In Paris, another memorable hotel

I enjoyed “A Hotel’s Life” (Dec. 29). I was in Paris in 1971, and I remember getting off the train on our first night and not having hotel reservations. My girlfriend and I asked a French couple we met on the street for a hotel recommendation. They suggested the Hotel Excelsior, which could have been the Bellechasse.

The hotel was so old that the bathrooms were on the roof, overlooking the city and the Left Bank. The toilet paper was brown and folded, but the view was incredible.

We stayed three nights at the Excelsior. I haven’t been back to Paris, but I would suspect that the Excelsior has met the same fate, becoming a “boutique” hotel with little of the character and charm of the original.

Sherry Hill-Christie

San Diego