My family and I booked two rooms and stayed here for one night after. The first Thing that struck me with this hotel was the friendliness of staff. The woman who helped us at the front desk was smiling, kind, and incredibly helpful as we asked questions. Later, when I came down and talked with a gentleman about getting some amenities to help my wife who is in a wheelchair, he was more than accommodating and even offered to change our rooms if that would be more convenient. The rooms were clean and well lit, spacious enough for my kids to spread out a bit compared to some of the cramped quarters we had in Amsterdam. They did have amenities like a gym with basic equipment and a restaurant, but I didn't use either, so I cannot attest to whether or not they were good quality. read more

Not bad, but not ideal. It's far from the city enter and there's just not a lot of stuff nearby. Erasmus University is very close, so it is extremely convenient if that is your primary destination. The restaurant is adequate though a bit overpriced. Breakfast was fine, but the options for other meals were not great. The AC was pretty awful -- I could never manage to get the room not to be freezing cold. The people working there were all pleasant and easy to deal with. read more

Novotel Brainpark is a perfectly fine hotel to stay in if you are in the Rotterdam area, but there are a few things you should know first before deciding if it is for you. 1) At the time of this review, November 2013, there is construction on the opposite corner of the street that is EXTREMELY loud. We were originally in a room that faced that way, and it was almost unbearable. We considered changing hotels. The front desk was also very angry about it, stating they had called several times about it but there was nothing that could be done. The noise starts no later that 0730 every morning. If you leave the hotel by then, it's a non-issue. However, if your plan was to sleep in, please be advised that you will NOT be able to sleep through this noise. It is so loud, it literally shook our bed. The following week, we asked for a room further away, and we were changed to the 16th floor on the opposite side of the hotel, facing the soccer fields. This, for the most part, remedied the problem. 2) The restaurant is called URBN, and while the food is good, it is VERY expensive. A club sandwich with fries will cost you 14 euros. An entree size salad is 15-17 euros and is not enough for dinner by itself. Salad portions are small. A fish or meat entree will run you 17-29 euros. I mention this because other than this restaurant, there is nothing within walking distance of this hotel, with the exception of a small food stand (Turkish, shawarma, deep fried snacks) that is open from 9a-7p. We ended up going to Albert Heijn for groceries to avoid spending $100 a for two meals a day. 3 days worth of breakfast and sandwich making supplies cost me 18 euro. 3) This hotel is outside of the heart of Rotterdam and when I say there is nothing in walking distance, I mean it. There's the Turkish stand, the university pub for students, and the saving grace of it all - The Kralingsen Zoom metro station. This station is an 8 minute walk down an easy path from Novotel. You must figure out how to put money on a metro card before riding, but once you have done that, it is extremely easy to navigate and a quick 5 stops to the center of town. Room are nicely appointed with a small refrigerator, a double bed with one mattress instead of the typical two pushed together, a desk, free wifi, TV, and a shower with bathtub that is actually clean and comfortable. I felt the staff here, from the front desk, to the restaurant, to the housekeeping was very friendly and responsive. They all go above and beyond to make your stay nice. Although my husband speaks Dutch, the staff was never hesitant to speak English with me. The fitness center is on the top floor and has spectacular views of downtown Rotterdam, but in terms of equipment, it's pretty basic. It has one elliptical, one treadmill, two stationary bikes, and a weight machine. No free weights. No water machine. Two TVs. Basic, but adequate, and never busy. Parking is free (HUGE perk since most other hotels were 27-30 euros per day) and is behind the hotel outside. The only drawback is having to have your card validated by the front desk every time before you leave. It there is a line, you might wait 15-20 minutes just to be on your way. Would I stay here again? Yes, especially now that I've figure out how to use the metro. Would I stay here again if I didn't want to figure out public transportation? No. All things considered, though, this is a budget friendly, clean and decent spot to rest your head. read more

Novotel Rotterdam Brainpark - Lobby - Modern European Near Me - Rotterdam, ZH

Area where you arrive is nice, restaurant and bar too! If you get into the rooms you wonder if this hotel really has 4 stars, very functional which is not bad but I expected something different from pictures and 4 stars on the profile. Maybe they got it because of the food, this is actually very very nice!!! The staff is also great. There are no little things in the bathroom besides of shower gel and hand wash. That's it! Loads of plastic also! The rooms have a mini bar with water - that's it. Also the door is in the middle of the room and the position of furniture and bed doesn't make any sense! Everything very gray too. All in all I'd say I have been in better 3 stars hotel and they should improve! read more

Novotel Rotterdam Brainpark - Lunch Time! - Modern European Near Me - Rotterdam, ZH

See all

Pleasant experience for my first three nights in Rotterdam. Booked online through expedia and was priced super competitively. Going to erasmus, this was located right across the street which was very convenient. Check in process was super smooth, asked for a deposit and that was the end of check in. The front desk attendant explained how to use the elevator and get to the room. I liked how you need your key to get to the floor that you are on. The room itself was great. It was the only place in the city that I saw that had sleeping arrangements for 4. There was a double bed and a double bed pull out. If you have kids, this would work out great especially for the price. Put the bed away during the day was super easy and you can just pull out one part of the bed if you want to. Only complaint is wish there was more outlets! Check out was smooth process, collected a few dollars in taxes counted against my deposit, and that was it! Would stay here again if in the Erasmus area. read more

To start off the hotel's facade is nice, but don't judge a book by its cover. The middle eastern front desk person is very nice. Patrick in the bar is also very nice. Issues were that the minibar that was included was not refilled, and I had to go downstairs a few times to ask them to refill it. Used towels were not removed by the housekeeping. Room wasn't vacuumed a few times during our stay. I even spoke with the GM, Thea and all she kept saying is that she's sorry and will look into it. Nothing was really done. Suggestion is to possibly look into a different hotel before considering Novotel Rotterdam Brainpark. read more

This hotel is the worst. The noise level is unreal when the bar fills with biz school students several times a week. The service is terrible: requests for a laundry bag ignored, bartender looks at you, shrugs and then ignores you, lousy service in the restaurant where the food is canteen quality. The rooms are sealed prison cells. The location is distant from any activity other than the local school or office buildings, so a totally dead neighborhood after 6pm. Euro 20 cab ride to the city center and some life. You can do much better elsewhere. Even free (someone else was paying my bill) it wasn't worth it. I found another hotel and moved asap. To be avoided all costs. read more

Stayed here several times with our family. Very close location to Erasmus university. However, public transport is an issue, as location is quite far off the city centre. Nearest possible public transports could be tram in Erasmus Uni or Oude Plantage, metro in Kralingse Zoom or the bus nearby that can take you to the Kralingse Zoom metro station. Rooms are pretty much descent, and hotel is kept clean all the time. Wifi is good, and the printer downstairs helped so much when our family stay over before uni starts. read more

Yikes. Air conditioning didn't work. Restaurant only average. Not really a great place to stay. Isolated from town center. Bad choice for me read more