Strasbourg, France
2 Nights: Thursday November 24th to Saturday November 26th
(Pricing, availability, and amenities subject to change. The author did not receive compensation for this review.)
Overall: 5/10
On a recent trip to Strasbourg, France I decided to stay at Accor Hotel's Novotel brand Strasbourg Centre Halles. The requirements for my stay in Strasbourg was that the hotel be close to the train station, within walking distance of Strasbourg's main attractions, and be affordable. This hotel hit all of those requirements but let me down in other areas, both in and out of their control.
Novotel Strasbourg Centre Halles is co-located with Accor Hotel's Ibis Strasbourg Centre Halles, although at the time both hotels had separate check-in and breakfast areas. The hotel was perfectly located for everything you need to see and do in Strasbourg. It is also conveniently attached to a local shopping mall, containing a full sized grocery store, plenty of food options, and retail stores.
Typically when researching lodging options, I advise clients to look at the immediate area surrounding the hotel to ensure that there are not any outside influences that might effect their stay. Sadly I did not follow my own advice for the Novotel. Right outside the front of their hotel is an nightclub that is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 11PM to 6AM and from my front facing room on the 4th floor I could hear not only the music but the groups of patrons talking outside the club. This obviously isn't something that the hotel can control, but it would make me second guess another stay here unless I was assured a room on the other side of the hotel.
Booking: 8/10
Booking was conducted via the the Accor Hotel's website www.all.accor.com which after using their search function, will bring you to a list of hotels for the area searched. For this stay I booked the Classic Room - 1 Double Bed and 1 Double Sofa Bed (25 square meters / 269 square feet) Flexible Rate. Booking options range from Non Refundable and Flexible with or without breakfast. Cost for this stay was as follows:
Nightly Rate: 169.88 EURO (179.35 USD, 146.49 GBP)
Total Cost: 339.76 EURO (358.70 USD, 292. 98 GBP)
Check-In: 10/10
Check-in was a breeze. Just after entering the main entrance to the hotel (second entrance is in the mall) you are met with a nice modern check-in area. Check-in time was noted as 3PM and when I arrived at 1230 my booked room was not ready. However, staff checked me into an executive room which is the exact same size as the Classic Room with a single sofa bed vice the double of the Classic Room.
Room: 4/10
The hotel's website depict clean and modern rooms and while they correctly represent these rooms, the rooms themselves are tired and are probably in need of a refresh. Permanent looking stains were noted throughout the carpet and on the walls. Upon entering the room, you are met with a "Your room is cleaned and disinfected" door hanger on the corner of your bed. This might just be there to make you feel better, because things like a dirty bed skirt and balled up paper towel behind the bed made for a bad first impression. The separate toilet room and shower area were clean.
A safe and refrigerator were present and clean. A kettle along with complimentary water, coffee and tea were also available. A wall mounted blow dryer can be found in the sink area, while obtaining an Iron/Ironing Board was an easy call down to the front desk.
Minus the cleanliness concerns, the bed and couch were comfortable. Desk space was adequate for those looking to do some in-room remote work.
Bathroom: 6/10
The bathroom consisted of two separate rooms. One for the toilet and the other for the sink/shower area. The shower consisted of a a stand-up shower (no bathtub) with pump-style soap located in the sink and shower area.
Dining: 6/10
In-hotel dining was good. The hotel has a restaurant/bar that doubles as the breakfast area in the morning and then a typical restaurant with seated service in the afternoon and evening. Dinner/Bar service was not reviewed.
Breakfast is included with certain bookings or can be charged to your room the day of. Breakfast offerings were in-line with your standard English and European offerings to include hot food(eggs, bacon, sausage etc) and cold food(meats, cheese, breads, pastries and yogurt) Two automated coffee machines complimented a number of fresh juice and water options.
Fitness Center: 6/10
The hotel did not have it's own dedicated fitness center, however staying at the hotel provides you access to a commercial gym called Keep Cool which is a block away. Overall the gym itself was fine, I am giving it a bit of a lower score just because of the inconvenience of having to leave the hotel to use it. https://www.keepcool.fr/s/salle-de-sport-strasbourg-les-halles
Location: 6/10
Located in Covent Garden, the hotel is within walking distance to most theaters and is a few blocks away from Trafalgar Square or the British Museum. A wide range of restaurants, cafes, and even a few convenience stores are available right outside the hotel's doorstep. A bus stop is also located in front of the hotel and if a waiting taxi wasn't available, typically one was available within 10 minutes once ordered. Covent Garden and Temple tube stations are the closest stations within walking distance. Some typical distances are:
Strasbourg Gare Central: 10 minute walk
La Petite France: 10 minute walk
Notre Dame Cathedral of Strasbourg: 12 minute walk
Place Kleber: 7 minute walk
Final Thoughts
I would describe my stay at the Novotel Strasbourg Les Halles, as mediocre. Overall it wasn't horrible but wasn't great either. The staff was lovely and general amenities were good but the overall cleanliness and tiredness of the room were not good. The close proximity to most of Strasbourg's must see locations was almost perfect, although the "doorstep" nightclub would make me think twice about booking here again.
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