8 Days in Paris

Terry + Terrye Ritchie

Helpful Information

• Emergency Information: If you encounter any sort of emergency during your stay, please contact the local authorities immediately:

• Emergency telephone number: 112

• Police phone number: 17

• Fire brigade number: 18

• SAMU number: 15

• We have an emergency box in the laundry room just in case.

• The fire extinguisher is in the hall closet.

Important Considerations

• No parties or events allowed without prior consent of the owners.
  

• No Smoking:  No smoking is allowed in any of the apartments; none of the apartments are insured for smokers.  Thank you for your assistance.
  

• Please refrain from eating or drinking in the bedroom.
  

• Noise is prohibited by the rules of the property after 10:00pm.

• Heating and Lights:  In France, utilities are more than 2½ times the rates in the U.S. To that, they add an additional 20% in taxes to each bill—welcome to the Twilight Zone of France. It is crucial to turn off lights and fans when not in use and every time you go out.

• Fans:  Some apartments have air conditioning; others supply fans for hot summer days. However, fans only make you feel cooler, they do not lower temperature, so leaving them running when you are not in the apartment only adds to the utility bill and does not keep the apartment cooler. Please turn fans off when you are turning off the lights.

• Elevator: 

• Please do not overload the elevator.  The limit is 1 to 2 persons + 1 to 2 checked bags.

• Some guests try to load too much of their luggage into the elevator, and then have the elevator never leave the ground floor.

• Plan to take several trips in the elevator.

• Locking the Door and Latching the Windows: 

• Secure all windows every time you leave the apartment. 

• Kindly turn the handle and give it a little tug to be sure the latching mechanism is engaged. Thieves can come over the rooftops and access apartments through open windows. (and unexpected rain showers do occur—damaging the parquet floors, draperies, and rugs.) 

• Always dead bolt the door when you go out. Thieves are as good as in any city, and the apartment is an easy target if the bolts are unlocked. This means shutting the door and then turning the key in the deadbolt.  If you do not turn the key in the lock, you have not bolted the door; it is only latched and is any easy mark. 

• Avoid locking yourself inside the apartment.

• Keys: 

• The apartment door is steel-reinforced and has the best locks, providing you with excellent security. 

• Never leave the keys in the lock on the inside of the door.  When a key is in the lock on the inside, a key will not work from the outside; and it requires a locksmith to get the door open should you leave the key in the lock. 

• Please be careful and don’t misplace your keys as you could, unfortunately, be charged for a full five sets, as well as a replacement lock.  Keys are very costly in France.  (The most recent lock replacement cost a guest 240€ for the locksmith’s visit, 880€ for a replacement lock, and 425€ for five new keys—a staggering bill of 1,545€.  The keys must be specially ordered and cost a minimum of 85€, each, to replace.)    

• Don’t allow strangers in:  As in any large city, there are stories of cons being played by thieves to gain access to an apartment.  One guest in a high-end apartment vacation rental reported that a man knocked on the door, presented himself with credentials, saying he was checking something in the apartment for the building, a ‘control.’  He showed an official-looking badge and the guest let him in. He distracted her; while she was in another room, he stole some heirloom rings—never to be seen again. 

• If a stranger rings the bell and says he needs to check something, even if he says he is an official or policeman, don’t let him in.  Call your apartment contact person immediately and let them take care of it. 

• Do not allow anyone, other than your known apartment host, your guide Karen, or a fellow traveler in our group, into your apartment.

• Building + apartment etiquette:  The residents in the building are generally quiet and respectful of each other’s privacy, and they ask the same of us, as guests. Please do as the French do in their apartment residence:

• Keep voices to a minimum on the stairways, landings, and common spaces. 

• Please bring slippers or an extra pair of socks to walk around in while you’re in the apartment. If you saw the movie Amélie, the nasty vegetable merchant put on slippers every evening after he came home; Amélie switched them for a smaller size as part of her campaign to take revenge on him.  Slippers are what the French usually wear when they walk in the door at night to keep the noise down. 

• Greet your neighbors: An important difference between French and Anglo cultures is greeting people.

• The French always say hello. They will arrive at a business meeting or a dinner party and shake every person’s hand, one by one, and say hello. The same goes with greeting your Parisian neighbors.

• They really do appreciate it when you make the effort to say ‘Bonjour’ or ‘Bonsoir’ when you see them at the elevator or in the entryway. 

• Following the Bonjour/Bonsoir with Monsieur/Madame is considered especially respectful and is always appreciated.

• Your Check-Out. Thank you in advance for doing the following before you check-out:

• Leave the apartment in a generally neat condition.

• Place all trash in receptacles.

• Leave all dishes clean (please start the dishwasher, if using).

• Place all bath & kitchen towels in a pile in the bathtub or shower (not left in the bedroom).

• Leave all keys on the dining room table or telephone table, or per instructions from your contact person.

• Close the door firmly behind you.

 Thank you for caring for our apartment as you would your home. We hope you enjoy your stay.