Mill Road Tours

We checked into Novotel as we need our kids to get a good night sleep in the middle of our journey. We checked into Novotel at 3pm to find that the sofa bed had not need made and there was no linen for us to make it up. Between 3pm and 11pm we asked 7 times for them to make up the bed, each time promised by them that it would be done shortly. In the end our children fell asleep and they had to make up the bed for the adult around the children. The hotel reception was small and therefore check-in queues were long and when needing to contact the reception, there weren’t any telephones in the room to call down so it was either call the mainline from our mobiles or join the check-in queue. The amenities were basic. Shampoo and shower gel. No conditioner and a weak hairdryer. A small kettle in the room was fine, except for the fact that the tap in the sink was so close to the sink basin that you couldn’t fill it up properly. The rooms were quiet with good blackout. Would I choose to stay in a Novotel again? Absolutely not.

This is a supposedly high end hotel charging an exorbitant amount of money on the basis of its riverside location but failing to deliver on the basics such as cleanliness, maintenance and managerial oversight. We arrived 18 minutes before the stated check in time of 1500; on asking if the room was ready a very loud receptionist informed me in no uncertain terms that check in was at 1500. I suggested we did the paperwork by which time it was 12 minutes before check in but she would not budge on releasing the room. A small issue, but the manner in which it was dealt with was borderline intimidating; not a great start. We then made it to the room to discover: two "proper" tea bags for two people for 24 hours - the remainder all flavoured novelty teas - and two tubs of milk. These were both topped up on request but honestly, at over £230 for the night this really was poor. Fast forward to my first visit to the loo: no brush which always irritates me and usually means me having to use my hand and some loo paper if I don't want to leave a dirty bowl for my wife to discover later. And then - on lifting the seat - dark brown liquid stains that appeared to be rust oozing from the hinges. Needless to say, I called this in at reception where I was dealt with by a much less intimidating receptionist and the bathroom was recleaned while we went out and in answer to my request for compensation for this episode they waived the parking fee for our stay.