Property: Novotel Melbourne Central
Status: Accor+ Platinum
Room booked: Superior room
Room upgraded/type: No, although deluxe rooms (next category up) were still on sale for my dates
Rate: $192.5, Accor+ non-refundable
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast: Yes
Early check in/late out: didn't require early check-in. Late check-out granted till 2pm.
Welcome drink: Yes, selection of mixers, house beer, house wine.
Welcome gift: Socks, a $20 bottle of red, a chocolate bar, and a bottle of water
Recommended: Yes, but price-dependent. Location is excellent and hard product is very solid, but other Accor hotels are better at the $250+ price range.
Well, I’m currently 4/4 at getting denied upgrades in AU since achieving plat. Let’s see if I can keep this streak up
The hotel itself occupies the same building as the ibis - the Novotel rooms are on the higher floors and have a different set of lifts.
The hard product is excellent, especially if you can get the room for <$200 a night. Location is equally great, 5 minutes from Melbourne Central station.
The bed was nice, but it’s one of those “twin combined into king” beds. The line in the middle is quite pronounced, so you essentially have to sleep on both sides of the bed.
Some pictures of the room:
The bathroom has an external sink, and it’s a bit cramped for 2 people. Shower pressure was good.
Amenities are not pre-supplied in the room, but are available upon request. It took housekeeping 30 minutes to deliver a vanity kit, and another 30 to deliver a dental kit and slippers.
The welcome gift was nicer than average, but the hotel emailed me 2 days before to ask for my preference of still or sparkling water. I asked for sparkling, and was given still.
The staff were very friendly, but I feel like they could be better trained. The first receptionist I called for amenities did not know if they even had vanity kits. And as I mentioned above, 1 hour to deliver some amenities is a bit much.
Breakfast was alright, but nowhere near worth the asking rate of $38. It was a standard continental buffet, with an extra charge for barista coffee.
Would I stay here again? Probably, as the location is really good for a short stay. Depending on the price though, there are other Accor options in the CBD that may be more worthwhile. For example, this is at most $50 better than the Ibis in the same building. The Pullman City Centre also has a better breakfast for Platinums, and nicer rooms - if they were within $50 of each other, I’d take the Pullman (although the service at this Novotel is miles better).
