How does Accor treat you as an Elite guest?

[Daver6]

Yeah, I did try to make the argument but they weren't having it. I couldn't be bothered persisting as I was on a work trip and can expense breakfast, so figured I would just expense the $5.



The windows faced an internal courtyard which wasn't a thoroughfare so it wasn't a problem at all, for this particular room.



Yeah, it is unfortunately. The nearby Novotel earn is better, and the price is about the same, but the room and amenities quality is a good 1-1.5 stars worse. The Sebel Civic was my go-to previously, but their on-site restaurant closed down and the new breakfast offering is rubbish. I think I have posted in this thread for both of these in the last year or two. The other reason I stayed at Peppers this time was that I had a car, and overnight street parking in much easier to find around Acton. It's a royal PITA near the Novotel & Sebel.

I keep staying at the Novotel. Location is great but rooms are average and breakfast abysmal. Your room looked pretty decent. What's the gym like, if there is one?

 

[sudoer]

What's the gym like, if there is one?

I didn't check it out, according to the website it exists but is currently unavailable

Features - Peppers Gallery Hotel

 

[Daver6]

Anyone had a recent experience at the Novotel Paddington (London)?

 

[SeaWolf]

Anyone had a recent experience at the Novotel Paddington (London)?

Yes, I stayed one night there last year. I'd been up in Liverpool and was flying out of London the next morning, so I took the train down and stayed the night there. I'd describe it as clean and functional, but a bit dated. The room was adequate, if a bit on the small side. Good breakfast in the morning and it's in a very handy location for transits, with easy access to Paddington station and trains to Heathrow. Getting to Gatwick (Elizabeth Line and change to Thameslink) or London City Airport (Circle line and change to DLR) is simple as well. I didn't get a chance to check out the other facilities in the hotel but it does have a pool, which is rare for London.

I'd say it's perfectly fine for overnight stays, but if you were staying longer you might want to check out some of the other options (Novotel Tower Bridge is quite good) or even consider outside of Accor. Last time I was in London I stayed at the Tower Suites by Blue Orchid Hotels. It was the same price as the Novotel, but much nicer.

 

[Daver6]

Yes, I stayed one night there last year. I'd been up in Liverpool and was flying out of London the next morning, so I took the train down and stayed the night there. I'd describe it as clean and functional, but a bit dated. The room was adequate, if a bit on the small side. Good breakfast in the morning and it's in a very handy location for transits, with easy access to Paddington station and trains to Heathrow. Getting to Gatwick (Elizabeth Line and change to Thameslink) or London City Airport (Circle line and change to DLR) is simple as well. I didn't get a chance to check out the other facilities in the hotel but it does have a pool, which is rare for London.

I'd say it's perfectly fine for overnight stays, but if you were staying longer you might want to check out some of the other options (Novotel Tower Bridge is quite good) or even consider outside of Accor. Last time I was in London I stayed at the Tower Suites by Blue Orchid Hotels. It was the same price as the Novotel, but much nicer.

Thanks for the info @SeaWolf

I've heard there have been or on going renovations. I need to stay 5, maybe 6 nights there as our office is right next to the station. I've previously stayed at the Hilton Paddington (and booked there again but can cancel) which is brilliant due to proximity to the office. However, dropped to gold with hilton and platinum with ALL. Staying away from Paddington isn't really an option.

The Hilton isn't anything special but rooms were at least not pokey. There's a couple of Mecure hotels nearby too, but the rooms there look tiny!

 

[SeaWolf]

There's a couple of Mecure hotels nearby too, but the rooms there look tiny!

That's generally been my experience with Mecure, though I haven't stayed at any of the ones in London. If your work travel policy allows for it though, you could perhaps look to book a room higher than the base type at one of the Mecure hotels. I've found that can sometimes work quite well, booking at a lower brand hotel, but booking a higher tier room type.

 

[Daver6]

That's generally been my experience with Mecure, though I haven't stayed at any of the ones in London. If your work travel policy allows for it though, you could perhaps look to book a room higher than the base type at one of the Mecure hotels. I've found that can sometimes work quite well, booking at a lower brand hotel, but booking a higher tier room type.

I did consider that. However, even the largest rooms are still pretty small. Mercue Hyde Park for example coming in at a whopping 24 square metres.

I've never really been sure where Mercure vs Novotel fit in with the Accor rankings. What's the difference between those two brands?

 

[oz_mark]

I did consider that. However, even the largest rooms are still pretty small. Mercue Hyde Park for example coming in at a whopping 24 square metres.

I've never really been sure where Mercure vs Novotel fit in with the Accor rankings. What's the difference between those two brands?

While the distinction is a bit blurry, Novotels tend to be more standard in their offering. Mercures are more variable in decor, style, and so on.

 

[SeaWolf]

I did consider that. However, even the largest rooms are still pretty small. Mercue Hyde Park for example coming in at a whopping 24 square metres.

I've never really been sure where Mercure vs Novotel fit in with the Accor rankings. What's the difference between those two brands?

