Campanile Nantes Centre St Jacques

The rooms were clean and good for the price, but I won’t stay here again or recommend it. The paid parking was so impossibly small that once you got out, you’d never get back in. When I asked for a couple of extra coffees for the room, the staff looked at me as if I’d asked for their wallets, then refused. It left me embarrassed, even though it didn’t seem like a big ask. I’m on a touring holiday, and the budget hotel I stayed at the night before offered complimentary coffee with a smile and a cake in reception. That sort of service can make the difference between recommending a place and feeling turned off by the brand. Nothing was majorly wrong here, but that interaction spoiled it for me.

The rooms and food were lovely. A few of the staff could have been friendlier.

The two young women on the evening shift were friendly and helpful, and made my stay very pleasant. Buses stop just a few metres from the entrance in both directions, and run every few minutes until around 23:00. One of the signs said they then come every half hour. The hotel is some distance from the city centre on foot, but public transport is impressive and free with a Nantes Pass. My clean, spacious room had a great shower, okay WiFi and a small area for hanging clothes. The TV only had French stations, so bring a tablet if you want to watch English TV. It’s a fairly ordinary hotel for its price range, nothing special. Breakfast suited me: fruit, cereal, yogurt, cheeses, cold meats, French breads, pastries, coffee and tea, plus scrambled eggs and bacon. It kept me going while exploring with the Nantes Pass until about 3 pm. It’s an awkward time to get hungry because restaurants close and reopen around 7 pm, leaving only places for burgers and kebabs. There’s a bar and a restaurant serving a buffet-style evening meal. I didn’t eat there, so I can’t comment on the food. There’s also a pool table; you can get a white ball and cues from reception. I didn’t play, so I’m not sure whether there’s a deposit or another charge.

My club picked this hotel for our stay while playing a European match in Nantes. It had what we needed for a business trip: peace and quiet, comfortable beds, and clean, cozy rooms, although the rooms were quite small. We enjoyed tasty breakfasts, lunches and dinners, with a variety of options to choose from. The best thing was how easy it was to get to the main city. A very frequent bus line (4) stopped right outside the hotel. They also offered nice deli and wine for our celebration after the win, as you can see in the photos.