My method for choosing a hotel in Paris

Paris had me in in frenzy of indecision as well--I knew I wanted to be in either the 4th or 6th arr., something boutique with a/c, within a couple of blocks of the metro, and, if possible, not be the size of a shoebox. I quickly realized I had to up my nightly budget quite a bit but ended up very happy in a lovely hotel with a big room, balcony and close to 2 metro stations a block in either direction. Reading reviews actually helped me make my final choice--a couple places that seemed perfect had more than one similar negative review and that put me off of them.

I hear you! I have booked our hotels in other parts of France but have not found what I want in Paris yet. I have been looking for weeks. Paris is our first stop on a 2 week trip so my kids will be jet lagged and I would love to have some space but hotel rooms are so small.
Would love an apartment style hotel as there are 4 of us (2 parents, 2 kids) with a 3rd adult (grown niece) who could get her own room but would also stay with us if we have room.
Last time we were in Paris (w/o kids) we stayed near Notre Dame @ the Hotel Henri IV and I like that area. I really liked the hotel but the rooms were very small. Also, willing to try the Marais or St Germain areas.
Would love something close to everything but have the hotel itself be fairly quiet or have a garden space. And I am also looking for A/C and for it to be cancelable.
I should try your method-sounds like you put a lot of thought into it. Thanks so sharing!

Your method for choosing a hotel sounds very good. My husband and I have been to Paris at least a dozen times over the years, including twice with our son when he was 9 and 16 (both of those were on the Rue Cler) , and we had our favorite hotels, mostly in the 5th or 6th. Proximity to the places you most want to visit is key--we felt a bit far from the action at the Rue Cler hotel in the 7th. However, for our last three visits to Paris, we've chosen to stay in VRBOs because they were cheaper and roomier than most hotel rooms. I know you've already chosen your hotel, but if you ever return, you might want to consider an apartment. In June we're returning to the place in the Marais where we stayed last year: https://www.vrbo.com/6617212ha. It's a delightful apartment on a quiet residential street but only steps away from the busy Rue de la République and the St. Paul metro stop. A disadvantage of most short-term rentals, though, is that you often have to pay for your entire stay in advance (cancellation policies and fees vary), and the popular ones fill up quickly. Still, the chance to "live like a Parisian," even if only for 4 or 5 days, is a great experience.

Thanks for sharing this, very scientific and commendable! You're right, there's no "one perfect hotel," it's always about tradeoffs (same is true for apartments). I like to eyeball candidate hotels' neighborhoods in Google Street View to get an idea about the surroundings, places to have dinner, etc. This is even more helpful for checking out apartments where you'll be looking for breakfasts, groceries, etc.

I hope your trip is enjoyable and the hotel as close to perfect as anyone could expect!

I also love google maps. I find there usually aren't enough ratings and I end up cross checking with Yelp or Tripadvisor. Having all your destinations saved ahead of time is another benefit to your method, saves looking things up while on the move. And of course you can street view to see what the neighborhood looks like.

I just go to Hotwire and take what they give me at a price and neighborhood I'm happy with. I'm in Paris, how can I go wrong?

I love this! I think a lot of people either aren’t willing to put in the research time or don’t trust themselves. What resonates with one person won’t with another. Some cities also seem to require more thought than others. And occasionally I just don’t have as many requirements, so it’s easy (but not usually). Well done and thanks for sharing!

I have three requirements,in the 6th,AC and Metro within one block and have stayed at that hotel on my last five Trips with included breakfast.
Mike

When choosing lodgings, I try to balance location, cost, and amenities. In some smaller cities, I try to stay "central," but in Paris, there is no "central" - it's impossible to walk to everything I'd want to see/do while visiting, so I simply pick a place where i can walk to SOMETHING I care about - and just take public transit everywhere else, because public transit is so excellent in Paris.. Last time, I stayed in the 5th close to the Jardin du Luxembourg - maybe my favorite spot in Paris - so I could walk over to it several times during my visit.

I actually LOVE riding the Metro in Paris, so I have no issue at all using it. (Though buses can be more direct sometimes and scenic too.) Paris is so huge that it seems impractical to try to walk everywhere, anyway. I usually just buy a day pass for each day I'm there so I can take a metro, RER, or bus anywhere I want to go. I did fine with Metro long before I had a smart phone, but the phone sure made it easier to navigate last time. I do tons of walking too even using the trains and buses in Paris.

When I decided last time I wanted to stay in the 5th, I used the map feature on Booking dot com to browse places in my price range. I narrowed down my choices (last visit was a last-minute visit - I booked only a day or two in advance) and picked a place in my price range that seemed OK based on the reviews. Worked out great!

I've booked various places in Paris. My most important factor is location. Since I'm normally traveling solo, my first choice is a hostel. The savings with a hostel in Paris can be big. I like the Mije first but have stayed in two other hostels, one near Republic and another on Montmartre.

It's tougher when I think I might have someone with me. I've stayed at an Ibis near Gare de Lyon because I would have a train to Lyon after a couple nights. I've also stayed in an Airbnb apartment near Jussieu metro station.

My favorite hotel room so far was in Pigale a short walk from Moulin Rouge. It's not supposed to be a great neighborhood but I thought it was fine and the room was great and priced reasonably.

Booking.com is the place I start to search for any kind of lodging. You start with the basics including number of adults and of children. You will be asked for the ages of the kids, and if they are old enough, they will be bumped into the adult category.

You can filter your results in lots of ways, including limiting to apartments and to specific parts of town. Note that even if you don't limit to apartments, the more people you have, the more likely that apartments will heavily populate the basic results.

I like using Booking.com's review score to limit the options and always read the recent reviews. In the case of Paris apartments you must be sure that the apartment is a legal registered one with the registration number in the listing.