30907 was close to being correct in his submission that I was thinking ETAP. In fact I was thinking all of the variants on the 'rabbit hutch' type budget hotel.
I am somewhat of a specialist on the French Accor group, thanks to years of road travel in France.
Indeed an ever increasing number of Accor cheap hotels are in city centres or accessible from stations.
It is worth remembering that a little location planning reveals many hotels accessible to rail travellers, even sometimes the ones on industrial estates, where said estates are close to suburban or S-Bahn stations. Cheaper priced hotels can be easily accessible from suburban stations.
Examples:
Basel Ibis has been mentioned, but there is a much cheaper ETAP a few minutes walk from Pratteln station (which is great because Pratteln is an incredibly busy location with heavy freights every few minutes). The Ibis in Chur is not near the main station but is a short walk from Chur West on the frequent RhB stopping service.
There is a good value ETAP at Pantin, the first station out of Paris Est - very little time penalty on most rail trips but cheaper than central Paris a few km away!
Back in Switzerland, Ibis Luzern Kriens is usually cheaper than central Luzern hotels, But is a short easy walk from Kriens Mattenhof station on the Zentralbahn - a few mins ride from Luzern.
I originally became a fan of the F1 style as, despite the price, F1 hotels - and all original ETAPs - were all built with proper stone floors and solid stone walls between every room, providing a much quieter environment than traditional hotels at anything like the same price with their paper thin walls, creaking floors etc.
Accor has now become a hideously complex collection of brands, but the main ones are still close to the original brands and are (in ascending order of quality) Formule 1, Ibis Budget (was ETAP), Ibis Styles (was All Seasons), Ibis, Mercure, Novotel, Sofitel.
All started with Formule 1 which were a double bed with a bunk above - all exactly the same design and almost always near motorway junctions or on industry estates for quick access by road travellers. ETAP developed as a version of F1 with the same room design but with bathroom facilities in the room.
Many original Ibis were also roadside hotels, but Ibis soon spread to city centres.
Starting in the early 1990s, ETAP started to open a few hotels in city centres or close to stations, and this trend has increased. Examples of railway convenient ETAP include Toulouse, Tours, Boulogne, Pratteln (near Basel), central Berlin (several), and indeed Birmingham NEC.
ETAP has now moved away from the original F1 room style concept and the rooms are almost as good as older Ibis.
The following was written in 2008 - the story still holds true but the prices have changed - but not all that much in some cases, especially when special offers are on and out of season.
A cheap way to stay in France is the 24-hour accessible, 'plastic' budget hotel. Pioneered by the French, there are numerous chains offering these type of hotels, including 'Mister Bed', 'Formule 1', 'Premiere Classe' etc. The current average price for a room without breakfast in Formule 1 is Euros 29. Etap used to be only marginally more expensive, but now costs on average between Euros 39 and 49.
These groups have expanded in recent years outside France, and in particular ETAP opened up places in Germany (especially the former GDR which was previously bereft of hotels). ETAP is a very economical way of staying in normally pricey Germany. Formule 1 is now in the following countries: France, South Africa, Australia, UK, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland, Brazil and Japan.
Formule 1 were the original, and are by far the most numerous. They are the cheapest because they have showers and toilets outside the rooms. ETAP hotels are a version of Formule 1, but with basic 'en suite' bathroom. Premiere Classe also has en suite, but often has external balcony entry to rooms, and like Formule 1 these are seldom in town centres or near stations.
There are an increasing number of ETAP hotels near stations, partly because of Accor group's recent policy of putting one of their chain's names to franchised establishments (these are shown with an asterisk in Accor hotel lists but can sometimes suffer from poorer room standards and service than true Accor managed versions. Here is a selection of ETAP's which I know which are near the stations in cities which are highest up the agenda of bashers in France currently:
ETAP:
Bordeaux (facing Gare St Jean), Limoges, Boulogne sur Mer, Marseille Blancarde, Cannes, Troyes, Albi. There are an increasing number of ETAPs away from industrial estates and motorway junctions and in town centres, and which are therefore an ëacceptableí walking distance (up to 1km) from the nearest station ñ eg ChambÈry, Beziers, SËte; Vitrolles (Marseille Airport), Toulouse, Voreppe (nr Grenoble)
The following are other advantages and disadvantages of these type of hotels.
Advantages:
Cheap; easy to access and use for a 'quick' night's sleep as required by most rail enthusiasts; Consistent style guarantees sound-proofing, eg less creaky floors than old hotels (in true versions - may not be the case in franchised versions ñ see above; No restriction of getting out in the morning, as check-in and payment all done before or on arrival; Basic food and drink vending machines for emergency snacks
Disadvantages:
Usually in industrial estates where land is cheap, and therefore best suited to car users; no en suite (Formule 1)
Links
For Accor hotels (F1, Etap Ibis) see
http://www.accorhotels.com/