It was my 2nd stay there but for the previous one, it was before the program enhancements of october 2013 (so I had no club lounge access for this 1st stay but I enjoyed this hotel and its location). This new stay was only for 1 night and I hesitated long between the Sofitel So and the Novotel Clark Quay. I had a pleasant stay at the Sofitel earlier this year but I was not astonished by it and the reasons for this are well described (by me and other posters) in the dedicated thread for this hotel. What made me finally favoured the Novotel werethe reports we had on Flyertalk for the Sofitel with the private parties at the pool and very poor cleaning that was reported by the poster and I found that unacceptable at Sofitel.

This being said, was I happy of my new Novotel stay? not really. It has begun well but continued in a complete fiasco and once again a very concrete example of poor staff training. Here is the story…

Check In

I checked-in on-line 2 days before and gave 3 pm as an arrival time at the hotel (I was flying-in from CDG). Disembarking in SIN, I had a sms from the hotel saying that my room keys would wait for me from 2 pm. I checked also on Accor app and all room categories were available. I finally arrived at the hotel around 3:30. I mentioned to the bell captain that I was platinum and so he instructed me to take the 1st lift to the reception floor where somebody would then bring me to the club lounge for check-in.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the lounge and will post a review and pictures in the lounge thread. I was seated a few meters away from the desk and drinking a welcome drink and I was wondering why it was taking so long (as normally with OLCI, it should be very quick) and I was seeing the attendants typing on their keyboards and making phone calls). After a good 10 min of waiting…I was told that due to my Plat status they want to upgrade my room but it will be ready only in 1hr (you wonder why you OLCI and indicate your estimated arrival time and receive a text saying that your room is ready from 2 pm…). I told them that I needed to have access to a bathroom now. The 1st attendant proposed me to use a bathroom at the pool but her supervisor hearing that said No, there is no way we will ask you to go to the pool, but I will rather give you a temporary room in which you can use the bathroom and stay there until the upgraded room is ready or if you have to go, we’ll then transfer your bags to the new room. So they bring me and my bags to a Privilege room at the Club floor and I was told my upgraded room would be larger than this one. Until now I was satisfied on how they were handling my case even if I was a bit annoyed by all this fuss about non-ready rooms. But it may worth it, to have a nicer room afterwards (I forgot to tell you that I originally booked a Superior room, king size bed and bay view, which is the 2nd room category they have starting from the lowest). I refreshed in the temporary privilege room which has the traditionnal extra amenities like a Nespresso machine.

Room

I went out after being refreshed and came back 3 hrs later to the lounge where an attendant gave me my new keys. My new room was nice in the way it was large with a splendid view on Marina bay (unfortunately obscured by the severe haze Singapore is suffering) but seeing a kettle and instant coffee bags instead of a Nespresso machines, oh oh…I looked at my booking and at the room descriptions on the hotel webpage and realized that they gave me exactly the room I booked….I was starting to be very tired of this and decided to give up as it was just for 1 night and didn’t want to change room again (I had also other things to do in Singapore).

The bathroom was large and nice and I took a shower and when I finished it, I realized that I had flooded the entire bathroom with 1 cm of water everywhere (the water is passing through at the bottom of the shower door). The slippers and the bath mat were completely soaked with water. I used all the towels to absorb it and left them on the ground Also the shower was not functionning well as it was not possible to switch from the ceiling one to the regular one.

I then went to the lounge for the evening cocktails and mentioned the bathroom problem to the attendant and also enquired why they made me wait under the pretext to have an upgrade while finally they did not honor that. She looked on her computer and confirmed I was indeed given the room category I had originally booked but didn’t give any additional explanations. She told me also she will call maintenance for the shower problem.

I was tired and decided to have dinner at the hotel (staff seemed very bored at the main restaurant and the service and food were not so nice). Coming back to my room, I saw that somebody did came in the bathroom as I had plenty of black footsteps on the wet towels that were on the floor…no comment).

The following morning, shower was exactly the same: problem was not solved and I flooded again the place. GreatPlatinum experience!

