Hotel Gabriel Paris

The lobby is cozy, with big, plush leather sofas and armchairs, a flat-screen TV, and knotty white-oak floors. There's also a snug breakfast nook with a nautical flavor and lots of rich dark wood, brass, colorful velvet pillows, dark-wood shelving, and soft yellow light. A Nespresso coffeemaker with a range of tea and coffee capsules is available in the honor bar throughout the day, along with liquors, wine, and Champagne. The hotel has free Wi-Fi, which might make it a possibility for business travelers, but tourists make up most of the clientele here.

Despite its name, the Hotel Gabriel Paris Marais is not in the Marais, which is a good 20-minute hike away. It's in the grittier area near the Place de la Republique, in the 11th arrondissement, a three-minute walk to the Oberkampf metro station, and about a six-minute walk to the Place de la Republique, where three metro lines converge. The neighborhood is residential, with a mix of small businesses, including restaurants, low-key brasseries, and bars, and the famous Bataclan music hall on the Boulevard Voltaire is about five minutes away on foot.

The hotel is located just off the Avenue de la Republique, and  is a 15- to 20-minute walk to the Carnavalet Museum, which details the history of Paris, and the Picasso Museum. Notre-Dame Cathedral and the adjacent St. Chappelle, as well as the Latin Quarter and the Louvre are about 25 minutes away by metro. Charles de Gaulle Airport is a 30-minute drive, or 45 minutes away by metro and RER. Orly Airport, in the opposite direction, is also at least a 30-minute drive away.

All 39 rooms at the Hotel Gabriel Paris Marais have air-conditioning, safes, free Wi-Fi, iPod docking stations, and bathrooms with rainfall showerheads. There are four types of rooms: Lone Star, Deluxe, Executive, and Glowing. As the name suggests, Lone Star Rooms are geared toward solo travelers, although the double beds also make them suitable for couples. All Lone Star Rooms have views of the courtyard. Deluxe Rooms, which are a bit larger, have queen beds and city or courtyard views. The next level up, Executive Rooms, have city views and special NightCove lighting that integrates LED lights to optimize the sleeping and waking experience. Glowing Rooms have either a king bed or two twins, and tubs instead of rain showerheads in the bathrooms. 

Decor is the same from room to room and includes matte, unfinished white-oak floors with the occasional shaggy brown rug to match, funky illuminated stick-figure designs on the walls, and white walls occasionally offset by a carpeted brown accent wall. The ultra-modern minibars look more like miniature wine coolers. Rooms also have iPod docks, and some have lush crushed velvet cushions and throws accenting the white bedspreads. 

Every morning, a continental breakfast is served in the lobby's breakfast nook (breakfast is included in some room rates). The daily spread typically includes organic croissants, pastries, and breads, yogurts, cheeses, and cereal, along with tea, coffee, and cocoa. Breakfast can be taken in the breakfast room or be brought to the rooms at no extra charge. The hotel does not have a formal bar or restaurant, but stocks an honor bar in the lounge. Wi-Fi is free throughout the property, but there are no meeting rooms or a business center.