We got an incredible deal for three nights at this hotel on hotwire.com so we weren't sure what to expect. The hotel is withing walking distance of Gare de l'Est and the metro station Chateau d'Eau is a 2 minutes walk away. Some of the neighboring streets are full of Indian and Turkish restaurants and stores but the area seemed safe to me.
The hotel room was quite small but very clean. It was equipped with a comfortable queen size bed, desk, flatscreen tv and phone. The bathroom was also small but spotlessly clean, furnished with a bathtub and a blow-dryer.
The staff was helpful and friendly and spoke French and English.
The only real drawback was that the walls are very thin and the guests upstairs kept us up until 1 a.m. and I don't even believe that they were being all that loud - you can just literally hear everything as if it were in the very same room.

I don't understand at all the comments here on TripAdvisor that I have read regarding the Hotel Best Western Aulivia Opera. In my experience my room was of a reasonable size, especially considering the norm for Paris, and quite well insulated. I frequently travel and stay in the Best Western's around the world, and I find that the Aulivia is right up to standards of the Best Western label. It is something I can count on, and things were just fine there.
Wifi is free, which is not usual around Paris, and is a great advantage for businessmen travelling like me. The location is central and it is just a 3 minute walk from the Métro. I had to catch a 6:30 am train so time was of the essence and it was nice to have to walk only a couple short blocks to get to the tube.
Breakfast is complete and of good quality and the staff was pleasant and smiling. The receptionist knew - he could tell - that I was arriving after a very long and tiring journey and he greeted me by name, and was very kind. I really appreciated a smile after the 12 hours I had just spent navigating across Europe.
Needless to say, I will come back with pleasure. Thank you for taking care of me that night.

I booked 4 nights hotel room a month before my trip to Paris, the hotel charged me the 1st day fee through my credit card right after I booked the room, and that's ok to me cause I have no intention to cancel the booking.
The day me and my husband arrived to the hotel, a front dest officer told me they never charged me any fee, the charge showed on my credit card bill was only a "remark" bla bla bla. So when I checkout, I need to pay 4 nights fee.
I checked with my credit card statement after I go back home, the Hotel totally charged me 5 nights for 4 nights stayed there! That's outrageous!

This hotel is not bad, not fantastic. But it's in a pretty central location and the breakfast is good. The staff are VERY helpful and friendly. The hotel is very clean and we felt safe and comfortable there. Nice, no frills, slightly above average hotel. I would recommend if on a budget. Rooms aren't huge, but I think that's normal in Paris. Overall nice stay.