Novotel Leeds Centre, Leeds

...be like food chains, the Novotel group would hover somewhere around McDonalds in terms of its ethos and approach. I've stayed in one or two over my time, including those located in London and France, and the occasion in Leeds left me without any illusions.

Overall, Novotels hover around the 3/4-star mark, with facilities usually pushing them into the 4-star category. However, I reckon that once you take the quality of what's being ...
...In fact, the Novotel chain is doing its own bit to push 3-star hotels into the category of 'bloody waste of time for the price you end up paying - better off upgrading to 4'.

The context? My work apartment access key had been left at home in London and cue realisation of this after office hours, when nowt could be done about it, because no-one has access to anything unless it's phone numbers for emergency plumbers and the like. The ... more

If you imagine that hotel chains can be like food chains, the Novotel group would hover somewhere around McDonalds in terms of its ethos and approach. I've stayed in one or two over my time, including those located in London and France, and the occasion in Leeds left me without any illusions.

Overall, Novotels hover around the 3/4-star mark, with facilities usually pushing them into the 4-star category. However, I reckon that once you take the quality of what's being provided into account, the experience is definitely more basic. In fact, the Novotel chain is doing its own bit to push 3-star hotels into the category of 'bloody waste of time for the price you end up paying - better off upgrading to 4'.

The context? My work apartment access key had been left at home in London and cue realisation of this after office hours, when nowt could be done about it, because no-one has access to anything unless it's phone numbers for emergency plumbers and the like. The decision to stay there? Novotel was just down the road, and big enough to be the most likely place with a room that won't charge me thousands for the night.

The downstairs interior was an area I'd previously become familiar with due to the location of a reasonable late night bar (also open to non-residents), plus the presence of meeting rooms I'd had the pleasure of using. Spacious, but smoky as hell at night once the drinkers settle in, I arrived just as the potentially raucous crowd was beginning to realise that they had to get up for work the next morning.

To my relief, the innkeeper a.k.a., helpful efficient and pleasant receptionist had a room for the night and brusquely processed details to get me upstairs to bed. Upon arrival in my room, I discovered the usual, very French approach to 'modern' design, which persists in focusing on plastic and cheap materials without making much effort to disguise the lack of cost in putting it together. I think this particularly struck me, because the styling and quality were comparable to an Ibis I had stayed in a couple of years before, and they had only been charging 65 euro a night and not £75. I hadn't remembered the Novotel at London Waterloo being this basic.

To be fair, for a double room, the place was big, and this wasn't just facilitated by the lack of furniture in comparison to many other business rooms (e.g. no obligatory coffee table, although you did get the spare chair). However, I have to be blunt and admit I was incredibly relieved to only be staying for 1 night and not being a regular guest. The sparseness and plastic feel to the interior would be truly soul-destroying to have to stay in repeatedly if you're a businessman/woman putting up with it 3 or 4 nights a week for months. Nevertheless, the location within 5 mins walk of the station (an easy one in directions terms too) can't be faulted, and all the staff from reception to the bar are pleasant and helpful whatever they're doing.

Worth staying in if you're determined to save cash and not be fussed about surroundings, but might be worth taking that further and just finding a cheaper 3-star. 

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