Novotel London West, London

...I’ve looked at the enormous Novotel hotel and thought, “That looks pretty posh.” I was therefore quite intrigued this week when I flew into town and found myself with a reservation at the aforementioned Novotel.

ABOUT NOVOTEL

Part of the French company, Accor, Novotel now has over 370 hotels and resorts across the world. There are 22 Novotel hotels in the UK, but coverage is far greater in France and ...
...the world – the Novotel brand is perhaps one of the most widely recognised names globally with hotels in most major countries. The chain continues to expand – 22 new hotels are planned in 2002 alone – and they are popular with both business and personal travellers. I have never stayed in a Novotel hotel before this week, so the experience was completely new to me.

LOCATION

The Hammersmith Novotel is ... more

Have you ever driven into London on the M4 and then into the city centre by crossing the Hammersmith flyover? I have loads of times, and every time that I have I’ve looked at the enormous Novotel hotel and thought, “That looks pretty posh.” I was therefore quite intrigued this week when I flew into town and found myself with a reservation at the aforementioned Novotel.

ABOUT NOVOTEL

Part of the French company, Accor, Novotel now has over 370 hotels and resorts across the world. There are 22 Novotel hotels in the UK, but coverage is far greater in France and other parts of Europe. The chain has outlets all over the world – the Novotel brand is perhaps one of the most widely recognised names globally with hotels in most major countries. The chain continues to expand – 22 new hotels are planned in 2002 alone – and they are popular with both business and personal travellers. I have never stayed in a Novotel hotel before this week, so the experience was completely new to me.

LOCATION

The Hammersmith Novotel is one of the most easily recognisable landmarks of West London. Towering up above the Hammersmith flyover, the hotel is well placed for visitors using London as a stop off point, or for tourists who wish to take in the sights. The hotel is conveniently located between Heathrow airport (about 9 miles away) and the West End – Hammersmith tube station is about five minutes’ walk from the hotel and is serviced by three Underground lines. The Piccadilly line provides a direct link with Heathrow airport, whilst the Hammersmith line links directly to a number of the major National Rail stations (Paddington, Euston, King’s Cross, and Liverpool Street). Alternatively you can reach the hotel directly from Victoria station, via the District Line. The hotel is also within five minutes’ walking distance of Hammersmith bus station, with buses across all major routes in London – many of which run all night.

The hotel is easy to reach by car, with M3, M4 and M25 junctions all close by. Parking is available to guests, but you do have to pay for the privilege.

The hotel provides a good base for visitors who don’t mind travelling to get to all the local attractions, but it is worth remembering that the hotel itself is not within walking distance of any major attractions. If you want somewhere right in the heart of all the action, then the Hammersmith Novotel is not for you. A taxi ride to Oxford Street will set you back about £15, for example.

THE HOTEL

The Hammersmith Novotel is by far the largest hotel in which I have ever stayed. The hotel has just over 620 guestrooms, occupies eight floors and has one of the largest convention centres in Europe. The hotel is very badly laid out – expect to wander round with a puzzled expression on your face when you first arrive. Although the entrances are at ground level, the main reception desk is actually located on the first floor – if you arrive late in the day, the ground floor is eerily quiet and empty and there is no immediate indication that you need to go upstairs. More irritating is the lack of staircases – if you don’t like lifts, then you’d be better off staying somewhere else. In such a busy hotel, waiting for a lift is obviously a frequent occurrence, but if you try and find a staircase to save time, you’ll be out of luck. I did find one cold, dirty stairwell that was the fire exit, but this just seemed to take me into the kitchens, so I quickly legged it back upstairs and waited for a lift.

Given that the hotel is so large, whole floors are dedicated as smoking or non-smoking areas, with enormous expanses of corridors and symmetrically patterned carpets that give the illusion that the corridor goes on forever. Most areas of the hotel are also eerily quiet – and you can easily get lost.

FIRST FLOOR

The size of the reception area is in keeping with the rest of the building, and is a bright busy place, unlike the floors above. The reception desk is manned 24 hours, with up to eight receptionists at peak times. Checking in was a quick and easy process – although, I couldn’t understand a word the guy behind the desk was saying to me, and just smiled and nodded politely. Apart from the reception desk, the first floor also contains the main lounge bar, restaurant and guest shop. There is a second, livelier bar located away from the reception desk, with pool tables, Sky Sports and loud music.

Most of the staff members were generally pleasant and helpful, but I would say that they were less welcoming than you might expect. Everyone seemed very busy and pressurised and I was also amazed to find that almost all the staff were French – the company seems to have a slightly biased recruitment policy.

Checking out is a painful exercise, simply because so many guests are checking out at the same time. There is an Express Checkout facility, but I always prefer to check my bill before I leave – I was incorrectly charged for breakfast, so it’s certainly worth checking. If you can leave the hotel later, and avoid the rush of businessmen, you will save yourself a lot of time.

GUEST ROOMS

I was relatively impressed with the facilities offered in the guestrooms. The décor was relatively simple, with slightly tired looking furniture and fittings that had been kept as clean and respectable as natural usage will allow. The room was quite large, with a big double bed and a three-seat sofa, (which come as standard in all rooms apparently). All of the rooms were air-conditioned, although I could never get the temperature to reduce and found my room very hot and stuffy.

The room had a large colour television with satellite television channels and optional pay per view movies. A nice touch was the availability of a Sony Playstation – something I’ve never seen before – although you have to pay for each game that you play. All the rooms had their own telephones, with sockets for laptop connections and a good sized desk for working, if required. There was a well-stocked mini-bar in the room – but at £1.50 for a can of Coke, I’d keep the door shut if I were you. Tea and coffee facilities were provided as standard with vending machines of mineral water on every floor.

The bathroom was relatively compact, but had a better-sized bath than most hotels that I have experienced. A complimentary set of toiletries was provided as well as plenty of towels – although they were on the slightly small size.

There was nothing about the room that I would have faulted – it was generally comfortable, quiet and clean.

DINING

The restaurant offered a relatively uninspiring range of dishes and I opted to eat out. Breakfast in the morning was of a good standard – although expensive at £12.50. The hotel also offers room service, although the overnight range leaves a lot to be desired. The only food that is served overnight is a choice of three salads – obviously in light of the fact that they don’t want to pay for kitchen staff overnight. To make matters worse, each of the salads costs £17.95! My advice for all London hotels applies here – eat out. The food will be better, and will be much cheaper.

ROOM RATES

This is one of those hotels that advertise a standard rate (in this case £145) but rates vary wildly according to when you stay.

For instance, if you book online, you can secure a weekend stay for as little as £60, with midweek rates of around £90. The hotel also offers seasonal deals, with bed and breakfast for two people for £89. Corporate discounts are also available – my room cost £70 (excluding breakfast).

My advice, if you’re considering a visit, it to check out the web site for deals, or contact the central reservations number. The web site can be found at www.novotel.com and is a well managed site, containing loads of information.

MY VERDICT

I was slightly disappointed with the hotel, as I was expecting something rather more impressive than I encountered. The rooms were satisfactory, as were the facilities and general service, but there was nothing very memorable about my visit. For a hotel with up to 600 guests, the Novotel exhibits very little flair or innovation. I would be happy to pay £60 - £70, because that rate is quite cheap for London. I would rather choke than pay £145 – the hotel simply isn’t up to that standard.

Recommended (with discount)
Not Recommended (at full price)
 

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