Chain hotels have a big presence in France. Accor, the world's largest hotel company is French. Accor offers a range of brands to suit any budget such as Formule 1, Etap Hotels, Ibis, Mercure and Novotel.

Intercontinental has the Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brand while Best Western  is also well represented in France. Choice Hotels has the Comfort, Quality, Clarion and Sleep Inn brands.

ConvenienceIf all you want is a room and a shower on your way somewhere then Formule 1, Etap Hotels and Premiere Classe and Mister Bed are excellent value.

There are hundreds of these no frills hotels throughout France (mainly on the outskirts of cities and towns) and they often go for under 30 Euro per night.

The French Touch In the countryside the Campanile brand offers comfortable motor inn style accommodation (outside of main cities) with decent restaurants throughout regional areas. The Balladins chain offers good budget accommodation throughout France as well.  Kyriad is a French chain with more than 200 properties. These are middle of the range hotels similar to a Holiday Inn and generally in the larger cities.

The Chains by price range Note that prices fluctuate widely according to season Budget range - under 50 Euro per room per night: Formule 1, Etap Hotels, Mister Bed, Premiere Classe and Fast Hotel Moderate - up to 80-120 Euros per room per night: Campanile, Baladins, Ibis, Mercure, Comfort, Clarion, Best Western, Holiday Inn, Kyriad

Pros of using chain hotels in France   Many locations in France Wide range of styles and budget Certain level of consistency in what is offered Global loyalty programs apply to many chains Easy booking process and networks Most provide parking Better for large groups    Cons of using chain hotels in France   Can be bland and corporate Not a signature French experience Often on outskirts of town