Wicked!** Our Novotel Hotel room (London, Hammersmith)
Written: Jun 26 '05 (Updated Jun 26 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good location, clean rooms; worked for our first and second night in London!
Cons: Air-conditioner dripping, but that could be repaired.
The Bottom Line: I chose "Adventure Travel" as my recommendation, because we stayed here while on our vacation adventure!
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| gaelkm's Full Review: Novotel London West |
We arrived in London on May 26th , very tired from a long flight and ready to rest. Since we were with a group on a tour, all of our luggage was put into a locked holding area, while we were checked in. This entire process did not take very long. Although it was just around noon (to us, still on California time, it was middle of the night), we were able to get to our rooms rather quickly. We were all grateful as we took the elevator up to the third floor, walked down the interior hall and opened up the doors to our rooms (Rooms 3040 & 3043).
Our room, upon first view, seemed a bit sparse, but rather it was roomy with the idea that "less is more". The furniture was quite simple and modern with clean lines. We had a long white countertop/desk combination, which was built low to the floor. There were three drawers in the countertop. Two desk chairs were situated near the desk. We finally found the hairdryer which was located inside the top desk drawer.
A coffee machine, teabags, instant coffee, sugar, cream and cookies were placed on one end of the long counter. We had glass mugs, not plastic cups, which was a lovely, unexpected surprise. Above the coffee service was a medium-sized mirror. There was just one framed picture on the wall, rather nondescript, a blending of colors. We also had an iron and ironing board in the closet. Surprisingly, on the day we arrived in London, it was very hot, almost 100 degrees, very unusual. We cranked on the air conditioning in our room, which didn't work too well and leaked a puddle onto the carpeting as we discovered. We put a folded towel down to soak up the drips and notified housekeeping of the leak.
We had a "typical" Novotel room, which is one bed is made up to look like a couch, but by simply removing the cushions, the disguise comes off, and it is a twin bed. The other bed in our room was an undisguised double bed. The carpeting was a simple orange and blue speckled pattern. The bedspreads were a light blue and orange pastel pattern which basically matched the carpeting. The curtains were long and went to the floor although the window was small. They kept all light out of the room. The window was a double-paned type that completely cut all traffic noise out, which was great, since we overlooked a highway. At first I thought there was no clock, until I noticed that it was built into the television. (I asked for, and received a wake-up call promptly at 6:15 am.)
The bathroom was a decent size and the tub came equipped with a removable hand held showerhead and liquid soap and shampoo. No wash cloths were provided, but the towels were extra-large and fluffy.
The hotel's lobby was more than spacious and had a wide open feeling with enormous windows large potted plants and nice-looking chair groupings. There is a small gift shop off to one side. I tried to contact the lady at the concierge desk when I had some general questions, but since she was very busy with other guests, I finally walked away. I finally had my questions answered by a very helpful young man (from Iceland) who worked at the registration desk. I had asked him to give us some information about shopping which was within walking distance and he definitely helped us figure our way around. Indeed, whenever I approached an employee, they stopped immediately whatever they were doing and addressed me courteously.
We enjoyed two mornings with "full English breakfasts" at the Novotel. This included, two types of eggs, three types of potatoes, two types of sausage, fried tomatoes, beans, mushrooms, cereals, toast, muffins and all the trimmings.
(On the day we left, a huge Indian wedding with many colorfully-garbed guests walking about the lobby.)
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Novotel London, Hammersmith
Telephone: +44 (0)20 8741 1555
Fax: +44 (0)20 8741 2120
Hammersmith International Centre 1 Shortlands London, W6 8DR
RATES: Single from £145.00 Double from £165.00.
LOCATION:
Direct access to the M4 motorway; 3 minutes away from Hammersmith Underground Station.
DISTANCES TO:
Heathrow Airport - 12 miles
Gatwick Airport - 50 miles
This is not a Motel 6 review, but guess what? Novotel Hotels are owned by ACCOR, the same outfit that owns Motel 6 and Red Roof Inns. There are 412 Novotel Hotels and Resorts in 56 countries.
BACKGROUND: The first Novotel Hotel opened in France in 1967. Accor co-founders were Paul Dubrule and Gérard Pelisson. Their idea was simply to "provide modern, comfortable accommodations coupled with restaurants, work and recreational facilities, and parking."
**As two young British women entered the hotel room next to ours, I heard one call to the other, "How's the room?" The first answered "Wicked!" The second responded, "Smashing!"
~Thanks for reading~
© gkm.
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Recommended:
Yes
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