PARIS — A devastating heatwave has gripped France this week, described as one of the worst ever recorded, pushing city residents to abandon their sweltering apartments and check into hotels in search of air conditioning and cooling pools.
On Wednesday, temperatures in Paris climbed to 40.9 degrees Celsius — that’s nearly 106 degrees Fahrenheit — setting a new record for the month of June. This came just one day after France logged its hottest day since weather records began nearly 80 years ago.
The crisis has been made worse by the fact that very few private apartments in France are equipped with air conditioning, especially in the densely packed capital. Adding to the problem, roughly three-quarters of Paris rooftops are covered in zinc, a metal known for absorbing and retaining heat.
The result has been a surge in hotel bookings, both in major cities and in surrounding rural areas.
In the historic western French city of Tours, air-conditioned hotels were nearly completely booked earlier this week. Resident Veronique Savoye, who said the heat in her own home left her unable to think clearly, decided to check into a local hotel for a four-night stay running through Friday.
“It’s about being more comfortable, and — above all — being able to sleep,” she said.
Matthieu Evrard, CEO of hotel group Les Hotels (tres) Particuliers, described the demand as unlike anything he had seen before. “It is a quite extraordinary phenomenon. Every day, I have between five and ten people contacting me personally through various connections to get rooms in our hotels,” he said. “With the heatwave, everything has filled up in just two weeks.”
His group runs Les Maisons de Campagne, a countryside hotel brand with two properties located in the Yvelines department, about 45 minutes outside of Paris — the Chateau de Villiers-le-Mahieu, which sits within a 12-hectare park, and the Maison du Val in Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
Both properties are now completely booked, despite the fact that neither offers air conditioning. Instead, they rely on ceiling fans and the natural cooling effect of their thick stone walls. The appeal for Parisians, many of whom have children whose schools closed due to the heat, also includes outdoor pools and access to the surrounding countryside.
Savoye acknowledged that not everyone has the financial flexibility to book a hotel stay, but said she made the decision to put part of her vacation budget toward the room. “It was what you’d call a staycation. For me, it was worth it,” she said.
