Jonathan Q.
Google
Despite being a Diamond member and staying for a month at this property, I experienced a complete lack of recognition and service, which is unacceptable for a four-star establishment like Novotel.
1. Failure to Recognize Loyalty and Provide Promised Amenities
Upon arrival, I was not greeted as a Diamond member, and my room was not prepared accordingly. There were no welcome amenities nor the Diamond member welcome gift. While I understand that oversights can happen, I had to repeatedly request these items every single day. Even after five days, I still had not received the fruit plate or the Rituals amenities that were promised.
To make matters worse, on my last day, when I followed up once again, a front desk staff member falsely claimed that the items had been delivered to my room the day before. Surprised, I immediately returned to my room to check, but there was nothing. Upon confronting the front desk again, the staff member changed the story, stating that the cleaning staff removed the fruit plate because it had supposedly perished. However, this explanation makes no sense because I had placed a ‘Do Not Clean’ sign on my door the entire time, meaning no staff would have entered my room in the first place (easy to check as the “Do not clean” sign are recorded by the cleaning staff as they give an extra 100pts per night).
Even more frustrating was the insinuation that I had received the welcome gift and fruit plate but was pretending otherwise (maybe to get another one for free?!). This accusation of dishonesty is completely unacceptable, especially after I had been requesting these items for days. I am hereby requesting that the hotel verify the door lock logs and security cameras to confirm that no one ever entered my room with these items. Furthermore, I strongly suggest staff training to ensure that guests are not falsely accused due to internal service failures.
2. Poor Communication from the Front Desk
On another occasion, I inquired at the front desk about the possibility of checking out one day early due to an early flight the following morning, as I wanted to stay closer to the airport. The staff assured me they would check and call me back—but I never received a response. This level of service is far below expectations.
3. Unacceptable Restaurant Experience
One evening, I visited the hotel restaurant for dinner. A large group of about 15 people was dining at the same time. After placing my order, the waitress returned to inform me that due to the large group, my meal would take approximately 30 minutes to be prepared. While I understand kitchen delays, it is standard hospitality practice to prioritize solo diners to avoid unnecessary waiting, especially when large groups can continue their conversations without noticing slight delays.
I decided to wait, and the waitress kindly brought me some bread and butter as a gesture of goodwill. However, when I attempted to spread the butter, it was so cold and hard that it was inedible. At that point, I had had enough and canceled my order, leaving the restaurant. Since it was a Monday evening and most nearby restaurants were closed, I had no choice but to order UberEat food delivery instead.
What makes this situation even more surprising is that my order was a bulgur salad—a cold dish that requires minimal preparation. There was absolutely no reason why it should have taken 30 minutes to prepare, nor why it should have disrupted the kitchen’s service for the large group. This demonstrates either a lack of organization in the restaurant or an unjustified prioritization of a large group over an individual guest.
Final Thoughts
I acknowledge that I am an exigent guest, but these complaints are not about luxury expectations—they are about basic service standards that should be upheld even in a two-star hotel, let alone a four-star Novotel.
As a loyal Accor customer, this past week has undoubtedly been the worst experience I have had at any of Accor properties. Given the repeated failures in service, I strongly urge a review of your procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
