we encountered none on our hike and in our time in the towns). It was heavenly before it became overrun with ticket punchers.

so I have great respect for Steve's advice and his philosophy of travel which fits us well -- except we don't rush about so much -- but for a first tour, the rush rush itineraries he suggests are well balanced if you like that sort of travel.

BUT we have consistently been disappointed in hotel recommendations. The absolute worst stays we have had have been when using hotels so recommended. It is a good idea to triangulate when choosing hotels and read reviews from many sources. We just don't use him for that part of trip planning anymore.

After a couple of bad experiences, I stopped looking at RS’s lodging recommendations. My strategy is to check booking.com. Only people who have actually stayed at their listings can post reviews. You get the advantage of multiple views, which are much more current than any guidebook can possibly be. You can also see the details of any negatives, some of which may not matter to you.
Occasionally, a poster here will say that they have only high-end listings. This is not true. They have a wide range of listings, and cancellation policies are clearly stated. I generally check the hotels’ own websites to compare prices and deals. However, I usually end up booking through Booking.com. I like having all my arrangements listed in one place and having outside assistance, should problems arise.

I have no experience with this hotel, but in general with RS recommended hotels, I have had the opposite of what some others are reporting. I have never not been happy. I do also check Other reviews before making a reservation.

The main issue was that the room was so musty ? moldy? that it was making me sicker each day. As soon as I got to Paris and checked in at another hotel. my symptoms resolved quickly.

Estimated Prophet, I'm glad you had a good experience but that was 7 years ago-maybe management has changed?

Exactly! That's why I always mention when I stayed in a hotel, visited a place, etc.

Rick's idea of the perfect hotel is not quite the same as mine. It's one area where you really get what you pay for.

I haven't stayed at a lot of Rick's hotels because we usually use Hilton points, but I've loved every one we did use. Hotel Museum down the steps from the Vatican Museum is one of our favorite hotels ever! I don't remember the name of the one where we stayed in Vienna, but its location was wonderfully convenient to the sights.

SOC, sounds like your room was bad. Doesn’t matter how many others had a “good” experience in other rooms, if your particular room is bad that affects everything. For them not to refund you that last night is also a mark against them imo.