Originally Posted by
B747-437B
Of course. Provided you can show sufficient funds to pay for the hotel you have reserved, you can show a hotel reservation in lieu of a letter of sponsorship.
Schengen visas are very straightforward for folks who have a good travel history and solid bonafides. Don't try to complicate the process - just give them the minimum documents they ask for and you should get the visa without a second glance.
Awesome. I plan to stay with my friend (American on student visa) who couldn't provide me with an attestation. Therefore, I'll just book a hotel reservation to ease the visa application process. However, this leads to another problem: Should I tell them that I'm going to France for tourism (as evidenced from hotel reservation) or for social visit (since I'll be with my friend)?