The convenient location and pleasant description on website through which i made the booking, suggested a pleasant budget accommodation option.
The area the hotel is located in is dodgy, scores of men just loafing around in the streets.
The staff were okay. The internet connection impossible.
The room i stayed in was filthy, bedding dirty, carpet not cleaned in ages. I felt unsafe as a lone traveller and although i booked a few nights i checked out early the next morning to find another place to stay.
For the same cost i found an quaint old hotel, in the heart of paris, with friendly & helpful staff.

First of all, the lighting is horrible. Our hallway on the 3rd floor was pitch black and the 2 side lamps in the room weren't working. Second, pigeon poop was all over the table. (I'm assuming from the pigeon that flew out as we entered) Third, the overall vibe was that of a brothel and a lower class one at that.

If you are looking for a cheap place to sleep with a private bathroom that is convenient to the train station don't be afraid to stay here. At first glance the outside of this place may scare you but it's really not a bad place if you can be satisfied with something very basic. I ended up at Hotel Royal because I had an early morning ICE train to catch and decided to stay in a hotel close to the train station for an easy morning commute. I didn't have a hotel booked so I just decided to walk around the Gare De L'Est area and price all of the hotels to see what kind of deal I could get. The Hotel Royal was the cheapest in the area with a private bathroom. When I walked in the desk attendant was very friendly although his English wasn't great. He initially gave me a rate of 45 Euro for the night. I was able to get him down to 40 Euro but couldn't get him any lower than that. The room was just a bed, desk, and very small bathroom. The shower was run off of the sink and the bathroom was small enough that you could easily take a shower while sitting on the toilet, but it seemed clean and did the trick. There was a small TV in the room that did not work. The bed was decent and the sheets were clean. On the night that I stayed here I decided to go see the Eiffel Tower. I stopped by the desk and asked directions. The guy gave me perfect directions and it was extremely convenient using the Metro although it did involve one transfer. When I returned to the hotel it was pretty late, after midnight. There were some people hanging around the general area of the hotel entrance but this is because there is a bar very close by. No one bothered me and in general the area itself seemed pretty safe as there was still a decent amount of people walking around. I did have to ask the desk attendant to wake me up because there is nothing in the room. I was a little worried that he wasn't going to but he ended up coming through and waking me up right at 5:30. So even the "wake-up call" worked fine. I would definitely stay here again if I needed a place close to the train station. I would reccomend this place for young solo travelers, young groups, and young couples.

After reading the reviews for this hotel I was close to cancelling the trip. However, we decided just to give it a try. The location is OK. It is very close to the metro and main train station. But the district, we were yet to learn…isn’t too pleasant with lots of weird men hanging around and there is a very dodgy café/bar next door where they all sit! The line of the metro (4) isn’t very safe. A man followed us on the metro and put his hand up my friend’s skirt! Moreover, we accidentally got off at the stop before (Gare le Nord) and were surrounded by a group of Black men who cornered us and wouldn’t let us past. Luckily a Policeman showed up! These men wait for tourists getting off, so watch out! The hotel looks very scary, the décor (green walls with orange/brown carpets, very retro! Or disgusting. I suppose it depends if your glass is half empty…) dates back maybe 50/60 years, including the carpets, which don’t fit the rooms. All the rooms are unbelievably small with only room to step round the bed, the beds are quite comfortable and the bedding is clean. There is a small TV in each room and one table, a built in rail under the TV (on the wall) with 6 hangers, a full-length mirror (yes! I was surprised). Only one extra socket so we plugged our ipod into the TV’s socket and plugged the hair straighteners into the hall socket as the wire reached in. So bring a multi-adaptor! The toilets are terrible, even smaller than the bedroom and in some rooms the toilet is in what I would say used to be a cupboard. Luckily, we had one of the better rooms. Still the shower was in the bath and had no shower curtain so the floor was constantly soaked! The towels are tiny and don’t get changed every day. The corridors are possibly the narrowest I have ever seen in my life! The hotel staff are very friendly, not the best English but nonetheless, still nice.
So yeah, it’s not the best hotel but it’s cleaner than it looks and is free from all my fears “bugs, filth and horror” lol. All our belongings were safe, even when we left our luggage on the last day with the staff. If you’re in Paris and need a cheap place to stay, only to use as a base and can’t get anywhere else then just stay. It’s not the Ritz but for somewhere to stay as a last resort, do it! I wouldn’t recommend it for families, elderly, people with disabilities or single travellers…due to the district. But friendly staff and clean enough…it’s a bed.