We just returned from Paris this week and stayed at the Fred Hotel. While the accommodations were mediocre at best, the service (or lack thereof), at the front desk from Gerard was absolutely appalling. He was completely rude and appeared to be somewhat racist with his disposition and approach with me and my family. The original room that I was assigned, upon arriving at the hotel, was not the room that I had booked - a superior room - it was the basic room and the black tiles were loose and dirty in the shower. Overall, the standard room to which I was originally assigned - room number 55, did not appear clean. Gerard offered the superior room to me as if presenting an alternative as a concession after I complained, however, this was the room that I had booked in the first place! Also, Gerard asked me to pay for my stay in advance at my arrival for the entire amount. I am a very seasoned traveler and have never been asked to pay for my hotel stay in its entirety in advance at check-in. Also, my first day there, Gerard had a verbal disagreement that devolved quickly and got quite nasty with a loyal hotel guest who had stayed there at least five times previously. I was shocked at how rude he was to this guest who was an older woman who attempted to engage Gerard with only civility and respect. All of the other employees, including the other people who worked at the front desk and the housekeepers, were very gracious and polite. I have been to Paris numerous times - my father is French and I grew up part-time in France - and only booked here because I needed to be somewhat close to Orly Airport but still wanted to stay within the city limits (inside the périphérique ). Also, my daughter and I stayed in room 51 and the lock on our room door was always jammed and we actually got locked in our room one morning - this was a major fire hazard and I needed to call from inside of our room to have someone come and let us out of the room. On our check-out day, this past Sunday, September 5th, I needed to print out our boarding passes and Covid test results prior to our flight and the printer was not working and unavailable. I think that the corporate office should review Gerard's employee record and performance. I would never book the Fred Hotel again and would not recommend this hotel to anyone. read more