I booked this hotel through Orbitz instead of directly through Novotel, and that resulted in a…read morebunch of headaches as the front desk clerk double charged me for my room. After several hours of back and forth, including putting a dispute on my credit card, I finally got the extra money refunded. So beware if you use a third party booking system! Despite this annoying and time wasting hiccup, this was a great little hotel! The location is incredible, it is right next to the main train station. We had a very early 6:00 am train and wanted to stay somewhere convenient so we wouldn't have to wake up at an even more ungodly hour to rush to the station with our bags. The location is a blessing yet also a curse, as while you are close to the train station, that means your view will most likely be of a busy (and noisy) road and there aren't a lot of dining options nearby or even within walking distance. The room had thick, double paned windows that did a surprisingly good job of muting the road noise, but we get hot in Europe (especially during the winter months when they blast the heat) and like to sleep with our windows open to cool things down. We were cool, but it was loud outside -- so it's a catch 22 when it comes to sleep quality. We arrived in the late evening and got a bit twisted around from the Eurostar station but finally found the hotel. It was buzzing in the packed lobby, which apparently has a very popular bar because it was busy with locals. It almost looked like a nightclub instead of a hotel! Check-in was swift and as pleasant as you'd expect at a French hotel. Our room was large and spacious, with a weird layout -- the bathroom toilet was separate from the shower, like in far opposite corners of the room. I've never seen that before. The room was well equipped with a mini refrigerator, a microwave, a tea kettle and a Nespresso machine! These were very nice amenities, especially for a non-luxury hotel. Toiletries in the form of a multi-use body wash and shampoo in the shower were provided as were the standard teeny tiny European hotel towels. The bed was pretty comfy and soft-ish, a true compliment for a hotel bed in Europe. There was a curtain dividing the room if you needed some privacy (it reminded me of my old dorm room, lol). Free wi-fi, but an extra charge if you plan to take breakfast. We just grabbed a croissant at the train station while we waited for our (delayed) SNCF train.

After some initial probs, where they hung up on me when I asked do they speak English, I phoned…read moreagain, this time the person was v helpful and spoke English. We did have to make the beds ourselves, however it was late & very last minute. Had a family room which was very clean and really lovely. Had a curtain between kids area and parents area, which is a nice touch if you want the kids to sleep but wld like to maybe read a bit or watch some tv...nice coffee pod machine with free coffees & chocolates. Various different kinds of Organic teas. The Complementary bathroom products were really lovely too, comprising of everything you'd need (shower cap,nail file, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser & facial moisturiser. All care products are Fairtrade. We had breakfast - it was a delicious buffet. Definitely recommend the Novotel suites! One of the nicer places we've stayed at for sure.

An utter disaster, in every imaginable way…read more In their smallest defense, Our party is unusually large; we number upwards of seventy, musicians, performers and supprt/tech staff. Also, we tend to stay a bit longer than the average business traveler - in this case, we stayed one week. None of this comes as a surprise to the hotel, however; they knew we were coming at least a month in advance. Wifi. Advertised as free, in fact virtually non-existent. When complaints were lodged, we were met with "nothing to be done" shrugs, vague mention of some phantom technician who would be coming. Nothing changed. Other hotels were able to accommodate our number without difficulty; for a hotel that claims to be "top drawer", they need to figure out their connectivity issues. Hot water. Wasn't any. If you're a fan of the hot water like I am, find another hotel. The breakfast buffet. If the staff put 1/2 as much relish into solving problems as they do into saying "non", or "c'est impossible", this place would be awesome in no time. As it is, it's a NIGHTMARE - the advertised end time for the buffet is 10 a.m. It was not uncommon to see the staff gleefully stripping the buffet of everything but the empty chafing dishes by 9:40. Not that there was ever much in the chafing dishes to begin with: chalky, sloppy "scrambled eggs", pale, rubbery sausage links - toast and cereal. There was supposed to be fresh fruit salad, but that was usually gone by 8:30. And nothing was EVER replenished. So, if you showed up at 9:30, you were lucky to receive toast. You really need to find somewhere else to stay if you are going to be in Roubaix. Don't say you weren't warned. Minus 2 stars.

Friendly check in staff. Hot water. No wash clothes (not a French thing). Comfy bed. WiFi seems…read moreto be working fine at 7pm on my first night of the week. Will update review again when I leave!

Location is great! Next to the city center and also 3 minutes to the metro…read more Service and reception were really great and helpful. The room is comfortable and for the price is really good deal.