Review Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay

Old Nov 10, 2015, 6:17 am
  #31  
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Originally Posted by Brendan88
The location of the hotel is good. And the rooms are not bad at all.
Originally Posted by edman
I stayed here in July and enjoyed it. [...] Location is good, staff super friendly, lounge is exceptional (though small) for a Novotel, rooms were fine and no leaking shower for me 😃
Thank you both. Good to have some positive reports to balance the negative. It sounds like a hotel that mostly gets things right.

Originally Posted by Goldorak
Please report your experience here
I intend to (our stay isn't until after Christmas, though).
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Old Nov 11, 2015, 10:20 am
  #32  
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My husband and I stayed there on our honeymoon earlier this year and were really impressed with the service offered, I'm plat and couldn't fault them, didn't have to ask about benefits was just given them!
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Old Jan 12, 2016, 11:44 am
  #33  
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Reporting as promised on our two night stay in later December (my first Accor stay after returning to Platinum status):

We arrived so early (shortly after 07:00) that I didn't even ask if a room was ready, just whether we could leave our luggage. We were taken up to the lounge and invited to help ourselves to coffee and/or breakfast. Our room was ready before 08:00 -- a Premier King (I had booked a standard queen). Everything, including the shower, worked as it should.

We enjoyed our stay and will probably return (the uncertainty simply reflects the impending addition of FRHI properties to the Accor options in Singapore).
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Old Jan 12, 2016, 5:36 pm
  #34  
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Originally Posted by IMH
Reporting as promised on our two night stay in later December (my first Accor stay after returning to Platinum status):

We arrived so early (shortly after 07:00) that I didn't even ask if a room was ready, just whether we could leave our luggage. We were taken up to the lounge and invited to help ourselves to coffee and/or breakfast. Our room was ready before 08:00 -- a Premier King (I had booked a standard queen). Everything, including the shower, worked as it should.

We enjoyed our stay and will probably return (the uncertainty simply reflects the impending addition of FRHI properties to the Accor options in Singapore).
Good. I'm glad you had a better experience than me.
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Old Jan 12, 2016, 7:06 pm
  #35  
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Originally Posted by IMH
Reporting as promised on our two night stay in later December (my first Accor stay after returning to Platinum status):

We arrived so early (shortly after 07:00) that I didn't even ask if a room was ready, just whether we could leave our luggage. We were taken up to the lounge and invited to help ourselves to coffee and/or breakfast. Our room was ready before 08:00 -- a Premier King (I had booked a standard queen). Everything, including the shower, worked as it should.

We enjoyed our stay and will probably return (the uncertainty simply reflects the impending addition of FRHI properties to the Accor options in Singapore).
Sounds great. I'll book this property for my friend who will be visiting Singapore end of this month.
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Old Feb 7, 2016, 1:20 am
  #36  
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Here for a night just for a staycation.
I could have stayed at the So Sofitel or Sofitel Sentosa. Chose this hotel as it has a lounge - guess what:

LOUNGE POLICY: NO CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 12 ALLOWED.

Will report back once I've completed my stay and calmed down.
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Old Feb 8, 2016, 2:02 pm
  #37  
 
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Originally Posted by Brendan88
I stayed at the Novotel for 2 nights also during the haze. Had booked a Superior room, a few days before my arrival I got an email to upgrade. Selected one room up which was free due to status.
At the hotel they did nothing for a loyal visitor. I showed my card to hint the guy behind the check in desk but eventually no upgrade, no drinks and no fruit/chocolates in the room. When in my room I checked for room availability and all types of rooms were available.
Later on when I walked past the check in desk and started to chat with a "staff member"(edit) whom sat behind the desk opposite the check in. She only just moved back to Singapore after working in other hotels (details removed). We talked about not getting any advantages and she told me that the staff in Singapore deliberately does not live up to the Accor program. Then she briefly paused and said "it's better that I'd not go into the details".
She gave me a drink voucher after that.

Other staff members (especially the lady at the breakfast desk) are clearly not having fun at their job, after 2 night you start to feel just as depressed as the staff there.

I also had the same issues with the shower. And during the night my air con gave up, it had to do with the centralized control system I was told. Issue was solved during the day but the maintenance guy did not clean up after and even left his tools in the room.

