I have stayed at this property quite often in the past, and I still prefer this over Sofitel So as Plats have access to a club lounge, and the rooms are generally bigger than the entry levels of Sofitel So.

(Upgrades at Accor are a hit and miss thing, and if you missed out at Sofitel So Singapore, it will be a pathetic stay for a Plat, so I will not take the risk)

Sometimes, there will be newbies at the Club Lounge, though I cannot believe they gave you new keys for the standard room. Indeed it is quite ridiculous to make you wait for hours, only to give you the entry level room.

And the recovery was pathetic. I can almost guarantee you that your next stay's upgrade, will be exactly what you should have gotten this round, but for some reason, they failed to do so. (I seriously doubt they will give you a suite the next round)

And with Accor, they appear to be unable to offer points as recovery gesture too, even though it should be easy.

The only thing I guess OP could have done is to voice out issues with the new room immediately when he walked into it. Missed that, and there goes the hopes of a good recovery.

For the price point (not too expensive, not that cheap), Novotel is a decent hotel with a club lounge (for Plats) at a decent location. Given that it is cheaper than Sofitel So, Plats should take this over Sofitel.