We booked a room in this hotel for 10 days. We were attracted to it by its French rating (4 stars), its proximity to transportation, the pool and the price offered via Expedia.
THE STAFF: Everyone at the front desk staff was extremely helpful. For example, Alexandra went out of her way to get us an affordable room for a one-night side trip to Amsterdam. Our attempts were interrupted by a credit card authorization hitch. But, she finished the job with a smile even though Novotel had no vacancies in Amsterdam. They also provided an excellent shaving kit and electrical plug adapters for no extra charge. All four of the people that helped us were patient, thoughtful and spoke English very well.
THE ROOM: very clean with a modern decor. The sheets were crisp and cotton. complementary terry cloth bathrobes were provided. The bathroom shower had a glass wall making the room seem bigger while providing a good view of your honey from the bed. There was no pay-per-view, but we didn't go to Paris to watch movies. You can't open the window, but the fan is reasonably quiet.
LOCATION: the immediate surroundings of the hotel are not attractive. But, the proximity to Gare de Leon made it very easy to get to Charles de Gaul airport for an early morning flight: just had to catch the RER D train and transfer to to B at Gare du Nord. We also found the one of our favorite neighborhoods: the Asian section near the Pyramids Metro station was just a couple of stops away on the very fast Metro 14 line.
THE POOL: a few things didn't work as they should in the men"s locker room: the dead bolt on the toilet stall was frozen closed so that the door couldn't be closed. The dual toilet flush buttons did not activate unless you pushed them both down and held them. The sliding shower door would not stay shut. The hand rail for the steps at the deep end of the pool was loose at its base. If it weren't for the malfunctioning hardware around the pool, I'd have given this Novotel 5 stars. The water was clean and did not seem overly chlorinated. It's good that it is always open, because you won't want to share it with someone else's kids.
THE PRICE: excellent value. It's so easy to overpay in Paris. read more