Maisons du Monde Hôtel & Suites - Marseille Vieux Port — Hotel in Marseille

We booked a four-night stay at Maison du Monde Hotel & Suites in Marseille, anticipating a chic and comfortable experience based on the appealing online photos and the promise of a well-decorated, spacious suite near the Old Port. Unfortunately, our stay has been far from what we expected, and I feel compelled to share our disappointing experience.

Pros:

• Polite and Warm Staff: Upon check-in, the staff were polite, warm, and engaging, which gave us hope for a pleasant stay. However, our interactions with them later on didn’t yield satisfactory results.

Cons:

• Unbearably Hot Room: Our biggest grievance is the air conditioning. Upon checking in, we immediately noticed that the room was uncomfortably warm. For the past two days our room has been consistently uncomfortable, with the temperature never dropping below 25°C (77°F). The AC is insufficient, making it impossible to relax or sleep comfortably. After raising the issue with the front desk, we were told that it’s typical for Marseille to be hot and that regulations prevent them from lowering the AC further. They provided us with a small fan, which helped a bit, but it wasn’t enough to make the room comfortable. As a result, we’ve been trying to avoid spending time in our room, opting to stay at cafés and restaurants instead. The stress of returning to a stifling room after a long day has been overwhelming.

On the second day, we complained again, and they promised to send someone to take a look at the AC. However, we received no follow-up—no message, note, or phone call to inform us of the outcome or any planned solutions. This lack of response and follow-through is extremely disappointing.

• Lack of Practical Amenities in the Bathroom: The bathroom lacks practicality. There is virtually no counter space, making it difficult to store personal items like a toothbrush or other toiletries. Additionally, the shower has only one dispenser for a combined body wash and shampoo, with no hair conditioner provided. For a hotel charging over $1700 USD for four nights, these basic amenities should be standard.

• Poor Ventilation in the Toilet Room: The toilet is located in a separate room, which could be a great idea, except that there is no ventilation. This leads to an unpleasant odor that persists despite attempts to air out the space. It’s unclear if there’s even an exhaust fan installed, as there’s no switch or visible vent.

• Inconvenient Breakfast Location: Breakfast is served in the main hotel, requiring a 7-8 minute walk from the building where our suite is located. While this isn’t a major issue, in the heat, it can be inconvenient.

• Lack of In-Room Communication Options: There is no phone in the room to contact the front desk. This meant we had to use our cell phones (incurring international charges) or physically walk to the front desk for assistance. This lack of in-room communication is a surprising oversight for a hotel in this price range.

Overall: While the decor is stylish, Maison du Monde Hotel & Suites fails to deliver a comfortable and practical experience, especially during the warmer months. The lack of effective air conditioning, insufficient bathroom amenities, poor ventilation, and inconvenient communication options made our stay quite unpleasant. The lack of follow-up on our complaints about the AC issue was particularly frustrating. For the price we paid, we expected much better, and unfortunately, we cannot recommend this hotel if you’re visiting during...

Why we stay and choose a room type; I choose a hotel where I can be safe, clean, access to the main attractions and of course you can rest. The hotel is located on one of the sides of the port; unfortunately, at this point, 4 driving directions intersect, which leads to the noise of engines, motorcycles (many loud) and horns; moreover, the windows with thermal insulation have classic closures and do not insulate enough. So, one of the main needs are cancelled: a peaceful sleep impossible to achieve. The room is bright, with quality furniture, many lamps, but without slippers of 0.5 euro pair. (Deluxe with harbor view). I came to the strangest situation I encountered in all my travels in France: upon arrival at the hotel, after the adventures with the plane transport due to the general strike, the lady at the reception assigned me a room much inferior to the reservation made through Expedia, where the pigeons' nests are, on the 5th floor, where, to see the port from the window, you had to climb on the chair. Of course, I requested to change to a room in accordance with the reservation made through Expedia,( the interior was very well defined in terms of the view of the port). Surely the hotel employee did not decide alone to try to deceive a tourist!!! Strange, is not it? To complete the oddities, at check out , after paying for the accommodation, I requested the unlocking of the amount initially blocked from the card; the operation has not been processed yet after more...

Clean hotel in the heart of the busy harbor. Great location, walking distance to amazing coffee shops (Deep), restaurants (Senia, Cadret), and shops. It’s a very noisy neighborhood with tourists and car traffic, but it was very quiet in our hotel room! The rooms were fully remodeled in cute decor, which makes this hotel stand out from many others in the neighborhood. Our room had a funny smell but nothing terrible. Bathrooms were clean & remodeled, amazing rain shower. Bed was comfortable but we requested more pillows. AC was great since Marseille was hot and humid. Lighting was nice as well. The front desk staff were friendly, helpful, and spoke english. They also allowed us to keep our luggage stored for hours since we arrived too early in the day. Car parking is in the Indigo lot a 3 min walk from the hotel. Check in/out was easy and based on our personal experience, we would stay there again.

Although we found this to be a great hotel, we did witness another guest couple talking to the front desk while we were checking out that their bags were stolen from their locked room (with the do not disturb sign on their door), which made us a bit paranoid. I’ve heard Marseille can be seedy, so I’m not too surprised :( but still awful for travelers to lose an entire backpack. Be vigilant! The hotel seemed to be taking it very seriously, talking to the maids, looking at the cameras, filing a police report, and probably...