The lobby area and lifts are clean, fresh and modern. Everything else was identikit 1980s North American chain hotel, including chipped paint in unattractive shades of pink, peach and beige. Nothing about the property said "Novotel"; in fact even as a Mercure it would have seemed overbadged. The 2cm gap at the bottom of the door needed to be blocked off with a towel to try to exclude noise, light and cold air.
Platinum acknowledgement: a bottle of water, a voucher for a single drink, two fluorescent cup cakes that we didn't touch.
Thanks for the quick review. Seems that nothing changed. I won't return too.