Shared housing in Paris?

Question

I travel to Paris at least twice a year and I am looking for a way to keep from throwing money away on hotel rooms and rent. Any ideas out there? I would like to get some kind of return on my investment so I do not want to do a time share.

Thanks

Answer 1

Difficult to give you a good solution.

If you rent a studio or even a single room, you will pay at least 400 or 500 euros each month.

Maybe you can find a hotel and make an arrangement to pay less if you tell them you come often there.

Some hotel have fidelity programs, for example the Accor chain :

http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/home/index...

I think you can have some gift from time to time or some free night...

The last solution would be to have a friend in Paris with a spare room where you can come and stay from time to time...probably difficult to find!

Answer 2

Hi Ray Ray,

There are always new ways of doing things, and it's possible to find a solution to your visits to Paris.

It depends on whether your long-term plan is to actually buy a propery, or be a part-owner of a property.

I think a good first step would be to post your request on CraigsList Paris:

http://paris.craigslist.org/

You could post a message every couple of weeks and be explicit with what you need, and see what kinds of responses you find.  There well might be someone with a room to rent on a more permanent basis, or looking for someone to buy into a place.

If you're just looking for less expensive accommodation, this is also possible.  Check it out on Craigslist and also visit French expat forums like:

http://paris.angloinfo.com/forum/

I've found studios for around 300 euro for a week, which is much better than a one star hotel.

There are also B&Bs, private homes and all kinds of other options - it may be that someone is looking for someone to housesit which coincides with your trips.

Do you like cats?  Here's a website with members worldwide - including France - where accommodation's always free as long as you care for the cat/dog of the house in the owner's absence:

http://www.mindmyhouse.com

There's nothing available there in Paris right now, but keep checking.

Also, I was wondering if there is a product or service you can barter with? Think about what you could offer to sweeten a deal.

Best of luck!