Starwood Preferred Guest - Transportation to Paris & Madrid properties...

I'm going to be in Europe later this month and asked the hotel concierge about car service from the airport. I realize that hotels in general (not just Starwood) take advantage of this service and charge a LOT, but here is what I was told:

Madrid -- Westin Palace -- 40 Euros (this seems reasonable)

Paris -- Prince de Galles -- 144 Euros (this seems obscene)

Now for some questions: What do you all think of these prices? How much should a regular taxi cost to each of these properties? Any recommendations?

Thanks.

The price to the Madrid Palace Hotel is not bad. I usually take a taxi from Barajas airport and it costs between $25 and $30 depending on traffic.

My most recent trip to Madrid was April, 2001.

Took the same taxi ride last week from MAD, all for a bargin price of 20 Euros, including the airport supplement, ride was midday, traffic was not bad.
Enjoy the Palace - I certainly did!


[This message has been edited by rl_toronto (edited 04-21-2002).]

I took a taxi from CDG to city center - total cost WITH luggage (they charge you for each piece) was $40. There is also a bus that drops you from CDG to Charles Etoile for $20 round trip. You can walk 2 blocks from there to Prince Galles hotel.

Hello,

You don’t provide details on how many people are concerned, amount of luggage, etc.

If you are travelling with your family / small kids / lots of luggage, the option of a car to pick you up is indeed very tempting, but the price you have been quoted in France is quite ludicrous. You could do a little research and find an alternative on your own (I seem to remember having a good one, I’ll try to dig it up, but that’s about a year old).

If you’re on your own, I would really suggest simply taking a cab – it’s not that daunting http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

A few pointers: In CDG, the queue can get long, so you might want to make sure you’re not spending too much time landside. A word of warning – do not, under any circumstances, be tempted to follow the "cab drivers" touting for business outside of the arrivals doors (in the airport itself, just when you’ve exited customs). They will typically simply ask “do you want a taxi” and forget to mention that they’re not licensed or insured.

In Barajas, this is typically really quick. Depending on your Spanish, I would recommend writing the exact address on a piece of paper and giving it to the driver. The Westin is a landmark, so you won’t have any surprises, the ride is actually pretty quick.

Hope this helps.



[This message has been edited by Canista (edited 04-19-2002).]

We have used the following shuttle service on our last two trips to Paris (Prince de Galles). (Most recent trip 3/02.) It is one of Rick Steve's travel guide recommendations. They have been very reliable. You call before you get your luggage and they are waiting for you outside the terminal door when you exit. You can reserve on line before you go. Details from their web page and web address are shown below.

Airport Shuttle

From your home or hotel to Orly or Roissy (Charles De Gaulle) Airports, our smiling drivers are experts in their field and provide a fast, comfortable and above all cost-efficient service.
Our rates:
Two or More People 14.50 €/per person

One Person 22 €/per person

Children children under the age of 3 are free
No Charge for regular luggage
Special Rates for groups of 8 or more.

http://www.paris-anglo.com/ashuttle/index.php

hoya, I come from Madrid and still have a house there, so I go very often. A taxi from the Airport to the Palace (don't say "Westin Palace" to the taxi-driver, just say "The Palace, in front of the Parliament") usually will cost you less than 20 euros.

I agree - for Paris I take the shuttle - the one I use is at airportexpress.fr

I don't think these tranfer prices are obscene. Afterall, anyone who is paying to stay at either of these properties will be paying over $500 a night, so this is peanuts. These properties are for the very rich, and as a noted American writer has said: "The rich are different from you and I". Or alternatively, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it". STARPOINTS let you live vicariously every so often. There is always the RER in Paris, and the new subway link in Madrid should be open soon... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Shareholder

The 144 Euro transfer rate is obscene and why not ask? The PdeG ain't cheap (nor worth the price, IMHO, nor that friendly to Plats as well) but no reason to be, literally, taken for a ride by the car service before being "taken for a ride" by the hotel.

As for the RER, if they are not on "le strike" you may get to the hotel easily though after a transatlantic flight, you also may not.

Whatever, our cab cost about 40 Euros for a ride (PdeG to CDG) in a shiny new Mercedes with lots of luggage AND with a friendly Haitian driver whose English was good as he had relatives who live in Boston.

Thus - at more than 300% of the taxi rate - 144 Euros seems an awfully stiff surcharge compared to the 50% to 100% extra I'd expect to pay for a car service over a cab here in the States.

Tom

For those who have not been to Madrid in a while, note that there is now a new highway into town directly from Barajas, the A-10. It is significantly quicker than the old Barcelona national highway road. However, it brings you to the north end of town, north of Chamartin. If you're going straight to the bullfights it won't be of much use.

Hotels almost always overcharge on car service airport transfers; just like the minibar.

In NYC most hotels try to charge 3-4 times what a car service would normally cost. I never even consider contacting the hotel for transportation, if they wanted my business they'd charge a reasonable price. I just always plan on making my own arrangements.

d

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Shareholder:
I don't think these tranfer prices are obscene. Afterall, anyone who is paying to stay at either of these properties will be paying over $500 a night, so this is peanuts. These properties are for the very rich, and as a noted American writer has said: "The rich are different from you and I". Or alternatively, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it". STARPOINTS let you live vicariously every so often. There is always the RER in Paris, and the new subway link in Madrid should be open soon... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif</font>


First generation rich don't act this way. Most people who make their own money do so by making prudent financial choices and adhere to such choices religously. You don't get rich by paying 4 times what you need to for something. I can't tell you how many incredibly wealthy people drive cars that don't remotely reflect their net worth.

Second and third generation rich, however, often don't appreciate the value of a dollar. These are the type of people who might use this service before they finish spending their inheritance.

At CDG, there are 2 types of cars for hire - the regular taxis (metered) and these other "private" cars, probably similar to what the hotel uses. The "private" cars were about $100 US last I was there. My last taxi ride into Paris was under $40 (St Germain). I almost accidentally got into one of the private cars.

I took the paris-anglo.com airport shuttle last week from CDG, and didn't find it quite as seamless as I'd hoped. First, when I called, they had me on hold for a looong time trying to find my reservation. (It was nice being welcomed to Paris, however.) Second, when I made it to departure level door 12 (which took a while), I still had to wait a good 10-15 minutes for the van, and then we waited in the van another 10 minutes or so for the remaining passengers to show. Having said all that, it worked well once we were on the road, and, if you're getting off at the PdeG, you'd probably be the first or second drop-off. The Air France bus will drop you at Av. Carnot, and if you have a lot of luggage, you may find navigating your way around to the hotel a bit wearing. If those do not sound appealing, take a taxi, and if you're coming in early morning, you shouldn't have to wait long at all for one.