The Originals Access, Hostellerie Des Pins, Montélimar (Inter-Hotel)

“May be for a short stay, if you avoid booking issues and get one of the newest rooms”

We spent three nights in this motel-style property located in the southern neighborhood of Montélimar. My party of three people was split in two rooms. I had placed a reservation through the SEH website one month in advance. SEH gathers four French hotel chains and provides a common loyalty program… Plus

We spent three nights in this motel-style property located in the southern neighborhood of Montélimar. My party of three people was split in two rooms. I had placed a reservation through the SEH website one month in advance. SEH gathers four French hotel chains and provides a common loyalty program (of which I am a member), a common website for bookings, and a common App for smartphones as well. We had a bad start as the person at front desk welcomed us by saying she had no track of our reservation, asked us why we hadn't booked on her own website instead of using SEH, and almost succeeded in making us feel guilty. But I had printed the confirmation e-mail sent by SEH and, when shown this proof, the front desk person finally found our reservation in the spam folder of her e-mail system. I have some difficulty trusting a hotel that deals with reservations this way. Front desk then took a long time to finally find rooms and allocate them to us. We received no apologies. There is no telling of what would have happened if the property had been sold out when we arrived. As for the rooms, both (#26 and #30) had the same size and were located in the same building, but one was much better with a large drawer plus many storing areas and a modern bathroom. The other one had a tiny drawer and an old style bathroom (with a basic shower curtain instead of a glassed-door, for instance). The following day, we were shown an other room in an other part of the hotel, where we were offered to move; it was much better but we decided to stay where we were as we were reluctant to pack and unpack again. All rooms were perfectly clean, with very good bedding; Wi-Fi worked well for our computers, less well for our smartphones (we regularly had to re-enter the PIN code); our minor issues (burnt light bulbs) were quickly fixed. We did not try the pool as the weather was not hot enough, but we found that the hotel garden was pleasant and offered a relaxing place, all the more unexpected as the whole area around the property consists mainly in malls and warehouses. Breakfast was as it should be, and we have no complaints about it, but there is nothing to write home about either. We had thought of taking all our dinners at the in-house restaurant but we changed our mind and only dine there on the first day. The next days, we drove to Montelimar downtown where we found restaurants that we enjoyed more (La Petite France, Le Moderne). Note that the street leading to the hotel is part of the once famous Nationale 7 (N7) that used to be the main road linking Paris to the French Riviera. Now, N7 suffers traffic jams from time to time around the hotel, because of commuters with Montélimar downtown, and because of customers driving to all the malls around the hotel. This is finally the reason why I would not recommend staying in that hotel, at least not as long as we did. The hotel's location is not really appropriate to visit Montélimar: you'd better stay downtown (and pay a parking fee, yes; but it is worth it). The hotel's location is not convenient to visit the region either since you may undergo all the traffic jams on N7 before exiting the city: you'd better stay further away in the countryside. The hotel might be useful for a one-night stay, as can be expected from a motel-style property. If you choose to stay there, ask to see various rooms as, although priced the same, they do not offer the same facilities, some being brand-new and other older. Also beware of the way the hotel manages reservations, as our experience shows problems may occur. I would recommend phoning to the hotel in advance to make sure everything is OK.

Moins

“Shows its age, but helpful staff and a practical location”

This is a hotel from the 70s or early 80s Some rooms are in the hotel and some are motel-style outside. There is also an outdoor pool. The rooms and public areas show their age, but the staff are friendly and helpful and the food is good. The area outside the hotel is not exactly picturesque but… Plus

This is a hotel from the 70s or early 80s Some rooms are in the hotel and some are motel-style outside. There is also an outdoor pool. The rooms and public areas show their age, but the staff are friendly and helpful and the food is good. The area outside the hotel is not exactly picturesque but there are lots of eating options within a short walk of the hotel.

Moins

“Good dinner, nice staff, moderate rooms”

Hotel is ok to stay for one night on the way to Spain or so. Dinner was excellent, did not expect such a good quality. The rooms are tiny but clean and ok for one night. Hotel photos are greatly exaggerated