The New York Times review http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/travel/hotel-review-courtyard-by-marriott-in-montpellier-france.html and a "36 hours in Montpellier" article http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/travel/36-hours-in-montpellier-france.html alerted me to this hotel. I booked online, pre-paying my two-night stay. The hotel is bright and airy and seems like a very good value. My room was quiet and comfortable. The king bed, as mentioned by the Times, was huge. The air conditioning functioned even when I wasn't in my room; some hotels cut the air when you withdraw your card from the card-reader near the door. This was a huge "plus" because it was terribly hot outside when I visited.
WiFi isn't free, but the charge was waived for me because of a reciprocity agreement between Marriott and United Airlines, where I currently have good status.
Trams stop very close to the hotel and get you to the center of town in roughly 10 minutes.
I tried the hotel's continental breakfast (6 Euros) after my first night's stay. It included a cup of cut-up fruit, a glass of orange juice, two mini-pastries and a cup of coffee. (Ordering the coffee, I asked the woman at the bar to make me a grand crème.) I'd say that each of these components was at the two-star level. Fortunately, the breakfast was the only real sour note to report. read more