For those of our business readers who travel to Paris to lock in a deal, the Tilsitt Etoile is a strong choice. The location is prime, about 5 minutes away (on foot) from the Champs Elysees avenue and 7 minutes from the business area of the Iena avenue and the Marceau Avenue. The Tilsitt hotel is a 3-star who belongs to a family with a long history in the hotel business. The current owner, Stephanie Batten, stepped in the footsteps of her parents. She is service-oriented, and that shows in the details: the reception people know who you are when you check in, and they take care of your luggage immediately. Both the owner and the reception personnel are knowledgeable about Paris, and of very good advice as to where to go and how to get there fast. The rooms are comfortable, though not very spatious. Bed sizes available: queen and double. Cleanliness is top-notch, with a superintendent checking the quality of cleaning each day. Report cards left in the rooms allow guests to express their feelings, and we were told the hotel is often complimented. Rooms are air-conditioned, and they are equiped with high-speed WiFi internet access, a commodity appreciated by business clients. The seminar room can seat about 25 persons. Lastly, the buffet breakfast is solid and tasty. Room rates are commensurate with those of a 3-star in this area, but the hotel offers surprisingly good special discounts and last-minute rates on their website: we could get a standard room for EUR 88 on a last-minute booking!

The 17^th district of Paris is one of the best-kept secret s of the French capital. This rather large district features several noteworthy areas, and the Hotel de Neuville is tucked in one of them: it is located behind the Pereire boulevard, a long and narrow strech of greenery which uses to be the inside wall of Paris XIXth century ramparts. The ramparts have since been demolished, and the railway line which used to serve the cannons at the walls is now out of service. Remains the greenery. The block where the Neuville is located is relatively quiet, and definitely a nice itinerary for a walk. When you enter the hotel, you find yourself in a spatious reception area decorated affluently in a modern taste. Note the view on the inner patio where you can be served your breakfast. The building is a former hotel particulier, a mansion, built in the 19^th century. The hotel personnel is helpful. The owner, Mr. Albar, has been in the hotel industry forever, and one can see that in the way his personnel takes care of you. The rooms are well decorated, in a plush way, and air-conditioned. The rooms on the higher floor afford a very nice view over the trees of the boulevard. We found the bedding comfortable, and cleanliness was not an issue. The regular room rates are adequate for this type of hotel, but their periodical discounted rates are awesome. Go to their booking system to get the best rates.

The Gaillon Opera Hotel conquered our hearts very quickly. Firstly, the manager, Mr Wolecki, is not without reminding you of Jeeves: well mannered, full of resources, ready to come to the rescue and save your bacon. Then, the hotel is really well kept - a reflection probably of Mr. Woleckio's experience as a hotel manager in the French countryside (those of our readers who traveled a bit in provincial France know one generally benefits from a higher standard of service there). The rooms are surprisingly spatious, the curtains as thick as old tapestries, the furniture is solid wood (French bourgeois style), the ceilings feature wooden beams, and the mattresses are adequately padded. All BestWestern hotels must adhere to strict guidelines of cleanliness, service, and general quality: the Gaillon Opera is no exception. Price-wise, the rates aren't the cheapest in Paris, but the hotel periodically offer deep discounts to individual travellers. Just do as if you were booking a room online, and the booking engine will return the best rates available for your dates: we could get rates of EUR119 a night in March, a steal compared with other similar quality hotels.

The Londres Eiffel hotel is the closest 3-star to the Eiffel Tower: 2 minutes from the Champ de Mars (we clocked ourselves). The hotel is recommended by several travel guides, and the bulk of its clientele is American. Its owner, Mrs Prigent, is ready to help, and she and her staff know they way around Paris - very helpful indeed. The rooms are spacious, you can move around the bed. The general color theme of the hotel is raspberry and goldenrod, very soothing ot the eyes. Bedding is firm and comfortable, cleanliness is not an issue. Room rates are quite affordable for this type of hotel. Overall, very good value for money.

Ah! Oh! Lovely. Gorgeous. How refined! Wow. All immediate feelings triggered by the Regencia. This old but fully renovated palace stands in a class of its own. Like the George V, or the Plaza. Situated on the Marceau Avenue, one block away from the George V and 3 minutes on foot from the Champs Elysees avenue, Regencia is close to everything that spells business and opulence in Paris. Pass the portly facade and the marble-clad Mediterranean entrance, and you soon find yourself bathing in the atmosphere of an English club, with its comfy armchairs, deep carpets, and wooden panels of a respectable marroon. Style, elegance, low-key opulence. The hotel personnel is at your beck and call, without being overbearing. To the rooms! Ah, the rooms. The quality standard here is simply superior, everything is to remind you that you are in a palace. The decoration is superb. The bedding is superb. The quietness is superb. The A/C system works superbly. The bathrooms are superb. Ho, let's not forget: ask permission to take a peak in the suite while you are there: that Sheherazad and the 1001 Arabian Nights. Are we prejudiced? No, we are simply drooling. You would think such comfort calls for palatial rates: well, this is yet another tour de force by the Regencia. Lo and behold! Their "Specials" put the cost of a wonderful stay at practically below the cost of a good 3-star. Our conclusion? You would have to be crazy not fall for this hotel. Paris Eiffel Tower News just announced its latest "Hotel of the Month" for March-April 2004: the Elysees Regencia of Paris.

Wow. That's the instant thought which came to our mind as we entered the Hotel Noailles. That, and "say, aren't these Japanese businessmen?". Good sign, Japanese guests like their hotel clean. The Noailles is a 4-star which was seemingly designed with "attention-to-detail" spelled out everywhere. The shiny marble floor is spotless, the furniture in the reception and salon areas very, very nice and expensive. Wrought iron doors, inner patio enclosed in glass panels, several private salon rooms. This hotel exhudes pedigree. Guests obviously expect VIP treatment, and the hotel personnel seemed to handle their requests expertly. The guestbook (livre d'or) is filled with praise and rave comments, page after page. You understand why Japanese tourists and business people love this retreat when you hit the room floors: the rooms are but Tokyo-style, only in a larger version. Fabulous decoration, plush carpet, excellent bedding, sparkling clean bathrooms, wow. Wow. How about rates? Well, that's another good surprise: standard room rates start at EUR 135! For a 4-star hotel of such a quality, so well-situated in the Opera district, near the famous jewellers of Place Vendôme, that's more than excellent value for money. That's a steal.