Hotel Saint Aignan

I can't comment on the hotel itself because my sister-in-law couldn't check in and I never stayed there. I booked the room as a gift, sent a scan of my ID and credit card as requested, and contacted the hotel at least twice to confirm the booking and get a receipt. On arrival, she was told there was a problem with my card. I checked that it had more than 1,000 euros available and called right away to give the details again. They hung up while I was trying to provide details for another card. When I called back to finish, I was rudely told, “your reservation has been cancelled - if you want to know why, speak to my manager”. I've booked hotels and paid online by card for 20 years, and I've never met such rude people so unwilling to find a solution. Luckily, I booked my sister-in-law a room at a nearby establishment using the same card they'd refused. The other hotel had much friendlier staff and check-in went smoothly. If this is how Hotel Saint Aignan treats potential customers, I hope it costs them business. They're the ones losing money and custom, not me. I'll spend my hard-earned money somewhere it's appreciated.

The hotel is right by the train station, with clean rooms, very nice bathrooms, and a fair price. I called directly to book, and they spoke great English. I could be more specific about the room type than on booking websites, and I think I got a small discount. My friend and I had two loaded touring bikes, and Chakib was unbelievably helpful with storing them safely and looking after our luggage. A great stay at a great price!

The service was excellent, and the staff were friendly and spoke several languages. The hotel is right in the centre of Orléans, near the statue of Jean d'Arc. Our family room on the third floor was reached by stairs or a small elevator, but it was tight, with one particularly hard bed and barely room for our one-year-old's travel cot. It fits the two-star category. Optional breakfast was fine, though a little expensive, and the croissants were lovely. They have private parking, but not for larger cars with a medium roof box.

It feels stuck in the 70s in a bad way. The lobby smelled of stale smoke, and the motion-sensor lights in the passages made them feel abandoned. Breakfast isn't worth it unless you like cold boiled eggs. There were cockroaches in the room, two of them, which is two more than I expected for 100 Euro a night. I made a big mistake staying here and should have stuck to the franchises. Do yourself a favour and avoid it.