- Name of the hotel: Novotel Bristol Centre
- What is your Le Club status? Platinum
- Were you (or for multi-stayers were you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? It was okay.
- Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? Booked a Superior Room, upgraded to an Executive Room.
- How are the rooms? The rooms were a decent size - comfortable bed (although the mattress was on the firm side), Nespresso machine, large television, my room had a bath and a separate shower. Decor was okay but there was a stain on the carpet.
- What was good and what was bad?
Good: Staff were young, enthusiastic and keen to help. The first room I was in had a broken TV so they moved me to a second (which smelled badly of aftershave) and then the receptionist came with me to the third room to make sure it was okay - good service recovery in my opinion. I thought that the car park would carry a separate charge (advertised as £10 per 24 hours) but the staff told me it was included in the rate, which was a pleasant surprise. The hotel has its own car park on site, which is very useful for the city. Location is also good - 10 minutes walk from the city centre and 10 minutes from Templemeads train station. The breakfast buffet had a good choice of hot items (full English type) plus pancakes.
Bad: Not so much bad but worth bearing in mind that the Executive Rooms don't have the same facilities - one I was given only had a walk-in shower and there's no consistency in the amenity kits left in the bathrooms (some had shaving kits, some had combs and dental kits, others just had soap and shampoo). If you want a continental breakfast the choice was not as impressive - just a couple of cold cuts and fruit (although I did get down there towards the end of service so it's possible the items were being cleared away).
- Did you get club lounge access? How was the lounge? N/A
- What about welcome drinks, welcome amenities or any other special perks? I didn't get offered a drinks voucher but didn't ask for one. The amenity kits in each room varies depending (I think) on the housekeeper servicing it. Executive rooms come with a complementary bottle of still and sparkling water.
- Value for $ or Vouchers? Would you return? I got a corporate rate, which I thought was reasonable. The Novotel price sits closely with the 2 Mercures closer to the city centre so I would say that whether I stay there again depends on the difference in price with the Mercures as company policy is to go for the cheapest option.
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