The Marcel At Gramercy

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Amy Abate

Joined 5 years ago

Citysearch Editorial Review. Renovated in 2008, the Marcel at Gramercy has been redesigned and modernized to the extreme. Decorated to look something like a fancy furniture showroom, the main lobby boasts a two-way fireplace, a semi-circular, patent leather tufted couch and other such contemporary pieces. The 134 guest rooms keep the theme going with zebra patterned hides and an earthy gray palate. Additionally, the hotel’s M.O.A.R. artists in residency program attracts up-and-coming, edgy artists whose work appeals to its clientele of European travelers and corporate advertising executives. Although the uber-hip vibe seems somewhat forced at times, its prime location makes it an ideal place to hang your fedora after a day out on the town.

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cbWorkingMan

Joined 4 years ago

Bring the Off spray!. I've stayed at the Marcel twice now. The first visit was quite pleasant, hence the second stay. The first time there, I had a nice clean room, and not too much trouble. The one problem I did have both times was that if you book through Expedia or some other online service, they don't seem to have a clue and have to research it for an hour. I can deal with that, but my second visit, they only had a room in smoking left on the second floor. Fine with me since I smoke. I usually get non-smoking since they are often cleaner, but I figured it would be fine. The room was tiny, dirty, and had mosquitoes! When I told them and showed them the bites, they said sorry, but had no other room. The small and dirty I could deal with, but I've now got about 10 bites all over my body and face. I could hear the buzzing next to my ear at night! I've camped out and gotten less bites!

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fionaswim

Joined 4 years ago

crazy decorating~nice stay. We were a bit concerned about the size of the room after reading reviews on alternate websites, but I was pleasantly surprised. Our room was on the 8th floor-plenty of room for three people, and the double beds were comfortable. The shower leaked a little if you switched it to the rain head, but other than that no complaints. The staff was helpful and polite, and being in the union square area it was perfect for what we needed-not to mention the outrageous interior decorating of the rooms!

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Editorial Review. In an historic neighborhood, the 135-room hotel is a revamped version of The Marcel.

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xena59

Joined 5 years ago

dont even bother. out of all the hotels in new york i get stuck with this one. it is tiny for one and if you are going to pay overpriced nyc hotel rates you might as well keep searching. no one at the hotel can give directions and the 5th floor smells like potroast.

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mgrinnell1

Joined 7 years ago

excellent. Nicely decorated with modern furnishings. Euro style hotel on the East Side. Undergoing construction but well worth the stay with reduced prices.

Doesn't Recommend

vernyl

Joined 8 years ago

Avoid the Marcel. I had a prepaid and confirmed reservation, yet I was turned away upon check-in at the front desk. Their excuses were vague and the staff attitude, apathetic. I assume that they had oversold the hotel and got a better rate for my room. A friend of mine had a similar experience, about 2 years earlier but I didn't heed her warning. I booked online through Expedia. I called the hotel to confirm my reservation directly, the very morning I was to check-in. The Marcel confirmed that yes, they showed me booked for 3 nights. When I arrived to check-in, the woman behind the desk informed me that they were "having problems with some of the rooms upstairs." I was told that they wanted to move me to another hotel, 30 blocks uptown. I'm still pursuing a refund through Expedia. This one is a real turkey. Avoid the headache.

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beulabelle

Joined 10 years ago

no bellhop-carry ya own bag. Towels? - not 5 star plush. the a/c, heating - unit smelled like cigarettes-unplug it an extra blanket's enough.

For the price, the location, the Marcel is a find! Felt safe walking in the evening. Bodegas up the block. Street vendors with cool accessories around the corner. Moma theater and 6 train about four blocks down. The room was small, so are New York apartments. They put a duvet over the comforter- most places don't change the bedspread. The décor- stylish on a budget. Like finding a super cute outfit that wasn't expensive and makes you feel like a million! The hot water- short on a very late Saturday morning . I'd suggest any of my friends in their 20's -early 40's to stay here(they vary on income - not appreciation for a cool, safe place on a budget). Might spend extra to put moms some place more traditional.

Doesn't Recommend

Jen1979

Joined 10 years ago

You Cannot Stay Here!. We didn't believe the previous negative reviews & we booked a room. You CANNOT make the mistake we did. When we arrived there was no heat, though that was fixed by check-in time. Then sure enough we had NO HOT WATER. The hotel gave my bfriend 2 different explanations & me a third. The jist of what we were hearing was that they never have water warming than luke warm.

Luckily we knew of the Crowne Plaza on East 42nd--while the location isn't ideal, the hotel & service is excellent.

Doesn't Recommend

zinish

Joined 10 years ago

Don't Marcel yourself short. The Marcel hotel is far and away the single worst hotel I have ever encountered. First, a whole group of 20 of us were bumped from our rooms despite the fact that we called the day before to confirm. A couple of my friends got to keep their room so I had the honor of checking them out...they were horrendous. Unbelievably small, windows that don't open (making it hot and stuffy in the room), hard beds, crappy pillows, an obnoxious concierge...the list goes on and on. Do yourself a GIANT favor...stay somewhere else when in the big city. The Marcel is straight out of hell.