Aging "chic" hotel with friendly staff
The Marcel looks pretty slick when you walk in - it has a trendy lounge, an ice bar (?!) downstairs, and the kind of "hip modern decor" that you see in boutique hotels all over New York City. However, once you're in there it's pretty obvious that the owners don't spend a lot on upkeep. The staff were friendly and professional, but it took them 45 minutes to process my check in (there was no one else in line, their computer system can be really... slow... the desk clerk said it only happened some times). The floors are a little creaky, and the elevator is really slow (it's faster to take the stairs down from your room, and ride the elevator up). 
The price is pretty good: under $200 (with tax) for a hotel in Manhattan. The bed was surprisingly comfortable, and even had feather pillows. 
The standard room is TINY, but hey - it's NYC. The AC settings have been hardwired to keep the room at about 76-78 degrees (when it was 97 outside), no matter how low you change the settings. The thermostat doesn't really control the heat or fan speed.
Yes, there was street noise on the 4th floor facing 3rd St. Shocking, I know. No loud elevators or anything... Very little noise from the other rooms.
All day parking is available for $24 per day (no in and out, obviously) which is a freakin' BARGAIN compared to the $50 per day I've seen some hotels charge in the past.
The room didn't have a coffee maker, but you could order breakfast in bed for fairly decent rates. I never remembered to place my order before the 4AM deadline, so bully for me. No fridge, but they do offer a range of overpriced snacks and bottled water (as well as a romance kit with condoms, lube and a mini vibrating "pleasure ring"... lol).
All in all, I found the location excellent for visiting friends in Manhattan (quiet street, off the beaten bath in residential Gramercy). But if I was traveling on business I would choose a hotel in midtown... that had a coffee maker. But for pleasure, it's fantastic and affordable.