I just returned from a 7 day stay in La Defence Paris Hilton. The stay was great, with a very nice and pleasant staff. I had booked a standard room but as HH Gold got upgraded automatically to heir "Relaxation" room, that included an upgraded work area and a suite type bath room with separate shower stall and a substantial whirlpool (with a TV built in the wall to boot). Highly recommended and with very good Internet prices.

My only gripe, which is not limited to Hilton properties per ce, is what I best can describe as "the European-U.S. disconnect in perceived soap and shampoo consumption"

I can for the world not underestand why one has to phone daily to ask for additional soap and shampoo when in Europe in what is supposed to be a luxury hotel at $200+/night when outside the U.S. But here we went again.

My wife and I usually take 2-3 showers a day when in hot and humid places, such as Paris in July, and use up one of the Shampoo containers after 1-2 showers and the soap after one day in the room.

The room cleaners must be told that if there is a shred of soap/shampoo left, let it be, do not put a new one in place or, as we tried, when throwing the shraps out, assume that you have "stolen" (hidden) it, because still there is no new soap after they have been there.

Evedry day we had to call the reception to have additional soap and shampoo delivered for our, in our view, quite normal habits when on a business trip: morning, before going out for dinner and before going to bed showers.

As I have experienced this before when traveling, especially in Europe, but never in the U.S. or in Japan. I guess that there must be some sort of difference somewhere. I know that there is the old stereotype that Europeans do not have the same sense of personal cleanliness as i.e. Japanese and U.S. persons - which certainly could explain it - but I have no basis for claiming this to be so (As a matter of fact, I am an European myself having lived in the U.S. since 1983).

Perhaps some of the European business persons frequenting this board and traveling to the U.S. can add their opinion to this descrepancy as they too must notice it when traveling.