B&B HOME Caen Centre Gare

The room was clean and much bigger than I expected from the photos. Staff kindly stored our luggage for the day before check-in, and the breakfast attendant was especially attentive. He explained all the items and seemed keen for us to have a good experience. It was a lovely welcome on our first day in France. The buffet breakfast was excellent, with a wide selection of continental and full hot dishes.

The location is handy, near bus stops, the metro rail, stores, and a mall, and breakfast was good. But the service was frustrating, especially at night. The receptionist was sometimes absent, communication was difficult, and I wouldn't suggest staying here if you can't speak French. We were on a tour with roommates, but the receptionist wouldn't give us a second key. Since the room loses power unless a key card stays in the door, the other person couldn't use the lights when their roommate went out. I asked for my own key on two different nights from two different receptionists and got nowhere. They didn't seem very considerate. The room smelled musty, and the hallway felt creepy. Its motion-sensor lights meant you couldn't see someone standing still until you got close. The bed was on rollers and moved if your knee bumped it. There was nothing to hold onto in the shower, and leaning on the half-glass door would make it move, so you could end up on the floor. They don't provide coffee in the rooms. I wouldn't recommend this place for families with kids.

It felt like being at home, and the location was nice, close to shops, restaurants, and the main station.

We stayed for two weeks this month. The rooms were quite nice and well equipped, but poorly insulated, and you could feel a draft coming up from the floor. Each room had a small kitchen, though it wasn't very clean. I had to wash all the dishes first, and the bathroom was the same. I expected a much higher standard of cleanliness from a so-called four-star hotel. My key card failed three times, and reception was rarely available, so I kept having to call and wait. The WiFi had problems almost every day. We were there with a large work group and complained several times, but never got an apology, only vague replies like, “We don't know... we'll email the technician.” I definitely wouldn't recommend it. I still wonder how it has four stars.