12 boulevard Louis Salvator, Marseille, France | (888) 551-4925
Old port only 15 minutes away
Central location, surrounded by shops and restaurants
Colorful, music-inspired decor in common areas
Free Wi-Fi
Special areas are available to rent for meetings
Breakfast is not included in the room price
Must ask reception for the Wi-Fi password daily
Some rooms face a road with traffic, and can be noisy
The Music Hotel is a fine choice for young adult tourists looking for a simple hotel with just enough character and comforts. Within about 15 minutes' walk of the port and most Marseilles hot
spots, this 10-room budget property is surrounded by restaurants and shops, and offers free Wi-Fi and a full-service bar. The music theme is not very evident in the somewhat blandly decorated guest rooms -- which do have minibars and flat-screen TVs. Service is somewhat inconsistent, and street-facing rooms can be noisy. Still, the prices are a good deal for the location.
Scene
Colorful and youthful, and set up like a record label office
Set on a busy, tree-line street dotted with shops and restaurants, the four-story, pale stone building appears elegant and classic. Inside the mood shifts to youthful and trendy, with a lobby covered in old records and music posters, and outfitted with red vinyl
couches and spotlight-style lamps. The whole vibe is somewhat reminiscent of a recording studio, with lavender barstools pulled up to a small lobby bar. In the Gains Bar and restaurant, an Andy
Warhol-style cartoon mural occupies one wall, and pink-cushioned plexiglass chairs at two-person tables have a futuristic, fast-food restaurant flair. The lobby toilet area has its own electric guitar and amp, but the music theme dies in the spartan guest rooms.
Location
Close to the port, Metro, and city hot spots
Situated in central Marseille, the hotel is about a 15-minute walk from the main harbor, and about a 10 minutes' walk from the colorful Cour Julien neighborhood with its many ethnic restaurants and shops. Plages des Catalans is the nearest beach, about a half-hour away on foot, or less than 10 minutes by car. The Notre Dame du Mont Cours Julien Metro station is about five minutes away on foot, and from there it's not far to the main train station, Gare de Marseille Saint Charles, where guests can catch a half-hour bus to the airport. The airport is about a 25-minute drive or taxi ride from the hotel itself.
Rooms
Lacking in character, but with large bathrooms
There are only 10 rooms at the Music Hotel and it must be
noted that they are quite bland, especially when compared to the hip and colorful recording studio theme in
the lobby and restaurant. All are air-conditioned, however, with free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, minibars, safes, and hairdryers.
The bathrooms are remarkably spacious, though showers can get messy as there are no
curtains or doors around them. The rooms are mostly long and narrow and rather
spartan, with neutral carpeting and touches of pale wood paneling behind the beds; colorful mini-lamps and dark striped curtains are the only real decorative touches.
Features
Full-service bar, free Wi-Fi, and breakfast for a fee
The hotel's full-service Gains Bar is open from lunchtime until late-night, and the restaurant offers a
simple continental breakfast (for a fee). Reception is open 24 hours, though some guests have been left waiting outside on the street for staffers to answer the buzzer. There
are a couple of on-site parking spots that can be reserved in advance. The hotel has meeting rooms available. There is free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, though guests must request the password daily.