Tabitha H.
Yelp
(Disclaimer: I give two stars and lower to businesses I would never willingly return to)
I stayed at Novotel Lugano Paradiso for two nights recently. Given that Novotel is a 4 star hotel, I am disappointed by my stay. This is also the second Novotel hotel I can recall staying at in Europe.
Let's start with the good:
For two people, there's a lot of floor space to put luggage. There's also a lot of counter space in the bathroom. Our room had a mini fridge, a safe, and a small tea/coffee/hot water set. I liked how they provided bathrobes and slippers that you can take home.
There's also a cool-looking swimming pool (that was never open during my stay, but maybe it's the season) and a fitness room. Wifi was included with the stay and is surprisingly fast.
The breakfast buffet had a decent selection, but they didn't have just a simple cup of coffee. They do have a Nespresso though that makes tiny espresso shots.
This hotel's location is also not bad! It's a 20 min walk from the old town or a short 6 min bus ride away. They also provide free bus passes with your stay. When you exit, you're also very close to the lake.
The bad. Where to start?
Sometimes I hate staying in slightly "better" hotels because they seem to start nickel-and-diming you. Also for a hotel so close to Italy, the lack of EU plugs or USB ports to charge devices was frustrating. This was the first hotel on my trip where I was unable to charge my 2 devices overnight because I had to share one USB port with my roommate. They were selling the EU to Swiss port adapters for 15 CHF at the front desk.
Bathroom window-fogging button is strange. I will never understand why Novotel decided to put a button where I can accidentally flash my roommate mid-shower. They had one in the other Novotel hotel I stayed at too.
Reception service was also kind of frustrating. You would think a 4 star hotel would have thought through all user experiences, but apparently overlooked as something as simple as putting a sign by the tea and water downstairs. A simple sign saying that it was only for members during hotel check-in would've been very helpful. Instead, I was stopped by reception after having poured the tea to say it wasn't for normal guests.
Overall, I probably wouldn't specifically return to this Novotel or any Novotel with outlets unique to one country.