My wife and I spent 6 nights at the Holiday Inn - Paris Republique and we loved it. As previous reviews have said, the location is very convenient, as it's close to transportation, restaurants, and several diverse neighborhoods. The front desk staff were very friendly and helpful and the doormen always greeted us with a smile. (Except when we returned at 3 am one morning; then he wouldn't open the door until we showed him our room key. We actually appreciated the security.)

The rooms are clean and average to above-average sized for Europe. The lobby is big with lots of places to sit (if you don't mind smoke; welcome to Europe.) There is a restaurant and cafe/bar. The neighborhood is a little north of the city center but still well inside the city. The hotel is on a large plaza (square) but the room didn't seem overly loud.

Advice:
- The neighborhood behind the hotel is sketchy. We didn't mind it but beware if you are not "street smart."
- The buffet breakfast is 22 Euros. Very nice but not worth the money (unless you are on an expense account).
- Book smart - there seems to be a wide range in prices paid for rooms. We booked a last minute deal through site59. The desk clerk wouldn't tell us what we paid but he hinted that it was less than 70 Euros per night. Also see previous reviews.
- Ask for a room with a large window of the square.
- There is a marvelous patisserie across the plaza from the hotel on Rue Temple. Great croissants and lunch specials.
- Paris Through the Back Door by Rick Steves - We found this book to be invaluable during our stay in Paris.

My family (husband & 2 kids) have just returned from a 4 night stay and this hotel was just the ticket. We had a very spacious room on the 4th floor with 2 double beds (no real view to speak of), very quiet and clean with comfortable beds - which after a day touring Paris is a must! Extensive breakfast buffet kept us going until early afternoon which was a bonus. Plenty of restuarants closeby but we ate closer to the attractions. Not much to see around the hotel but metro only yards away with around 4 different lines so very easy to reach everywhere. Would definitely return to this hotel for any future trip to Paris. Hotel staff also very helpful, particularly Concierge, and all spoke good English.

My boyfriend and I stayed at the Holiday Inn for three nights during the last week of March. The location is superb if you plan on taking the Metro as there are literally three stops within the plaza next to the hotel. On top of that, the Republique is where about 5 lines of the Metro meet. Once you leave the hotel, you can be anywhere in minutes because most of the lines that go to major attractions, like the Eiffel Tower or Louvre, are direct. You save quite a bit of time not having to transfer.

Also, there are a myriad of restaurants and cafes surrounding the hotel. Because we're rather cheap and not exactly rolling in the bucks, we chose to eat at a few outdoor cafes or grab a quick croissant rather than sit down at a fancy restaurant. There's a KFC, McDonald's, and Quick restaurant if you yearn for a taste of fast food. There are also plenty of taverns and an Italian place called Bistro Romain. We did bite the bullet and ate at Bistro Romain, but the service was very slow and unorganized (although service is generally slower because having a meal is more like an event there). We didn't even have a waiter...the manager waited on us. Thanks to another review, we also found a bakery or boulangerie around the corner from the hotel where we got fresh-squeezed orange juice and croissant or donuts one morning. There is a tavern called "Tavern de Matraire...." or something where we ate breakfast both days. It has a red awning. They're open early and the owner is friendly and it cost us about 10 or 11 Euro for crepes or a continental breakfast. At the hotel, it's 22 Euro for the continental breakfast or 8.5 Euro for a croissant and coffee. Leave the hotel for breakfast and save money. Oh, and there was a carousel (or some sort of ride for the kiddies) and a place to buy crepes and desserts in the plaza as well.

The staff was very, very friendly and everyone spoke English. We were always greeted by someone with a smile and "bonjour" when we entered and left. You can change money at the front desk easily. You can set a wake-up call through an automated system which is very convenient. We also wanted some extra pillows. We called down and there were at our door in about 10 minutes. The room was very clean, although the bed spread was quite faded. Who cares though?! If you're using the hotel as simply a place to sleep, this place is wonderful! If you're looking for some fancy-smancy hotel that's overpriced and you plan on spending a lot of time in your room, look elsewhere. We had a room on the fourth floor overlooking the plaze with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Although it was noisy in the plaza, when the window was closed, it was so quiet. The whole hotel was quiet and peaceful. Our room was a bit small, but all rooms are in Europe compared to the United States.

All in all, this place is fantastic and, without a doubt, we would stay there again.

Enjoyed our stay mainly when we were here - had an executive room on the courtyard level of the hotel looking into the centre of the hotel (which was a bit of a building site). Anyway make sure you ask for a second or third floor room as it doesnt look too secure in the courtyard. Room was comfortable but the corridors were rather dingy and smelled a bit - needs updating!!

Breakfast was ok but not great - the sausages were grissly and small and had bits in them, the bacon was chewy and over done. On the last morning of the stay they had no fresh orange juice available - instead this multivitamin sickly orange stuff - on complaining to the manager he was a bit cheeky, then about five minutes later magically two glasses of fresh orange arrived. The menu did say fresh orange juice available at all times - wouldnt recommend paying the 22 euros as advertised although if its included in the room rate then go for it !! Restaurant also needs a revamp !!

Very central and easy access to metro - good for that reason - would stay again but only if breakfast improves and the corridors and room are updated a bit !!