View from the room :

Check-out and post departure

I checked-out at the lounge at 2 pm (late check-out was granted without problem) and mentioned that the bathroom problem was not solved and also asked to speak to a manager. The Front Office manager came and I explained her all the story and my dissatisfaction for this stay. She went back to the desk to check their systems and confirmed that the lounge attendant made a mistake when I came back to have my new room keys because she gave me the keys for my originally-assigned room. She apologized but, of course, there was nothing she could do as I had just checked-out. She proposed me to upgrade me to a premier executive room (from a standard room booked, so it corresponds to a double upgrade) for a next stay within the next 6 months. I told her that I had no current plans to come back to SIN for the next 6 months but who knows. She accepted to extend to 1 year and promised to send me an e-mail during the day. It took her finally 3 days to send it and I copy it below:

Dear Mr. Goldorak,

Greetings from Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay! Thank you for staying with us recently. We appreciate you for taking time to share your comments upon departure, and will certainly take your feedback on board. We understand your disappointment in regards of the room readiness and room upgrade as one of the privileges as a Le Club Platinum member.

At Novotel, it is our commitment to deliver a high quality product for each and every guest thus we share your disappointment that was not representative of Novotel Standards. We takeall guest feedback earnestly and strive to immediately address reported issues whenever possible.

It is our sincere hope that you will give us another opportunity to better serve you in the futureand have you experience the usual excellent service that Novotel is known for, as such we would like to offer you a complimentary upgrade to our Executive Premier Room

inclusive of the following benefits on your next stay with us:

- Complimentary buffet breakfast (6:00am to 10:30am)

- Happy House and Hors d ' oeuvres(6:00pm to 8:00pm)

- Complimentary internet access with broadband & wireless system

- Complimentary use of Premier Lounge Meeting Room (max 2 hours per day)

We are positive that you will see the improvement and enjoy your time with us on your next visit.

Hope you will find this email well and do not hesitate to contact us should you require further assistance.

Note: The offer will be subject to room availability and not applicable during special event or black outperiod, and valid for the next twelve (12) months from the date of this letter.

I was a bit puzzledby this e-mail as basically most of what she‘s proposing is already part of platinum benefits (room upgrade and lounge access). OK she’s proposing a double upgrade but that’s it. And the most comic is that she’s even saying it’s not guaranteed as subject to room availability and not during black-out dates. Do you guys also have the same opinion as me on this proposal ? For me: quite a joke really…

I have just sent her the following e-mail and will report here about her response.

Dear Mrs XXX

First, I would like to thank you for the time you spent discussing the issues I encountered during my stay in your hotel and for the e-mail below with your offer. However, I will be very honest with you : it looks rather disappointing. Indeed, what you are basically proposing me consists in benefits that are already part of Platinum benefits (room upgrade, club lounge access). OK, I get your point in the way you are proposing a double upgrade as this should come on a booking for a standard room (what you told me in the lounge). But all the rest should normally be already granted. Also, what is even more disappointing is that your proposal is not even guaranteed as it is “subject to availability” and excludes black-out dates or any “special events”. So, as said above, this is rather disappointing and certainly not what a Platinum member can expect as a treatment for the most frequent and loyal customers of Accor group after some problems during a stay.

Looking forward for your response

With my best regards.

I also forgot to mention you that neither drink voucher was given nor usual special presents in room like fruit platter (very common in Asian hotels) or chocolates was given.

So, overall, pretty unhappy about this stay, except the club lounge which is very nice.

PS:the new review system here on FT ask you if you recommend this hotel Yes/No (no other choice). Saying no is a bit to hard for me here as one incident is not everything and it remains a good choicefor the location and for the ratio quality/price

I arrived at the property approx 12noon and was glad to note that the suite is ready for my stay. Check In process was swift and efficient. We were greeted as Accor Platinum and was given a suite upgrade on a high floor with views of the Singapore River & Marina Bay.

The 60sqm Premier Suite came with a separate living and dining room area, an awesome king sized bed, an ensuite bathroom with jacuzzi bath and rainfall shower.

Staying at the Premier Suite grants us access to the Premier Lounge which offers all day refreshment, american breakfast in the morning, light snacks and complimentary evening cocktails and canap.

I found the evening canap spread to be pretty good, with a salad and fruits bar, bread baskets, cold cuts, hot dishes and my personal favourite, the chicken mini-burgers.

Next morning, we decided to forgo the american breakfast at the Premier lounge for the international breakfast buffet at its main restaurant.

Glad to see a full salad bar and omelette station, great variety of fruit juices and milks with the usual hot dishes such as hash-brown, bacon, ham and spread of local delights.

For more detailed review, visit my full blog posthttp://www.jltravellounge.com/Travel-Blog/1505-Novotel-Clarke-Quay