Novotel Century Hong Kong
Nov 21, 2018, 8:32 am
- Name of the hotel: Novotel Century City Hong Kong
- What is your Le Club status? Gold
- Were you (or for multi-stayers were you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? Yes
- Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? Booked a Standard room with two singles and was upgraded to a Superior room with two singles (the rooms over Superior level have double beds, which weren't appropriate).
- How are the rooms? The rooms were clean but quite small (not unusual in Hong Kong) and the fixtures and fittings were getting to the stage where they could do with a refurb (more showing their age than being in unacceptable condition). The beds were comfy and we had a view of the Harbour. There was free water in the rooms plus a mini bar (which we didn't use but seemed well stocked). The television had a good mix of channels in a variety of languages and there was an in-room safe.
- What was good and what was bad?
Good: Staff were very good - Gold status was recognised on check-in without any prompting and I was told about the upgrade immediately (with an explanation and apology for why it wasn't to a higher level, even though I wasn't expecting it). Breakfast was excellent in the main restaurant - really good range of Chinese and Western foods plus an egg station that could whip up omelettes and fried eggs. Location is also good - 5 minutes walk from Wan Chai MTR station and the Convention Centre.
Bad: The rooms are getting to the point where they need to be refurbished. There was also a bit of noise from next door as a couple were having a full on row late at night - not the hotel's fault and the couple kept it down after someone from another room knocked on their door and told them to shut up.
- Did you get club lounge access? How was the lounge? As a lowly Gold I don't have lounge access and I wasn't on the Executive level so cannot comment.
- What about welcome drinks, welcome amenities or any other special perks? Room upgrade given without having to ask for it and I was given 2 drinks vouchers on check-in, which we used for a coke and a local beer.
- Value for $ or Vouchers? Would you return? I didn't get the best rate for this hotel because I left the booking a little too late and it had gone up (my fault - I was dithering between the Novotel and the Pullman and by the time I made up my mind both had gone up a fair bit). If I could get it cheaper than I paid, then I would definitely return but for what I paid I would probably look elsewhere first and see how the Novotel rates compare.
1F
Odd, this article states all rooms were upgraded in 2017 ?
https://www.aspirantsg.com/novotel-c...g-kong-myroom/
Nov 24, 2018, 4:42 pm
1F
Dec 28, 2018, 11:13 pm
Novotel Century Hong Kong
238 Jaffe Road Wanchai Hong Kong, HK
One night in standard room (12 Photos)
Novotel Century Hong Kong
The standard queen bed room was booked through Booking.com for USD$140 (tax included) for one night. I have no status with Accor.
Check In
There were a number of guests checking in at about 6:30pm Friday night but still I did not have to wait for a receptionist. While the receptionist was efficient, she was not particularly friendly or cheerful. I attempted late check-out at 2pm but was only offered extension till 1pm.
Room
Room had reasonably nice decor but not particularly impressive. Three sockets were easily accessible from room table and one came with universal adapter. Wifi was a breeze and setup was easy. A LAN cable was also provided. My room with fixed window had an outlook of inner street.
My grief was with the in-room facilities. Table lamp was faulty and kept flashing after using for a while. Room-service, which took long to pick up my call, brought in another standing lamp. Tea cup was dirty and so were the tile gaps in bathroom. Electric kettle, refrigerator, Sony tv, paper thin slippers, safe, iron and ironing board can be found in the room. Air-conditioning can be meaningfully adjusted.
Disposable toiletries were provided including shower cap, shaver set, comb, and toothbrush. Body lotion, shampoo, hair wash and conditioner came in tube packaging. Hair dryer was reasonably powerful.
Bed was comfortable and both soft and firm pillows were provided. Sound proofing was also good.
Dining
Wanchai has lots of eateries and so I didn’t try the on-site restaurants. As regards room service menus, beef burger set with fries and sparking water/beer costs HK$250 (service charge included; USD32) while pizza (tomato, four cheese or pepperoni) with sparking water/beer costs HK$262 (service charge included; USD33). Both are quite overpriced when comparing with comparable options in local restaurants nearby.
