Holiday Inn Express Marseille Saint Charles

"I ended up staying here last July after my business trip to Nice. My train from Marseille to Lyon was cancelled, and SNCF basically gave me a list of hotels where I could book a room for the night. This hotel was one of the options. Interestingly, it didn't even appear as a Novotel on the booking platform at the time. The listing showed an Ibis photo, so I actually went to the Ibis first and was told that the hotel I was looking for was the one across from Marseille Saint Charles station main entrance. I believe the property was in the early stages of transitioning to the Novotel brand and was also undergoing renovations. There was a queue when I arrived, which was understandable given that several trains had been cancelled that day and hotels around the station were filling up quickly. I even overheard the receptionist telling an Accor Platinum member that they didn't have any rooms available for him despite his status. The receptionist who checked me in was friendly, although his way of speaking was quite direct and at times felt a little borderline unprofessional. Check in itself was straightforward, and I had to provide my card for the security deposit. The lobby looked quite nice and modern, as did the breakfast area, but once you moved beyond those areas, it was a different story. The rest of the hotel still looked quite dated. One of the elevators wasn't available to guests and appeared to be reserved for the construction workers, which was another sign that the renovation was very much a work in progress. My room had two beds, which the receptionist considered an upgrade. It was functional and reasonably clean, with a view towards the train station, but it had definitely seen better days. The bathroom in particular reminded me more of something you'd find in a budget two star hotel, and Water pressure was not very strong. The location is obviously very convenient if you need to catch a train from Saint Charles. The immediate neighborhood isn't the nicest part of Marseille, but there are several restaurants nearby and the station is right there. Breakfast was okay, although nothing particularly memorable. Overall, I would say this is an acceptable option for a one night emergency stay, especially if you're travelling by train and need to be close to Saint Charles. My experience was also clearly affected by the fact that the hotel was undergoing a transition and renovation. I'd actually be curious to come back once everything is finished. The lobby and breakfast area already gave an idea of what the renovated property could look like, so perhaps give it a little more time before staying there."

"Comfortable bed and room. We did an overnight stay and chose this hotel because of location to St Charles Train Station. Cons, no refrigerator, no bottled water, no milk for coffee. There were tea bags and instant coffee but no spoon to stir coffee. Also the open shower meant all bathroom was wet after taking a shower. Apart from cons was a passable stay."

"Stayed here during s short stay in Marseille. Chose this hotel since it was located close to the old port and since I was travelling with a car, more than 2m tall, which did not leave many hotels to stay at. This was however ever able to handle it. Good service at the hotel - kind and helpful staff. Hotel is a little worn-down but otherwise ok."