HotelChatter

Room Reaction: We were already loving The Marcel after stepping off the elevator. The hallways were clean and cute and each room had large typewriter-esque letters on the doors. When we opened the door to room 614, we were greeted by a small but cleverly designed room.

Zebra-print pillows were placed on the queen bed which had a bright yellow chartreuse padded headboard. The large window shades were also in the same scheme. There was no closet but rather a rack on the wall, above the small dresser, where you can hang a few things. And even though the room and the bathroom were small, the hotel managed to squeeze in a little leather sitting chair.

Amenity Madness: There was a flat-screen TV hanging on the wall and a tray of snacks and drinks that included Voss water and Code Blue, a hangover recovery drink. In the bathroom, there were Lather toiletries. The hotel has limited room service from 12pm to 1am but from 7:30am to 10am, the hotel's 3rd floor serves continental breakfast. It's not included in the room rate however, and costs $12.95 per person.

Internet Connect: In-room WiFi was about $12 but we used our WiFi card instead.

Location, Location, Location: The hotel is located on 24th and Third Avenue, making it not only close to the NYU area and a little further down, Soho and the LES, but also to Murray Hill and midtown. There's an Italian restaurant right on the corner, Inoteca which actually does the hotel's room service menu, and next to that is a bodega where you can buy your bottled water and any emergency items like toothpaste. While the Gramercy Park Hotel is just a few blocks away, the same goes for the subway so in rain and freezing temperatures, you may want to cab it.

What We Liked: We loved the decor and we loved the low-key location. The lobby was small but had high design and our room's view looked right across the street into people's apartment, which made for some interesting observations when we turned out the lights. Additionally, the hotel has a rooftop lounge on the 10th floor and you know how hot hotel rooftops are right now. Also, need we mention again how much we loved the price?

What We Didn't Like: The room was absolutely frigid when we walked in and the only way to turn off the A/C was to unplug the A/C unit, which we did of course. The bathroom also has a funky 1/2 glass divider but no real sliding shower door. And at first, we were put off by the lack of a doorman but we did see one working later that night.

Bottom Line: For frequent hotel hoppers like ourselves, this was an ideal hotel stay. Good price, fun decor and design, low-key staffers and a really comfortable room. It's perfect for short visits to NYC, especially if you have sight-seeing or business to do on the East Side. Room rates typically start around $300 a night here but if you are a little savvy and don't mind pre-paying for your room, you can totally get it for under $200.