Europe is very expensive, so if you're looking for cheaper accommodations, consider camping
Order the guide book off of Amazon. It will save you hours of research and planning for where to sleep. It also provides important information if the weather is bad for alternate routes.
We split up the hike by doing a few private rooms and a few dorm rooms. Private rooms afforded us better sleeps.
We did the self-guided tour and booked the rooms ourselves. Planning this trip was incredibly time consuming. You can hire a company to do this for you.
All of the lodges have showers
Breakfast and dinner is typically included in your booking. Breakfasts commonly consists of bread, cheese, cereal, coffee and yogurt. Dinner is typically three courses. Lodges also offer picnics for lunch, we opted out of this and just ate our Clif bars.
Check the weather or ask around every morning before beginning your trek
Omg sunscreen
I didn't see this advertised anywhere, but city buses are free if you're staying at a refuge within Chamonix or Les Houches. Just ask your host for the card.
I used Strava for tracking our km so they may be different from what the guide book says
Best coffee in Chamonix is Junction Coffee