I've always heard that you should avoid staying in chain hotels when visiting Paris to get the full experience. That being said, I'm of the believe that some people are under the mistaken impression that they should expect the same room you would get from a $300 a night hotel for the $90 that the Hotel Picard charges.

I enjoyed my stay at this hotel and it was what I expected for the price. A room the size of an average bedroom with a small bathroom attached. I personally don't spend more time in my hotel room than I need to, so for me, it met my needs. My entire room was cleaned for me every day & items replaced when needed without having to ask. I understand that people might not like the size of the shower or the lift to get upstairs but like I said before, this is not a $300 a night hotel.

The street was quiet and pleasant. There are two nice bars, a good place to eat across from the hotel as well as being five minutes away from one of the best chocolatiers in Paris. You also have a very nice park that's a short walk from the hotel. The staff was very helpful, spoke English if needed and made some great recommendations for me. I believe that if you're polite, maintain eye contact and make an effort to try to speak in French that you should not have any problems. Almost everyone I encountered was extremely helpful and were more than happy to let me know how to say what I was asking for in French.

The neighborhood has the Republique metro station which can take you to most tourist attractions in about 20 to 30 minutes. I'd suggest getting an all day pass for however many days you will be there to save money. I was there for eight days and it would have cost me $50 more if I just bought them on a daily basis. There's a Monoprix grocery store on Boulevard de Saint-Martin just past Boulevard de Sebastopol on your left. i preferred it to the other markets in the area.

Overall, if you're looking for a posh room, this is not for you. If you just need a bed and a shower for a decent price, you'll be fine here. This hotel meets the needs for a solo traveler looking to save money on their trip.

The only positive things about this "hotel" is that we were able to book a room last minute. The rooms are SMALL and filthy, stains everywhere including on the curtains (how is that even possible). The towels were so old they were crunchy. The shower smelled like a urinal. The front desk agent was incredibly unfriendly and unhelpful. This place cost 65 eros a night, and I'm positive a hostel would have been better, or a car. This place is a filthy rip off with bad service.

This is a poorly operated hotel. Dirty carpets, cramped rooms and, with one exception, an easily confused staff-even when all the instructions were given by our Parisian friend. We were moved to three separate rooms in five days. One room, 202, was very cramped, with a poor shower and NO LIGHTS! The owner brought up table lamps and extension cords for us and suggested leaving the TV on for more light. He said the problem was water in the walls and as soon as the wiring dried out it would be OK. That's a fire waiting to happen. He charged us full price too. There's more but this should be enough for you to want avoid this place.

My grown daughter and I stayed here for two nights and appreciated the friendly, helpful staff. We reserved a room for two with twin beds, and actually stayed in a room with one double bed and one twin bed. The beds were firm and the room had windows that open out onto a view of trees and a small cafe below. The breakfast was delicious. The location was great--close to Place de la Republique and a Metro station. There is a cafe on the corner and lots of shops and markets within easy walking distance. We stayed on week nights and found it to be a quiet neighborhood.