Hotel Marmotel Etoile

The only part I wasn't happy with was breakfast. I wish there had been more variety, since it's an important start to the day. Otherwise, the hotel was very clean, the bathroom had all the amenities, and the location was great, close to the Arc de Triomphe and other services. When we didn't like our room, the older man at reception was extremely helpful. He showed us another available room and switched us so we could be more comfortable.

SCAM ALERT. ‼️ I booked through booking com, then after five days they suddenly said they'd been hacked and had no rooms, and asked me to cancel. I won't. Booking com support told me not to cancel because it's not my fault, and said the hacking claim looked fishy. Don't book here, you might arrive and have no room at all. Luckily Booking com support is handling it now, but I could still end up losing money because of these scammers. I don't believe they only discovered a hack after five days. Maybe they just want to raise the price since I booked at a discount.

The website doesn't mention that there's no lift, and the reception area was poorly lit after midnight. We had to use our phone flashlight to get around safely. Housekeeping also seemed to be available only from 9 to 10 in the morning. After that, we were given visibly unclean, low-quality towels. The next day the room was barely cleaned, the bed was left as we'd left it, though the towels were changed. At checkout, the owner, a rather rude older man, accused me of trying to leave with the room key and raised his voice inappropriately. There isn't an in-room safe, so guests are expected to leave valuables with staff, which raised security concerns for me. When I politely asked his name, he refused to say. It was deeply unpleasant and unprofessional. It's a family-run hotel, but that doesn't excuse such poor basic hospitality. I wouldn't stay here again or recommend it.

The location is ideal, just five minutes from the Arc de Triomphe and a minute from line 1 on the metro. The staff were okay, though one man scolded me for not leaving my room key at reception when I went out. Nobody had told me that was a rule. My room was unbelievably tiny, smaller than any I've seen, even in Japan. With a large suitcase, you have to open it in the hallway. You could put it on the bed, but that would be disgusting. If you're traveling light and without kids, this hotel is fine. Otherwise, look elsewhere.