Zenitude Hotel la Valadière, an Ascend Collection Hotel

The hotel is a bit outside the city, so getting there by taxi at rush hour took a while. It was also hard to find an Uber at the train station. After a weeklong bike tour and train and taxi rides, though, we found a quiet spot with nearby trails. The place was clean and modern, the staff were friendly and very helpful, and we had an excellent two-night stay.

Filthy hotel, dirty throughout the room and covered in dust. There were used socks from other guests in the wardrobes, body hair from others in the bed and on the towels, dirty pillows, and dirty doors. Stay away. They also charge a 150 euro deposit in case you break something. Disgraceful. The AC couldn't be adjusted, and the terrace security lock was broken. A disaster of a hotel. If we hadn't been travelling with a tired child, I'd have left right away.

I can't recommend the staff. A male staff member spoke down to my wife in a rude, controlling way. When we checked in an hour early at 14:00, he gave us hope that the room would be ready in “no later than twenty minutes.” After 22 minutes, he told her it wasn't ready, that twenty minutes hadn't passed, and that he couldn't “kick people out of rooms,” even though checkout was three hours earlier. He was argumentative, offensive, and belittling instead of courteous, and we ended up missing our restaurant reservation.

The indoor pool was the one really nice part. We booked because we wanted pedicures and a massage, but neither was available during our two days there, and the spa was actually closed. The room was only okay until we complained and got upgraded to a junior suite. The food was horrible and arrived cold. We booked through Choice without researching what they were selling, and didn't know the spa was closed. They offered no compensation for what we thought we were paying for. It made for a very disappointing birthday.