One last thing, I asked for the invoice at checkout, was told that because the room was pre-paid I had to get it from my travel agent that booked the room. I booked the room on the Accor website. Told him that (and the guy next to him) and his replay was that it was not possible because I did not pay in the hotel. Eventually he asked another colleague whom also told me it was not possible but eventually they gave in and printed the invoice. Very strange.
I gave the hotel a second chance, it was lots better than my first stay in October last year. Did not need to ask for an upgrade and they even gave me a double upgrade. Drinks voucher was given on arrival and staff eas friendlier. So they have made improvements.
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Old Feb 9, 2016, 9:41 pm
  #38  
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I won't do a full review as the pictures of my room can be seen in post #9.

I booked the stay last Friday (5th Feb) with my Accor Plus comp night voucher. As the voucher only allows for lowest room category, I paid an additional ~SGD130 for the Premier Deluxe Room.

With the So Sofitel, The Sentosa Resort and the Novotel as properties possible to book I chose the Novotel. Main reason is that we wanted a lounge.

------------------------

On Saturday morning I received an email from the hotel asking me for my check in time. I replied at 11am that I would like to check in early (Around 10am) for my stay from 7th-8th Feb. I also inquired about the possibility of an upgrade to the suite and that should there be a conflict between early check in and the upgrade i'd chose the latter.
I got a reply, that all was fine and that check in at 10am is ok.

So on Sunday I showed up and checked in at the lounge together with my wife and daughter (8yo). I mentioned my name and got a quizzed look.
"But your booking was for yesterday..." .... "ummmm".....

So I pulled out my phone and I, ........., had all along booked the wrong dates. Yes it was my fault.
(that the communication the day before hinted at me about to commit a mistake wasn't picked up on. Anyway, I made a mistake.
The lady in charge of the lounge was very nice, and I can't fault her and she a) simply moved my night at no charge b) waived the "no show" penalty. For that I am really grateful.

When that was sorted and I was kicking myself, I was asked if I knew the lounge policy. "What's the lounge policy?"
The lounge policy here is that children below the age of 12 are not allowed to use the lounge. Not just for the evening canapee - NOT AT ALL.
So what was the solution? I can't possibly leave my daughter alone?

- You can have breakfast in the restaurant at no charge
- You can benefit from happy hour at the lobby bar - Free of Charge: Soft Drinks, Tea Coffee, juices, vodka, whisky.

I was quite disappointed. The lounge was the reason for choosing this hotel over the others. They were not going to budge and in the end also refunded the ~SGD130 I paid as a top up for the "Premier" benefit.

I didn't want to make too much noise as they had shown enough goodwill for my own blunder.
Nevertheless, this is wrong IMO. I understand that some/many children don't behave in a lounge. But I have taught my child well and don't see why I should not receive a benefit for the reason of others. Are adults yapping on skype over speakerphone in a lounge any better?
I have come across many lounges where behavior is policed. But not an outright ban.

Further, we are not talking about a independent hotel that can make up their own rules.
I expect that a Accor property, with its own set of design, benefits etc, accommodate the same level of offerings as any other.

While I was checking in, there was a family of three with a son clearly not above 12. The manager asked a staff member to check the age.
The lady came back and said "12".
The manager insisted that the staff ask the family for ID as proof.
(it didnt happen as they left shortly after...But what a way to make a stay uncomfortable. I guess thats the way they "police" it).

So once again - inconsistencies in Accor properties.
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Old Feb 10, 2016, 3:08 am
  #39  
 
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Originally Posted by gilbertaue
While I was checking in, there was a family of three with a son clearly not above 12. The manager asked a staff member to check the age.
The lady came back and said "12".
The manager insisted that the staff ask the family for ID as proof.
(it didnt happen as they left shortly after...But what a way to make a stay uncomfortable. I guess thats the way they "police" it).
In this part of the world, may be not so much in SIN itself but definitely quite a few places in East Asia, a lot of people would lie about the children's age to either receive benefits that they are not supposed to get or to avoid extra charges. I would actually prefer more hotels/managers do this.
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Old Feb 10, 2016, 3:50 am
  #40  
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Originally Posted by Awesom Andy
Originally Posted by gilbertaue
While I was checking in, there was a family of three with a son clearly not above 12. The manager asked a staff member to check the age.
The lady came back and said "12".
The manager insisted that the staff ask the family for ID as proof.
(it didnt happen as they left shortly after...But what a way to make a stay uncomfortable. I guess thats the way they "police" it).
In this part of the world, may be not so much in SIN itself but definitely quite a few places in East Asia, a lot of people would lie about the children's age to either receive benefits that they are not supposed to get or to avoid extra charges. I would actually prefer more hotels/managers do this.
Sure. But given the same situation and had I not done my own mistake I would have cared less about the policy. What would they have done? Kicked me out? Would that have been justified?
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Old Feb 10, 2016, 10:16 pm
  #41  
 
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Originally Posted by gilbertaue
Chose this hotel as it has a lounge - guess what:

LOUNGE POLICY: NO CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 12 ALLOWED.

