Paris districts for hotel stay

Yes, they are typically good locations.

Both of these are excellent locations and central to many sites. I’m fond of both. But, you may find that hotels in those areas are equally as expensive.

It may be premature to do this before your spring arrival, but have you communicated with the tour hotel directly re: extending your stay before start of tour (vs. looking at their rates online)? We’ve only been on one tour and we extended our time at the first and final tour hotels, i.e., arriving 2 days before start of tour and staying 2 additional days at the end of the tour. We found that both of the tour hotels were very accommodating and gave us the tour rate. Sometimes they will give you a better rate if they know you’re part of the tour. Apologies if I’m stating the obvious.

There’s a lot to be said for staying in one place, not needing to re-pack, etc. Less stress all around. But, understandably, your budget may not allow for this. On the other hand, staying in a different area of Paris would offer a different kind of experience, especially for a first visit.

They are both good locations, but the Marais, in pockets, can get very loud. Be sure to read reviews from people who have stayed at the lodging you are considering to see if noise from bars and pubs comes up as a nuisance.

(Obviously any given hotel anywhere can have this issue, so check regarding any hotel in St Germain as well!! It's just that the Marais has a higher concentration of clubs etc)

I'll always recommend SG d P and the Left Bank in general, or the Ile St Louis, you do realize that Paris is huge yes? And full to overflowing with hotels?

You might start with Rick's suggestions and see how that goes.

I’m not a fan of RS hotel recs or some areas he recommends. I’ve stayed in many RS recommended hotels back in the day that were awful.

The Marais, St Germain des Près, Latin Quarter and Ile St Louis (dead quiet at night) are areas i’d recommend. I highly recommend using Booking.com to find hotels. Read the reviews, they aren’t fake on Booking like they are on many other websites. You don’t have to book through Booking, but that’s how i, and many people, find a hotel wherever i’m going.

Thank you all for your comments. I feel more comfortable with the areas I’m looking at now. I still intend to see if I can get a room in the tour hotel but the desk says they’re not booking yet.
Again, thank you.

You may not agree with Rick or Steve's hotel recommendations but they are our gracious hosts on this forum and we should always refer people there first

Not if i don’t agree with him. A lot of people here disagree with him on many things. And it’s ok, Rick can handle other people’s opinions, which is the whole point of this forum. Many people here know Paris better than he does. His hotel recommendations and the areas of Paris he recommends are quite limited.

I agree with Susan. While Rick is generous enough to provide the forum there is no guideline that says we are obligated to refer to his choices. Even his tour hotels are often not listed in his guidebooks!!

To Marlene, I am a lazy traveler and I prefer to book in the tour hotel if I can if the price is reasonable! Some Paris hotels don’t book more than a year out. And yes, I think the Olympics is/are having a big impact on hotel rates even if not during the games themselves!