Novotel London Canary Wharf : super top stay and a big rejuvenation to the Novotel br
Mar 31, 2019, 5:20 am
Novotel London Canary Wharf
40 Marsh Wall London, GB E14 9TP
Third try (16 Photos)
Novotel London Canary Wharf
I know I said I’ll never return to Canary Wharf’s Novotel since my previous stays have been disappointing. But never say never, right. Due to a decent price I decided to give a third chance so I returned after all.
Check In
I arrived in the afternoon when the lobby was peaceful. I was welcomed back and in less than five minutes I had a key card and a welcome drink voucher in my hand.
Room
I paid for a superior room which is the lowest category and I was upgraded to a lovely executive suite (I talked to a general manager before booking so I received a special treatment this time, I guess).
The spacious suite on the 34th floor was in good condition depsite the couch that had some yucky stains. I liked the style. The suite felt more like an apartment than a boring hotel room.
A hand written welcome card from general manager was waiting for me together with a welcome gift: a set of Monroe bath amenities. Bathrobes and slippers were placed on the bed.
The suite also had upgraded bath amenities from Nuxe's collection and included complimentary minibar and, of course, a Nespresso machine. Now they also provided a soap dish that was missing last time.
Dining
I opted to dine in my suite and ordered pizza from the hotel’s pizza restaurant. It wasn’t particulary tasty. I should have just gone to the Bokan 37 that is an excellent restaurant.
Unfortunately, the breakfast has gone downhill. First the fresh berries were taken away and now the individually packed French yogurts and cold smoked salmon. Also, the bread selection and the quality of pastries were poor for a French hotel. However, the hot English breakfast was still very good.
Location
The location is out of the city but I like taking the river boat from nearby pier. The boat takes you all the way to Westminster in 30 minutes. A way nicer than taking a fully packed tube.
Platinum treatment
Since the hotel doesn’t have any drinks and snacks at the lounge any longer free minibar is now offered to platinum members and guests staying in the executive rooms and the suites. The lounge is unstaffed but there is coffee machine availabe for anyone wishing to use it. I missed the lounge. It’s sad that the service was ended.
The minibar was only partly complimentary, actually. The items that were free of charge included four bottles of still and sparkling water (Kingsdown), three small cans of Coke, a can of lemonade (Schweppes), a bottle of beer (Kronenbourg 1664), a bottle of white wine (Footsteps sauvignon blanc) and red wine (Footsteps merlot).
Gin (Hendrick’s), whisky (Glenfiddich) and vodka (Belvedere) were for sale. Also, crisps, nuts and Kit Kat were complimentary. A pretty good deal in my opinion.
The welcome drink voucher could be used for a bottle of beer (Peroni), a glass of house wine, a soft drink or a cup of coffee or tea.
Late check-out was granted until 1pm only.
Overall
This was the best of all my stays at the Novotel London Canary Wharf and yes, I could return if the price is right.
Mar 31, 2019, 9:31 am
Mar 31, 2019, 9:41 am
Mar 31, 2019, 11:07 am
And I agree with you about the location: even if you are there for pleasure, it is so nice to take the boat to reach more central places. And Canary Wharf is not anymore the ghost town it used to be during the weekend.
I have a stay booked there in May. Hoping to have a problem-free stay.
May 6, 2019, 4:03 pm
Everything started very well. I had booked a Superior room (entry level) and I was told at check-in that I was upgraded to an Executive Suite on the 35th floor (so, this is a triple upgrade ^). Those suite are really lovely. Drink voucher was given.
A very minimalist welcome gift...
And still the splendid view from the room or from bar/restaurant
First problem, for which the hotel is not to blame at all, was on 1st night around 11 pm when my neighbor decided it was the right time to listen to loud music using the bluetooth speaker provided in the room. I was literally thinking I had booked a room in a discotheque... I called the front desk and the situation was very quickly and efficiently handled by the staff in 5 min.
2nd problem the following morning when I could not shower because it was not working (not a drop of water). Could no wait for them to fix it, as I had to go, so had to live with it
When I came back in the evening, it was fixed. In that kind of circumstance, I would expect at least an apology note in the room but none ever materialized.
Very good diner at Bokan restaurant, as usual and super cool staff there.
