A pleasant small hotel close to Place d'Italie, with easy access to metro and bus transport. The staff were helpful and the room clean and comfortable if a little on the small side. The hotel itself was quiet, but there are some noisy roads nearby - but it is difficult to get away from this in central Paris!

It was our first time in Paris, so no basis for comparison, but we really enjoyed our stay. Very close to a metro stop that connected everywhere we wanted to go, and lots of nice restaurants and cafes nearby. Room was small but very clean and looked recently updated. We had a top floor corner room with a large balcony as well, which was a great addition and made the room feel much bigger.

Important features for my selection of this hotel were: that it was close to central Paris with easy access to 3 metro lines (Place de l'Itlatie), Wi-Fi was included, and there was an in-room safe.
A very warm and charming welcome.
Rooms are clean, quiet, but small. Touch-up painting required in spots.
Bathrooms are small and clean with a shower.
Night staff very welcoming and friendly.
Chamber maids and maintenance staff helpful and friendly.

Negatives:
Had to change rooms the first day when I tried to use the towel warmer which caused a power outage for the room which meant repacking after having unpacked everything. The attendant who managed the matter remained surly after. As if she didn't believe me that all I had done was turn on the towel warmer.
You are asked to turn in your key when you leave the hotel.
Furniture in lobby is becoming worn.

The Good

- A medium-size room. Some others reviews suggest some of the rooms here are on the cramped side. Perhaps I was lucky. Perhaps others are a little fussy. I found the size to be just right.

- Comfortable bed. Two single beds were pushed together to form a double with a double sheet and quilt.
- Good lighting. Lots of options and a large window.
- Large flat-screen tv mounted on the wall. Around 40 channels with English news channels and general entertainment channels in French, German, Italian and Spanish.
- Controllable air-con.
- Warm, comfortable decor and nice wood furnishings. No noticeable wear and tear.
- High standard of cleanliness.
- Really quiet. My room was at the back of the building facing into an inner courtyard. There was no traffic noise at all. Lift shafts were next door to the room but made very little noise.
- Mini-safe in wardrobe, nice towels, free toiletries and face cloths, hair dryer, telephone, tv guide and other magazines all included in the room.
- Free and fast Wifi in all areas of the hotel. No excuse these days to charge hotel customers for wifi.
- Friendly and helpful staff.
- 24 hour bar.
- Really nice location. Near an interchange metro station and lots of restaurants and shops.
- Away from the tourist areas so you're mixing with real Parisiens living their lives.
- Breakfast included in the room price. A typical continental spread of breads, cheeses, cold meats, cereals, pastries and boiled eggs. Really lovely.

The Bad

- A really narrow bathroom. I actually rather liked it because it was different and quirky. That said, the toilet was about 30cm away from the other wall so using it was difficult even for a skinny guy like me. People of larger proportions would probably have to sit on it sideways.
- The shower was right in front of a window. The glass was slightly frosted but there was no blind or curtain. On top of that, a bright halogen bulb lit up the shower area like a shop window, so showering at night would probably only be for the brave.
- Central faucet on sink. It's one of my hotel bugbears. Seems every hotel has them these days. Really annoying to use.
- During one afternoon, I placed the 'Do not disturb' sign outside my room. I had walked a lot that morning and fancied a nap and had noticed the chambermaid was working on my floor. After a short time, I was woken up by the phone ringing. It was reception wanting to know when I would be vacating my room. It's my personal opinion that if a hotel has "Do not disturb' signs, they ought to respect them and that if I'm paying for a room for three nights, it should be my decision whether I want the room to be cleaned or not. It's worth pointing out this was the only customer service issue I had though.

The Verdict

Despite the annoyance of being woken up unnecessarily, I really enjoyed my stay at Hotel La Manufacture and would highly recommend it to you. It's well-appointed, well-run and offers everything you could possibly need. Rooms are a good size, quiet and comfortable and include all the necessary extras. It's often a requirement of people visiting Paris that they avoid the chain hotels and stay in a typically Parisien hotel. This hotel would meet such a requirement since it's set in a typically Parisien-style building (with large iron main entrance door) and is independently-owned. Next time you're in Paris, I'd say Hotel La Manufacture is definitely worth at least short-listing.