Stay Report: Novotel Istanbul Bosphorus (Istanbul, Turkey - November 2021)

 Stay Report: Novotel Istanbul Bosphorus
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I was meeting people in Istanbul and needed a hotel close to them.  They were staying in the Karakoy district of Istanbul so when I looked for nearby hotels I found the Novotel.  Novotels are part of Accorhotels and they are described as more upscale than ibis but less upscale than Sofitel.  I have stayed in Novotel before and thought it was a decent stay so decided to book the hotel again.  

The hotel is located in the back part of an entertainment section in this neighborhood where there are clubs and restaurants.  The back of the hotel faces this area while the front faces the river; there is still a lot of construction and renovations being done around the hotel so there are not a lot of services near the hotel.  The hotel is a 3-minute walk to the main street and from there you can access the tram, taxis, as well as walk another 5-7 minutes for more restaurants and services. 

As you enter the hotel, you pass the elevators to go towards the check-in desks on the right-side.  There are only two check-in desks and that was not sufficient for the size nor amount of people checking-in; it was a bit chaotic and there was a long wait depending on what time you checked in.  Further into the hotel is the bar and restaurant and on the left side is the small 'business' area with computer and printers (although the printer did not work for me so I had to send it to the front desk to print out - which a lot of people seemed to do).  I checked in, received my key and proceeded to my room.

The room was spacious and had all the amenities of a nice hotel.  You entered into the a hallway on

which the right-side of the hallway are closets that run along the hallway.  The closest consists both of a standard closet next to another closet with shelves; the closets provided a lot of storage places.  On the other side of the hallway was the bathroom which had the sink in the middle, the toilet on one side and the shower on the other (the shower had a window to the room and I do not know why so many hotels are doing this?!!).  As part of being a full-service hotel, the bathroom did have nice amenities including fair-trade products such as soap, shower gel, shampoo, and other products.  Additional bathroom amenities included very big and nice towels, which were good quality and very large towels. 

At the end of the hallway was the main section of the room which had two beds with nightstands on either side as well as reading lights.  The beds were bigger than a twin but definitely smaller than a full  so were both bit small in terms of length and width but they were comfortable enough and provided a comfortable sleep; the duvet on top was also comfortable as well.  Between the bed and the long window was a chair and a couch which was nice to sit and enjoy the view; in front of the bed was a desk to work on and a TV mounted on the wall.  In the bedroom section but connected to the closets was a section for the coffee maker, a fridge, and a safe in the room.  These were in the nook in the closets and provided a nice touch.

As a full-service hotel, there were many amenities that were provided. The hotel contains a bar, a restaurant, a pool, a fitness center,  a spa, free wifi, laundry services, room service, and a barber shop.  Most of these amenities were located on the basement level - I went during COVID so not all amenities were available.  The amenities I used were the free wifi, which was average and decent; and in the time of COVID a PCR test I booked through the hotel.  I needed a PCR test for arrival into my next country so I emailed the hotel and booked a PCR test through the hotel; if I had one in the morning I would have the results by the evening so I booked it for late morning.  The hotel got the timing wrong and I only found this out the night before when I went to confirm my appointment which turned out to be early morning and not late morning; all went well and I got my test done and the emailed the results to the front desk to print out (as the main printer was not working).  

In the end, it was an average stay at the Novotel.  The full service amenities provided by the hotel were nice, the location of the hotel was decent but this did not compensate for the poor customer service.  The hotel provided poor to minimal customer service.  The Novotel provides full service amenities, but not the full service customer service.

Stay Report: Novotel Suites, Dubai Mall of the Emirates (Dubai, UAE - April 2016)

Stay Report: Novotel Suites, Dubai Mall of the Emirates
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We were looking for a hotel near the Mall of the Emirates and decided on the Novotel Suites for a couple of reasons:  1) There were three of us travelling and it is difficult to get 3 people in one room in Dubai so I needed 2 rooms and I had points from a previous Accorhotels stay that I could use for a free room; 2) the hotel described itself as a suite which meant bigger rooms; and 3) I had previously tried ibis by Accor so wanted to try a different brand from the same group.  Overall, it was a nice stay but the room is definitely not a suite.  

The hotel is located near the Mall of the Emirates, meaning to say it’s a quick 3-4 minute drive.  I am not sure if you could walk to the Mall as I did not see many people walking nor a clear/direct path from the hotel area to the Mall.  We pulled up to the hotel but there is no real entrance/drive-way to the hotel from the street.  The entrance to the hotel is on the sidewalk so you have to park your car in a 10-minute parking (and Dubai does monitor and ticket) while you are checking in.  As you enter into the lobby, you enter into a spacious lounge area with lots of chairs and couches to lounge on.  It seemed very relaxed.  To the right of the lounge was the restaurant as well as the indoor and outdoor dining area (this is where breakfast is served in the morning).  The indoor dining area is shared with the ibis hotel, as both the Novotel and Ibis are located in the same building - just on opposite sides.

