Continental Hotel

Excellent hotel close to the trainstation and city life

The hotel is conveniently located next to the Reims train station, but reaching it was more challenging than expected. You need to exit the station through a specific platform exit that’s not easy to find, as there is little to no signage. We took the wrong exit, which added an extra 15 minutes to our walk to the hotel. Upon arrival, we were quite surprised by the reception—or rather, the lack of a traditional one. It consists of just a small coffee table with a single computer, where one staff member manages both check-ins and check-outs while constantly running back and forth to assist guests. Initially, I thought this was just a secondary station and that a more formal reception area existed elsewhere, but that wasn't the case. I couldn’t understand how one staff member could handle all the guests with such limited resources, especially during busy periods. I suspect it could easily become chaotic during peak hours. The room itself was quite small, and breakfast was not included in the rate. However, the hotel had an interesting offer: if we opted not to have housekeeping during our stay, they provided two complimentary glasses of champagne. We were happy with this arrangement, as we usually prefer not to have anyone enter our room during a short stay. We did enjoy our two glasses of champagne at the bar after dinner, which was a nice touch. That said, with no breakfast included, there might be better value options available in the area. It's also worth noting that finding a place for breakfast near the hotel wasn’t easy, with limited options within a 5-minute walk.

This was the first night of our Rick Steves tour. The walk from the train station is level and short! The local bus stop is between the train station and the hotel, too FYI. The staff was very nice! They efficiently put pots of coffee on each table in the breakfast room so if yours is cold just ask at the bar for a hot pot. And also ask at the bar for a little pitcher of cow's milk for your coffee. (Almond, oat, etc is on the buffet). Our breakfast was included on the tour. One 'free afternoon' we bought picnic foods and a bottle of wine at Monoprix grocery and the Hôtel restaurant loaned us 2 wine glasses to use in the park next door for our picnic. There is an elevator, coffee maker, and a big shower.