Best Western Hotel l'Atelier 117, Maubeuge

Booked several months in advance for a large group needing six rooms. Arrived at 5.30pm on a Friday afternoon to a deserted hotel and a note pinned to the door saying...'The reception being closed at 1600hr. here is your room numbers and access code.....breakfast at 8h00 tomorrow'....So this hotel closes its reception at 4pm, this being the earliest time most hotels permit you to check in! No staff anywhere! The restuarant was closed (on a Friday evening!) with very few decent options anywhere nearby. Breakfast was very poor unless you like stone cold bacon and scrambled egg. Onthe plus side the rooms were clean and the bed was comfortable.

Sonia Lecat, Directeur général at Best Western Hotel L'Atelier 117, responded to this review
Dear Sir, This is the 2nd comment of your group (the same as "Tommeister"), and we are sorry to discover your disappointment upon arrival in our Maubeuge establishment. As explained, the reception hours of our hotel and restaurant are presented to you online, but especially on the confirmation e-mail that you receive. We have been operating this way for many years, and our business and leisure customers are generally satisfied. It seems to me, unfortunately, that the person who made the reservation lacked information, and did not pay attention to this information. I believe that this lack of preparation is the main reason for your dissatisfaction, however, we are not responsible for this. Our promise to provide you with pleasant, clean and functional rooms was perfectly respected. However, I take into account your remarks about the breakfast, I am very surprised. I would have been delighted to meet you myself, to let you taste the cuisine of the restaurant of which I am the chef and to share with you the history of the place if I had been there. For a next reservation, do not hesitate to call to prepare your stay and have all the information. Sincerely yours, Frédéric Lecat General Manager of the Hotel-Restaurant L'Atelier 117 + 33 3 27 62 15 00

It would be unfair to compare this hotel to The Overlook. At least The Overlook was staffed by a murderous caretaker and tortured souls. By contrast, when we arrived at this Best Western at about 5.30pm on a Friday it was totally deserted. Lights off. Doors locked. Not a soul around. Eventually we noticed a sign selotaped to the window telling us the door access code and our room numbers, with room door cards selotaped to the outside of the room doors. All access information was therefore on full display to any passers by in this somewhat less than salubrious town. There appeared to be no staff members on site at all. So, this is essentially a self service hotel, which isn't really at all satisfactory.

Sonia Lecat, Directeur général at Best Western Hotel L'Atelier 117, responded to this review
Dear Sir, This is the 2nd comment of your group (the same as "Happiness590560"), and we are sorry to discover your disappointment upon arrival in our establishment in Maubeuge. The reception hours of our hotel and restaurant are presented to you online, but especially on the confirmation e-mail that you receive. We have been operating this way for many years, and our business and leisure customers are generally satisfied. It seems to me, unfortunately, that the person who made the reservation lacked information, and did not pay attention to this information. I believe that this lack of preparation is the main reason for your dissatisfaction, however, we are not responsible for this. Our promise to provide you with pleasant, clean and functional rooms was perfectly respected. I would have been delighted to meet you myself, to let you taste the cuisine of the restaurant of which I am the chef and to share with you the history of the place if I had been there. For a next reservation, do not hesitate to call to prepare your stay and have all the information. Sincerely yours, Frédéric Lecat General Manager of the Hotel-Restaurant L'Atelier 117 + 33 3 27 62 15 00

Great hotel and very reasonably priced. Good parking for our bikes and we had a lovely meal in the restaurant. We were a group of eight and probably were a little noisy at dinner and in the bar, but we were made to feel very welcome, the staff were fab! Thank you.

We spent a week here. We wanted somewhere we we could explore an area of France we had never visited as well as go exploring in Belgium too. This hotel is really set up of business travel. It's reflected in their price, room size and how the hotel restaurant is ran (closed Friday evening till Monday evening), breakfast is available every day but evening meals are not. The room was very clean. The a/c in our room was not very powerful and our room got quite stuffy. The cleaners were very friendly and polite. The hotel staff were professional. The reception is only manned till 17:00. There is a large bakery practically next door which is open till late (19:30 ish). There are a variety of restaurants/fast food outlets near the train station. We ate at the hotel restaurant in the evening twice. The other nights we bought bits and bobs from the supermarket and bakery. 500 meters away is a laundrette which is open from 8am till 8pm which we used. I would recommend having a car if you were to stay here so you can go and explore further a field. We have had a lovely holiday exploring this part of France and Belgium.

Sonia L, Directeur général at Best Western Hotel L'Atelier 117, responded to this review
Dear Emilie, First of all, a big thank you for choosing Atelier 117 for your holidays in the north of France! It is a pleasure to read that you had a pleasant stay. You are absolutely right, our hotel is mainly frequented by business customers who appreciate our very convenient location near major highways and the border with Belgium. But we are always very happy to welcome tourists on weekends or, like you, for a longer stay. The whole team is then delighted to share its good addresses and its knowledge of the region:) We are sorry to read that the air conditioning was insufficient in your room, we will check that everything is in order. Again, we can only confirm your point. Even if Maubeuge station serves the main cities of the region and there are all the necessary services close to the hotel, the car is indeed recommended. You are welcome to come back and see us if your path leads you back to the north of France. Conviviality and smiles will once again be there! Frédéric and Sonia Lecat General Managers of the Hotel-Restaurant L'Atelier 117 + 33 3 27 62 15 00

A warm welcome, a good room, a nice communal bar and restaurant area and good food for both meals and breakfast. I would recommend this place for a business stay and will be back when we visit the area again

Very nice welcome, (good English speaking), clean small room with a kettle tea and coffee. Some Interesting local dishes on the menu served in the restaurant. Very good helpful and friendly service with a menu in English. Very good choice of a variety of food at breakfast . Recommended place for an overnight stop on the way to and from the Channel. We would definitely stay again.

Date of Visit 11th April 2018 After My arrival to this Hotel, The Staff greeted us really good, The hotel was not that grand but i would say it was quite warm and cosy, especially i loved its living area where it had a nice cosy sofa and a bar adjacent to it, further the rooms were quite good, they were exactly how we had booked it. Would love to Visit this hotel again with my friends and family.

Hi Folks, This is a Lovely Quaint hotel with a good restaurant. The service and atmosphere are all good. The only problem is they do not have an elevator. It goes without saying we were on the fourth floor. Regards, OldeBear

Pleasant staff, clean though very small rooms, very good breakfast but over priced both for accommodation and meals. Although located on a main road it is very well soundproofed and plenyt of free parking. There is an Aldi directly across the road so a source of cheaper drinks and snacks!

A long weekend motorcycle trip meant we need somewhere not to far from Calais but in an area worth exploring. The price and reviews of the hotel meant we took a chance and we are glad we did. Whilst on the main road the hotel is set back enough not to be a nuisance. The town centre is a 15 minute walk where the bars and bistros are. The only thing is that most of town seems to close down early so make sure you have an early night! The rooms and facilities are of a good standard and we're certainly value for money. Recommend.