 

As you enter further into the lobby you encounter the check-in desk.  We were a bit early than the scheduled check-in time, but I had communicated this information to the hotel prior to arrival so they accommodated our early arrival and checked us in.  After receiving our keys, we headed to the elevators which were located behind the check-in desks.  While the elevators are tiny, they are very quick so no long waits.  Our room was located at the end of the hallway, for the Novotel, but the hallway continued through the door into the ibis.  Both hotels were connected and only divided on the floor rooms by a door which was not locked - so anyone from the ibis side could come to the Novotel and vice versa.  

Even though we had requested two rooms next to each other, those were not available so we received two rooms that were near each other.  Both rooms looked similar in terms of layout and the only difference was that one room had one bed while the other room had two beds. 

As you entered into the room, you entered into a mini-hallway that lead into the bedroom.  As you walked towards the bedroom, on the right-hand side was a door that led to a small area for the toilet.  The area for the toilet it was very narrow as you had to step to the side to close the door because it was very cramped; this was the only toilet in the room.  As you progressed further into the room, on the left hand was a shelf with the TV and menus.  In front of the TV was a couch and a desk - the desk could be moved.  The couch doubled as a sofa bed so potentially someone could sleep here (although given the size of the room not sure how).  

                       

In between the couch area and the bedroom was a curtain which could be pulled for privacy - so I am guessing that is how it is justified as a suite - but given the size and narrowness of the room I would definitely not count it as a suite.  

As you progressed further into the room, on the right side was a curved closet plus a nook area that held the coffee maker on top and fridge on the bottom.  The curved closets were huge and provided a lot of space, frankly more space than was need (in my opinion they could have used some of the closet space for the toilet).  The closets were big and provided a lot of storage and had a safe, slippers, and laundry bags available.  

 

Following the closets led you to the other bathroom door, and this was the shower/tub area.  Again, this area was somewhat narrow and cramped.  As you entered, on the left hand side was a tub while on the right hand side was a small shower.  Against the wall was a sink that had little to no counter space to hold anything.  There was a shelf for the shower and this housed the amenities for the shower including a shampoo, a bath gel, mouthwash, soap, and lotion.  The amenities were a nice touch.  

The beds were located against the back wall, and between the bed and the bathroom was a night stand.  Additional storage space was provided by a stack of small shelves on the wall next to the bathroom door.  The night stand had plugs next to it as well as light switches to control the room - again a nice touch.  We had two rooms - one with one big bed and the other with two beds.  The two beds were put right next to each other with no room in the middle.  The big bed basically was one mattress on top of the two small box springs on the bottom.  Both provided a decent nights rest, but the two beds being so close together meant that there was no space between you and your bedmate; you got really comfortable with your sleeping partner.  The pillows were also decent and thus it provided a decent night’s sleep.  

The hotel did have provide amenities such as a pool, gym, massage room, free parking, and free wifi.  The wifi speed was decent and you stayed connected so that was a good amenity.  The parking garage was free but it was extremely tight and the spaces limited, but we managed to get a parking spot.  The gym was decent and had the basic equipment for a decent workout.  The pool was outside and looked to be a decent size - not grand but not small either.  

 

The other amenity that we tried was the restaurant, as we could add breakfast to the room.  If you added breakfast prior to the reservation, then you received the discounted rate but if you added breakfast the day of then it was the regular rate.  The breakfast was a buffet and overall it was decent, it provided the basic items needed for breakfast.   Given the selection and the quality of the food, the cost was a bit pricey so am not sure if I would choose this option again.

Overall, the hotel was decent if you know what you are getting.  If you go expecting a suite with a lot of amenities, then you will be disappointed.  If you go in expecting a decent room and a decent night’s sleep at a low cost, then you will enjoy the Suites Novotel Dubai Mall of the Emirates.

Stay Report: Novotel Abidjan (Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire - December 2017)

Stay Report: Novotel Abidjan
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When you ask or search for ‘the best place to stay in Abidjan’, most people respond with either the Sofitel or the Novotel hotels.  I was travelling on a budget so the Sofitel was out of my price range; however, the Novotel was having a sale so I booked the hotel for part of my stay.  It was very easy to book through either Accorhotels phone app or website.

