I stayed here in mid-January 2012 and was given one of the rooms on the street side, on the sixth floor. I found it quiet and very light, with large windows in the bathroom as well as the bedroom. The room is a reasonable size by Paris standards, with a very comfortable bed, and very well-appointed and clean. I found the staff very helpful indeed, speaking good English, and friendly and courteous. The breakfast is good by French standards and the cheese offered really excellent. I would certainly recommend it and will stay there again. It is fairly convenient for central Paris being on good bus routes with a frequent service (minutes to the Left Bank for example) and between the metro stops at the Bastille and the Gare de Lyon, each a few minutes’ walk.

We received a warm welcome by attentive staff, were shown to our room, our ipod dock didnt work, this was sorted immediately, nothing was a problem for them. The reception area on the ground floor with seductive lighting and a trickling water feature looked very inviting. I would go there again.

The Le Marceau (MB affectionately) has been my second home for almost a year (on a Monday - Thursday / Friday basis). Staying there so often and for so long allowed me to experience almost every room and to meet everyone from the staff.

STAFF

The staff is absolutely friendly and speaks excellent English (except for an older lady, Chantelle - but she is nice, too). They knew me pretty well, always arranged my favourite room (407 or 408), made sure my toiletries (and any luggage I left behind for the weekend) are brought up to my room before my arrival.

ROOMS

The most basic rooms (I stayed in these most time, these are the ones with the aubergine, magenta, dark grey color scheme) are very small, but have everything a business traveler should wish for. Clean bathroom, bathrobes, huge towels. The bathroom was always spotless - and this is a must (and something that unfortunately cannot be taken for granted in Paris). The duvet was nice and warm, the bed really comfortable. In every once in a while I got an upgrade (the beige, bamboo green and paded pink color schemed rooms) which are somewhat larger than the basic rooms. These were very nice and comfortable, too.

BREAKFAST

The buffet breakfast is to die for - baguette, croissant, pain au chocolate - you name it, a decent variety of cheeses (try the goat cheese, the chevre), smoked salmon, ham, eggs and sausages (warm food), very posh youghurt in many flavours, fruits (oranges, grapefruits), fruit salad, and freshly pressed orange juice / grapefruit, too. The coffe (Caffee Richard) is excellent, too.

INTERNET / ROOM LOCATION

There is a wireless internet available for free - the reception is significantly better on the street side of the building. However, the drawback of the streetside is that the grabage truck / laundry trucks seems to show up at usually late at night. When the laundry truck is there, and there is a car behind (or maybe more waiting) they usually horn to express their disapproval of the unwanted wait. So if you are looking for a quiet stay, opt for the courtyard rooms - the higher the better so you will see a beautiful sunrise over the Paris rooftops and lot of chimneys.

FITNESS

I tried it once but the equipment (1 threadmill, 1 step machine) seemed to be horribly outdated. Definitely not worth bringing the gym stuff. However, several colleagues of mine (avid runners) made nice long runs along the nearby Viaduc des Arts (which is a Promenade plantée on the top).

As a global traveler, this is one of the very worst hotels that I have ever stayed in. Floors are dirty with cigarette burns on the carpet, beds are uncomfortable, no service to speak off, and the fitness center is a complete mis-representation of what the hotel is advertising as a "fitness" center. The fitness center consists of 3 old workout machines, in the room the size of a closet, down in the basement of the building. Further, the desks in the rooms were so small that I was unable to open my computer.

Asked to check-out a few days early, and the hotel would not refund my money. Checked out early anyway...it was that bad. This is not a lovely boutique hotel.