Best Western Hotel Saint Claude

A traditional hotel in the center of Péronne, a little city with a rich historical background. The hotel got every expected amenities excepted a secured parking lot. The restaurant Le Bistrot d'Antoine nearby is excellent! The Musée de la Grande Guerre within the fortress is interesting and the gardens inside enjoyable and tidy as well as the park around.

The bar was closed in the evenings, the shower was falling off our wall, and the staff weren't very friendly. But . . it's well located in the centre, yet quiet at night. We booked 2 rooms, paid the same for each, and yet they were very different quality, which was a bit weird.

We booked this hotel because it seemed central, accessible, comfortable and with parking. In the event, the promise was not realised. On the positive side, the rooms are comfortable and modern, with good bathrooms. However….. The hotel is in a pedestrian precinct. We were led to believe that we could drive our car to the front of the hotel – which you cannot. When we asked what could be done, we were told to park at the bottom of the pedestrian precinct. We and others were therefore seen dragging our luggage up a cobbled street, sweat pouring from our brows. At the hotel itself (having located it in its hidden position) there were steep steps to negotiate. Once inside, reception was devoid of staff. We all stood, wondering if this was the Marie Celeste of hotels. Eventually, a nice receptionist arrived and we registered. It turned out that the poor receptionist was also the cleaner and the bar staff. Cutting back on staff in a service industry is not good for the clients but especially is not good for the staff. We later discovered that there is a disabled person’s access behind the hotel – but when we mentioned this, we were told that we did not look handicapped – even though we are in our 70s and clearly not strong, and one of our party is actually disabled and finds walking difficult, especially up cobbled streets dragging heavy suitcases. Wifi at this hotel seems to work well – if you can access it. One of our party could not log in. The following conversation occurred: GUEST: I cannot access the wifi because a link is sent to my email address which is on the computer that is not on wifi. RECEPTIONIST: You can get email on your cell phone. GUEST: I do not have email on my cell phone. RECEPTIONIST: You must install the email app on your cell phone. GUEST: I really will not do that just for this hotel. RECEPTIONIST: It is not for this hotel, it is for you. The result of this was that the guest never accessed wifi at this hotel. A note of caution: If you arrive to check in before 3pm, the hotel is shut. We saw only two staff members throughout our stay, both of whom were charming and as helpful as they could be. They were overworked, one minute being at reception, the next cleaning floors in the restaurant. We have no criticism of the staff who were all as helpful as they could be. We cannot recommend this hotel if you are a silver-haired traveller, used to slick service, or like personal contact with hotel staff. If you are a back packer, this could be for you, especially given the hotel’s proximity to a loud karaoke bar. Please hire more staff.

When we arrived at 2.15am, after our car had broken down on the motorway, the door was closed, not surprisingly. The manager kindly got out of bed to let us in. He told us our insurer had made a mistake on the date and booked us in for the following night, therefore he was not expecting us. So we were immensely grateful to him for opening the door, welcoming us in a friendly way and letting us stay. We had a very comfortable, spacious and clean room and an excellent bed. The bathroom had a great shower. Breakfast was delicious and abundant. The manager couldn't have been more caring, attentive and helpful. We were delighted to discover Peronne and the hotel is situated in the centre of the oldest and nicest part of the town.

Very convenient for visiting the Somme WW 1 sites, walking distance to the Historial de la Grande Guerre. Clean and tidy, helpful staff. Very good breakfast. Contrary to all other information, it does not have a restaurant, but there are bars and restaurants within walking distance. Parking is easy nearby.

We were the unfortunate occupants of Room 105 who discovered a very dirty toilet on arrival. The young lady who was on reception was helpful and alerted a young man from maintainence. I can ASSURE you that we were not the culprits and resent the hotel's accusation!! Very disappointed. Beware!!