I can't argue with you from personal experience, but the overall consensus seems to be on your side.

IIRC, that prop only came into the Choice program a couple of years ago, and now it's gone. Oh Honore, we hardly knew ye!

In a panic, I checked and the Opera Pavillon is still 'in the fold' and it was a pretty nice place (my review is somewhere in the reviews thread). I did notice, however, that most of the places (in Paris, anyhow) have stopped offering free breakfast and are charging anywhere from 10 to 16 euros per person. In Paris, you can get a very nice b'fast pretty much anywhere for less than that, so I guess this is another 'enhancement' we will look at with a jaundiced eye.