.
I am on the side with the hotel here, but let me explain the reasons:

1. When hotels implement any policies, they must consider the pros and cons - and in this case, they may lose out on certain families - like yours, but in return, they retain business of people who wanted a quiet lounge; in the case of Novotel Singapore, they have a lot of business travelers who wanted a quiet lounge.

2. While you mentioned your kid is well-behaved, but I am sure you have also come across many badly behaved kids, but their parents think they are angels anyway. A couple of tantrum thrown in the lounge does not make the kids badly behaved in their opinion, but from the perspective of the rest of the guests, it is awful manners.
(That is not to say your kid is badly behaved. But from the Hotel's perspective, they have no idea as each kid is different, and they cannot afford the risk if they want to maintain the lounge's standards in terms of exclusivity, peace and quietness. )

3. Once they admit younger kids, where do they draw the line with behaviour? It is harder to kick kids out when they are in, then stopping it with minimum age from the start. (If they admit your kid, they have to admit all kids, including badly behaved ones, because no one knows when the little ones will show their ugly side, if any.)

4. Kudos the hotel for consistency; they did not target only 1 family, but doing it consistently. It means they are not just unfair to you; they have considered the potential business loss of families with young kids.

5. While they stopped your kid, they tried their best with alternative arrangements. Breakfast at restaurant, drinks at Lobby Bar, etc. They could have easily not done that for you. Add the willingness to shift your stay by a night for your booking mistake, I think they have done well.

I can understand your frustrations, and from your angle, it appears really unfair, but looking at the bigger picture, especially when your kid is older (>12), and you revisit the hotel and lounge again, there will be no loud crying little kids, running amok in the lounge, and that is something to enjoy then.

Sorry that the stay was not so good for your family due to the lounge policies, but I guess that is something to plan and consider in your future family travels. From the other side of the coin, I am with the hotel, at least in the consistency of the lounge policy execution, and also their attempts to make up to you in other ways.
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Old Feb 11, 2016, 12:45 am
  #42  
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The policy overall is not so much a deal - I mean there are reasons why they don't allow children into nightclubs either.

And I am not arguing if they should or should not and also not whom it ultimately benefits or does not benefit.

What I have an issue with is that:

1) If that is a policy, it needs to be very well publicized. It isn't at all.
Imagine your frustration in booking something to then reach and being told otherwise.

2) Consistency. A Novotel is a mid level business hotel in the overall rank of things. It advertises itself as a family hotel ("Children stay for free...", "Children eat for free" etc). Novotels have not been as strong in advertising themselves as business hotels.
Just like how the Sofitels in Melbourne and Sydney make their own policies on lounge access for plats (at least its openly mentioned), this Novotel makes its policy by itself too and does not publicize it.
I stay in a chain hotel for consistency - and that I dont see here.

And where does it stop? It simply shows that Accor HQ is not on top of things.


Where Starwood over the last days very quickly clamped down the on the Sheraton in Taipei on serving sharksfin - the Starwood policy banned that in 2014, I dont see Accor having such a power over their hotels.
So what is the Accor policy for Novotels? Children in the lounge or no children in the lounge?

IF I KNOW, then I can decide. But I sure don't like finding out the day I arrive.
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Old Feb 11, 2016, 3:52 am
  #43  
 
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I've never come across this policy before but it makes sense. They just need to communicate it, which they should have been able to from your booking because you have to specify the ages of your kids.

Sofitels & Pullmans in Australia let kids in, I had my 2 (age 5 & 8) in many times, so it's strange to me that they would yet the Novotels which promote many family benefits, doesn't.
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Old Apr 21, 2016, 7:49 am
  #44  
 
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any idea how this hotel treat Gold members ? can lounge access be expected by booking lowest tier room ?
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Old Apr 21, 2016, 8:08 am
  #45  
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Originally Posted by wantan
any idea how this hotel treat Gold members ? can lounge access be expected by booking lowest tier room ?
Lounge access is a Platinum benefit. So unless you book an. Executive room, you won't avail to the lounge.
They should upgrade you, subject to availability.
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