Room service breakfast costs from HKD163-220 (service charge included; USD21-28) and options include continental (fruit juice, pastry and drink), Chinese (fruit juice, assorted dim sum, a choice of chicken/beef/mushroom congee and fried noodle and tea), Japanese (assorted items such as grilled salmon, steamed egg, rice, miso soup) and American (fruit juice, two eggs with sides, pastry and drink). Again, you will get much better value going to the eateries just round corners of the streets.
Location
Though it is not the closest to Wan Chai metro station or Exhibition Centre, the hotel is close to most locations business people and city explorers want to go. Wan Chai metro station, Exhibition Centre, Causeway Bay are all within walking distance. The hotel is covered is by free shuttle to and from Airport Express station where airport express train terminates.
A convenient store is right opposite the hotel.
Gym
Not many people used the gym or sauna. Gym opens 24 hours a day and overlooks the pool. It has a few treadmills, a few ellipticals, yoga mats, two inflated exercise ball and a few ball weights. There are also a few stations for specific body parts, a bench press Smith machines and a comprehensive station. The machines and weights are well maintained. I think most people would content with the facilities though gym rats will be slightly disappointed without the full-range of machines.
Towels can be borrowed from attendants. Some of them were friendly but some were security guard type with poker faces.
Contrary to Booking.com description, there is no steam room. The sex-separated sauna is nice and clean but only opens from 6am to 10pm. After that the changing and locker room as well as sauna is locked.
No body swam in winter. The pool looked nice but is a bit small. Swim suits and trunks, goggles are available for sale on site.
Overall
I think the hotel is good for business travellers and guests who do not need hotel facilities much.
Nov 2, 2019, 6:45 am
Given the recent events in HK, you've thought that they will pay more attention to their (limited) guests.
Checked in as Gold. No welcome amenity, (even raised this up twice), not a smile.
Redemption of welcome drink at the bar felt as if I owed them a living. Not even a greeting and staff were taking my orders while taking to their own colleagues. It's as if the guest is invisible.
Only plus point was an the upgrade to an executive floor room (I booked one tier below executive), but no lounge access (which is fine and expected).
There are many alternatives to this in HK
I'd say skip this and go for the Pullman while you're in Hk.
Edit: Hooray, got my red apple and a bonus orange. Feel welcome indeed.
Last edited by ET85; Nov 2, 2019 at 7:10 am
Jan 8, 2020, 10:35 am
Novotel Century Hong Kong
238 Jaffe Road Wanchai Hong Kong, HK
one good, one poor stay (10 Photos)
Novotel Century Hong Kong
I stayed twice in recent times at this hotel. The first stay was pleasant, the second not.
Check In
Check in was easy enough in both cases as the reception was empty, as was most of the hotel, not exactly a lot of tourism business currently in Hong Kong.
The second arrival was a bit strange, the bellhop was busy with his mobile and could not be bothered to help with the luggage.
Room
The first room was a renovated room, with a decent sized bed. The second stay was a not-renovated room which clearly showed its age: watermarks on the wood, mold in the bathroom, smaller bed. Very unpleasant. And yet they they claimed I was "upgraded", from what? The storage cupboard?
You can see the pictures in the previous reviews.
View from the first room:
Service
Service was very underwhelming throughout. Staff were not the most friendly or engaging, except for the lounge staff who were excellent (they remembered my drink).
Dining
Breakfast was decent with a good choice in the main restaurant. It should be noted that the lounge no longer serves breakfast (possibly due to low occupancy) and guest can use the main buffet.
Snack at the bar
Dinner at the Italian restaurant was poor. The place was empty but staff were keen to point out that they close at 10pm and that we better be out by then. Not exactly a winning strategy.
The lounge was small but pleasant. The nibbles are few and will not cover you for a light meal but this is a Novotel and not Sofitel.
Loyalty
The first stay was fine: Nice welcome amenity with handwritten note. The second stay I got the standard apple and orange only with bland note (maybe Platinums in 2020 got downgraded....).
Welcome drinks: Highly restricted list
Overall
Overall while pleasant during the first stay the second stay convinced me not to return. Lacklustre service, lack of upgrade and a half decent welcome are enough to say never again. It was as if they had given up the second time. Odd given the dire state of tourism in HKG at the moment.
Jan 23, 2023, 9:09 pm
Was given breakfast for 2 adults + 1 child
Given the option for late checkout up to 1pm
Nothing much has changed. The past observations by royng and starflyergold still applies.