MEININGER Hotel Marseille Centre La Joliette

The community kitchen is a nice idea, though I only used it once. I liked the hotel, but a few details were disappointing: the mattress felt too soft, there was no safe in the room, and the coffee from the machines wasn't very good. On our last morning, the breakfast machine had run out of orange juice.

The location was a highlight for me, and the front desk team were cheerful, helpful, and spoke English. There’s a laundry room and a kitchen guests can use, which is unusual in a hotel. I skipped breakfast because there are plenty of restaurants nearby. It’s a really nice place and felt like great value for what I paid.

I asked if we could move our stay after a serious and unexpected change in my circumstances. On the day our flight was due, I received medical test results that meant I couldn't fly for two months. I offered to provide documentation so they could see I wasn't trying to get around the hotel's rules. I understand that cancellation and reservation change policies apply to everyone, but I hoped there might be some basic understanding in an exceptional situation beyond my control. The customer service representative handled my request in a rigid, bureaucratic way and showed no effort to understand what had happened. I wouldn't recommend staying here, and strongly advise against it.

The hotel was a welcome surprise after the less pleasant area around the train station. Everything inside was very clean, and the staff were wonderful. Themis was especially kind and even sketched out places for us to see around the city. He also knew a little Bulgarian, our native language, which made us feel very welcome. We had a really pleasant stay 😊