France confirms its hospitality is poor

PARIS, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A French hospitality trade watchdog said many of the country's hotels, cafes and restaurants offer poor hospitality and are run down.

The Committee for Modernization of the French Hotel Trade's report said 24 percent of hotel guests and 38 percent of restaurant customers complain about the surly way they're treated, a correspondent for Britain's Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

Among the complaints reported were rude, abrupt and impatient service staff and long waits, the newspaper said. The trade group said upkeep was also being neglected, particularly in some of the major cities that have 19th-century hotels.

"In a majority of hotels that are older than three years, the lack of maintenance of paint work, furniture and fittings is perfectly visible," the report said. "Marks made by shoes and suitcases on walls can stay for years with no sign of a sponge or paintbrush."

In the past 10 years, the report noted some 1,800 hotels in the country had been closed along with an undetermined number of cafes and restaurants.