Novotels are part of Accorhotels and they are described as more upscale than ibis but less upscale than Sofitel.  I have stayed in Novotel before in Dubai and for that hotel, the only major difference I saw was that it was a more upgraded version of the ibis.  Based on that, and based on the feedback I had heard from others, I was curious to experience the Novotel Abidjan.  The hotel is located in the Plateau region of Abidjan, and I was already staying at the ibis Abidjan so I was familiar with the neighborhood.  Both hotels share a shuttle to and from the airport, so I accessed that shuttle to transport me from the ibis to the Novotel.  The hotel overlooks the river and has a very nice view of the other side of Abidjan, and is centrally located so within walking distance to many restaurants, banks, and other amenities.

When you arrive at the hotel, there is a mini-driveway that has been blocked off so you have to walk to the entrance.  As with all hotels in the area, you have to pass through a metal detector on the outside and an x-ray scanner inside before proceeding to the hotel.  Once inside the hotel, you enter into a large lobby.  In the first part of the lobby, on left hand side are the elevators and two check-in desks while in the middle is a large sitting area and on the right is the ‘business center’ with two computers.  The second part of the lobby contains the bar and the restaurant.  There is both indoor and outdoor seating for the restaurant, as the outdoor seating overlooks the pool.  The pool is a decent size and the hotel cleans it regularly.  On the other side of the pool is the fitness center, which is a decent size and has a decent selection of various types of exercise equipment.    

I walked to the check-in desks to check in and receive my key.  The check-in service was alright, but there was a lack of customer service (which continued throughout my stay).  Since I am a member of the hotels guest program, some of the benefits I received were a complimentary drink at the bar as well as an extended check-out time.  I took advantage of both benefits, received my key and the wifi code, and proceeded to elevators to my room.

As you open the door, you enter into a hallway.  On the left-side of the hallway are closets that run along the hallway.  The closest consists both of a standard closet next to another closet with shelves; the closets provided a lot of storage places.  On the other side of the hallway was the bathroom.  The bathroom was laid out in an odd position.  As you entered into the hallway, on the right was the toilet and just the toilet.  To access the other aspects of the bathroom, you had to come out of the toilet, go into the hallway, and then enter the second door to enter into the other bathroom section.  This bathroom section contained the sink and the shower.  I had many issues with the bathroom which included the lack of water pressure (for both the shower and the handheld); the lack of hot water (it was inconsistent and it took a long time for the water to be heated); and finally the bathroom and the room shared a wall and in that wall there was a transparent window so from the bedroom you could see directly into both the bathroom and directly into the shower.  I am not sure why this was constructed this way, and it’s an odd and unpleasant design.  As part of being a full-service hotel, the bathroom did have nice amenities including fair-trade products such as soap, shower gel, shampoo, and other products.  Additional bathroom amenities included very big and nice towels, which were good quality and very large towels. 

At the end of the hallway, there was a door that separated the hallway section from the bedroom section.  Once you entered into the bedroom section, on the right was the double-size bed with nighstands on either side as well as reading lights on either side.  The bed was a good size and provided a comfortable sleep.  The duvet on top was also comfortable as well.  Across from the bed, along the wall, was long, extended desk.  The desk provided a good working place as well as another storage place.  Above the desk was the TV mounted on the wall; however, the TV only worked sometime so I could not access the channels all the time.  Below the TV, next the desk, was a pedestal tool which could be used to hold your luggage or for someone to sit on.  The large desk was a nice amenity.  Other amenities in the room included a lounge chair/mini couch near the window which provided some more seating facilities as well as some additional storage area.  As the seating area was next to the window, it was nice to sit there and look outside the window onto the pool, to the river, and see the sights.  There was also a coffee maker, a fridge, and a safe in the room.  These were located in the wall behind the door that led to the hallway.  The mini-fridge was another nice touch. 

As a full-service hotel, there were many amenities that were provided. The hotel contains a bar, a restaurant, a pool, a fitness center, free wifi, two complimentary bottles of water daily, laundry services, room service, and an airport shuttle.  The amenities I used were the free wifi, which was slow and spotty; the complimentary bottles of water, which was a nice touch; the laundry service, which was quick but a bit expensive; the room service, which was also quick and did not charge excess delivery charges; and the airport shuttle, which needed to be booked ahead of time and had a timing schedule. 

In the end, the full service amenities provided by the hotel were

nice, the location of the hotel was also very good (as I was there for New Years’, I could see the fireworks directly from the room), and the shuttle were nice touches; however, this did not compensate for the poor customer service.  The hotel provided poor to minimal customer service and were not helpful in suggesting or coordinating with local transport.  My friend was staying at another hotel close-by and that hotel provided excellent customer service and worked with the guest to ensure they had access to the services they needed.  The Novotel did not do this and that was unfortunate.  I had previously stayed at the ibis in Abidjan and they provided better customer service, stronger wifi, better water pressure, and complimentary breakfast; but they are not a full-service hotel.  I got the full service amenities, but not the full service customer service.