Fasthotel Caen Memorial

The room was poorly equipped and uncomfortable: there was no kettle, the towels were very thin, and the toiletries sat over the toilet rather than by the sink. The short shower curtain left the bathroom floor flooded, and the beds gave us body aches for two days. I overheard staff say the payment problem happens to other guests too, which made it sound like a recurring issue. Between the poor organization and the room quality, this was one of my worst hotel stays. I wouldn’t book here again, directly or through an agent. The stress wasn’t worth it. We’d booked and paid in full through Lastminute.com, but the automatic check-in system kept saying we hadn’t paid. The intercom didn’t get us anywhere, and we were told to wait hours for reception, despite self check-in being advertised from 14:00. Once reception opened, staff still insisted there was no payment. After 30 stressful minutes of back-and-forth, they found our booking. The hotel manager suggested over the phone that I pay again at the hotel and claim the money back from lastminute.com. I refused, since one of the two charges could possibly be considered fraudulent. We had two young children with us, exhausted and cranky after a long drive, which made the whole thing especially stressful and avoidable.

The beds were comfortable, the bathroom worked fine, and the shower was hot and powerful. Breakfast was good quality, with items replenished as guests came and went. We were a family sharing one room for a night after our ferry arrived late, and once we got in, we had a good stay. Getting in was the difficult part: although we’d checked in online, the access code never arrived. The touchscreen onsite was no help, but the intercom connected us to a real person who sorted it out. Other guests checking in at the same time had the same trouble. I’d stay again and recommend it.

The room itself was fine, but B&BHotels’ system seems flawed for late arrivals. We’d chosen the hotel because it was open 24 hours. After checking in online, we got an email saying the room code would be sent, but the email that was supposed to contain it just said “At desk”. Our ferry was delayed, so we arrived at 12.30 am and couldn’t get into the room. The machine by the entrance offered several ways to access it, but didn’t recognize our booking despite many attempts, so we had to buy another room through the machine. In the morning I asked for a refund for the earlier booking. The manager reluctantly gave it, but we lost 20% on the price difference. He said we should have used a telephone system I hadn’t noticed, outside the porch around the corner from the machine, in the dark and rain. When I pointed out that we’d never received the promised code, he didn’t explain or apologize.

Parking was adequate, including a few electric vehicle spots with charging stations. Breakfast was simple, with the sort of choices you might have at home. It’s a good budget hotel with nice, very clean rooms. The bed was firm and really comfortable, and I slept especially well. I was very pleased with the stay.