I requested a late check-out at 2 pm and it was granted.
Overall, good stay in a lovely room (super upgrade) but it's always annoying to repeatedly encounter problems in this property.
May 7, 2019, 12:36 pm
May 8, 2019, 4:03 am
May 11, 2019, 3:23 pm
Slightly different welcome amenity - the marshmallows were not soft, however:
Overall a nice room and stay, although I did find the room design a bit quirky - no readily accessibly power points to giant lounge, no dimmers for the bathroom lights, no electronic DND/Makeup Room sign (I don't mind hanging a card on the door, although do not like cards that have both options on the one card - I'm sure a mischievous guest has walked down a corridor and flipped them before). The desk positioned to look into a wall rather than take advantage of the view. Oh, and didn't even realise there was a mini-bar fridge until day 2 it was so well hidden away.
Jun 27, 2019, 6:51 am
There are also conference rooms on the floor above the lounge but those, I guess, you need to book.
Last edited by wkndtraveler; Jun 27, 2019 at 8:17 am
May 8, 2022, 3:29 pm
I was nicely welcomed at check-in. I booked a Superior Double room, city view, and they told me I was upgraded to the next level (Executive). The drink voucher was not given (I thought it would be in the room, but finally not the case and I had to request it afterwards). My credit card was charged (I thought it was as usual for the stay + a provision for incidentals but I will discover later that it was only for the room charge).
For the room, I already presented it in previous reviews. The view was still breathtaking and I couldn't stop to watch
The room amenities included a Nespresso machine, bathrobes and slippers. Minibar had water only.
There was a welcome note form the GM, welcoming me back at the hotel, and the welcome gift was 2 small bottles of shampoo & conditionner from Nuxe brand
. It was the same bottle (same size) as what you have in Mercure bathrooms. I found that "gift" really shocking and insulting. Better to give nothing, sincerely.
The drink voucher was redeemed at the Bokan bar on the highest floors. The place is still as pleasant as before. The hotel was very busy when I was there (not obvious on the pictures below as I took them in the morning
).
Another evening, I took a drink at the bar and wanted to charge the room. The waiter came back saying it was not possible because no CC guarantee was given. I said that my card was given at booking and at check-in, so I fail to see how they can say that. The guy obviously didn't want to do anything to solve the problem, he didn't even want to call the front desk
. I didn't have any money and CC with me (left in the room in the safety box), so I asked to speak to the bar manager on duty. I explained him how ridiculous the situation was, that I was a ALL Diamond member, that my CC was on file and that it was hard to imagine that I will leave the place without paying. I was really starting to boil inside. But the guy did a great job calling the front desk and came back, apologizing for the situation, and saying that the drink was on them. A nice recovery, but shouldn't have happened. But I was told that I should go to the front desk to pre-authorize an extra amount to cover any other incidentals. So I went down for this before going back up for dinner at Bokan.The restaurant is as good as before Covid. Quality.price ratio is excellent. You have the menu below :
Breakfast buffet was the same as before Covid (i.e. large selection of english breakfast things and French pastries). Breakfast was free during the weekend for me, as Diamond member, but each time when giving my room number, Inhad to hear "breakfast is not included in your room rate"
. So each time, I had to say "I am a Diamond member, bla bla bla". Quickly solved but annoying.Overall, good stay, still a very good hotel, but several irritants that could have been avoided despite their good recovery. And for the welcome gift, seriously...no
Last edited by Goldorak; May 8, 2022 at 4:07 pm
May 8, 2022, 4:03 pm
Feb 1, 2023, 2:33 am
Not much of an upgrade in my opinion and I was moved to a suite after the remark.
The hotel has stopped offering complimentary minibar both in the executive rooms and the suites. There was only water in the minibar, as @Goldorak pointed out in his previous review.
The lounge was closed years ago but the space used to be open for everyone and you could grap a coffee or tea there. This time it wasn’t even possible to enter the area.
The cleaning was’t very good. There was a large cobweb hanging from the window and a thick layer of dust on the bedside lamps. Dirty drinking glasses and mugs of the previous customer hadn’t been replaced with clean ones.
The drink voucher was only usable for wine, beer or soft drinks. I tried to use it for champagne and cocktail without luck.