I've generally had the impression that the Novotels sit a little higher than Mecure (but below Grand Mecure). But I do think that it varies a lot depending on the age of the properties. There's two Novotels in Perth (Langley Park and Murray Street) and the difference between them is stark, with the Langley Park really needing a spruce up and the Murrary Street being quite new.

I've also found the Mecures have smaller base rooms and fewer services than the Novotels and sometimes only have one room type available (found this in Vienna and Madrid), while the Novotels will usually have a variety of types, suites available and offer more services. Sometimes there are outliers though, I stayed at the Mecure Istanbul Sirkeci and was very impressed, much larger room than I expected, very nice and good service as well.

 

[sudoer]

Agree with the assessment that Mercure is below Novotel - both in quality and price, usually - despite Accor claiming both are in their 'midscale' lineup.

It's most obvious when the two brands are operated in the same building/complex e.g. Mercure & Novotel Singapore on Stevens, Mercure & Novotel Darwin Airport Resort. The Novotel is always slightly more expensive.

 

[markis10]

Accor themselves say Mercure is a price leader in their segment and has a local flavor

https://group.accor.com/-/media/Corporate/Hotel-development/PDF-for-pages/Mercure/2020/S1/01_EN_Why-Invest-in-Mercure_Accor-Global-Development_FEB2020.pdf

While Novotel has 4 brand standards to choose from and is family oriented

03_EN Novotel Brand Presentation - Accor Hotel Development Q1 2023 - Flip eBook Pages 101-115 | AnyFlip

View flipping ebook version of 03_EN Novotel Brand Presentation - Accor Hotel Development Q1 2023 published by yourway.jsc on 2023-10-19. Interested in flipbooks about 03_EN Novotel Brand Presentation - Accor Hotel Development Q1 2023? Check more flip ebooks related to 03_EN Novotel Brand...

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There are more mecures than Novotel and more lounges in the Mecure family

 

[jase05]

Accor themselves say Mercure is a price leader in their segment and has a local flavor

https://group.accor.com/-/media/Corporate/Hotel-development/PDF-for-pages/Mercure/2020/S1/01_EN_Why-Invest-in-Mercure_Accor-Global-Development_FEB2020.pdf

While Novotel has 4 brand standards to choose from and is family oriented

03_EN Novotel Brand Presentation - Accor Hotel Development Q1 2023 - Flip eBook Pages 101-115 | AnyFlip

View flipping ebook version of 03_EN Novotel Brand Presentation - Accor Hotel Development Q1 2023 published by yourway.jsc on 2023-10-19. Interested in flipbooks about 03_EN Novotel Brand Presentation - Accor Hotel Development Q1 2023? Check more flip ebooks related to 03_EN Novotel Brand...

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There are more mecures than Novotel and more lounges in the Mecure family

I honestly can’t think of too many places that has both a Novotel and Mercure where I’d consider the Mercure superior.
I’ve tried many and found the Novotel to usually come out in front but everyone is different

 

[markis10]

I honestly can’t think of too many places that has both a Novotel and Mercure where I’d consider the Mercure superior.
I’ve tried many and found the Novotel to usually come out in front but everyone is different

I can, Singapore and Shenzhen come to mind, Mercure Doncaster vs Novotel Glen Waverley locally

 

[jase05]

I can, Singapore and Shenzhen come to mind

I’ll have to try them one day. I’m just really struggling to think of many I’ve stayed at but I’m sure there would be some

 

[pangwen]

Property: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
Status: Accor Plus Silver
Room booked: Junior Suite
Room upgraded/type: No upgrade
Rate: Accor Plus free night (with paid upgrade topup)
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast: No
Early check in/late out: Asked for late checkout (from 11am). Was offered 11:30am
Welcome drink: Yes 2 x coughtails from the restaurant
Welcome gift: Chocolates and a bottle of house wine

Overall, a pretty enjoyable stay and we would come back.

 

[Daver6]

Property: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
Status: Accor Plus Silver
Room booked: Junior Suite
Room upgraded/type: No upgrade
Rate: Accor Plus free night (with paid upgrade topup)
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast: No
Early check in/late out: Asked for late checkout (from 11am). Was offered 11:30am
Welcome drink: Yes 2 x coughtails from the restaurant
Welcome gift: Chocolates and a bottle of house wine

Overall, a pretty enjoyable stay and we would come back.

Any images of the room you can share? I love seeing real images rather than the rubbish hotel websites tend to show.

 

[pangwen]

Any images of the room you can share? I love seeing real images rather than the rubbish hotel websites tend to show.

Ah yep - I knew I was forgetting something! Apologies for the poor angles, I was pretty tired when I got in.

 

[CaptainCurtis]

Property: Sofitel New York City
Status: Accor Gold
Room booked: Queen Superior Room
Room upgraded/type: Queen Superior Room
Rate: Warm Winter Stays, Save 15%
Free internet: Yes
Free Breakfast: No
Early check in/late out: 11:45am checkout requested and granted (standard checkout 11am)
Welcome drink: Yes, x1 in app, redeemable for any drink in the bar, including coughtails
Welcome gift: None

Many issues with this stay unfortunately. Firstly, the rate I booked was a 'pay at hotel' rate and came to around A$425 per night, However, I redeemed around 18,000 points at the time of booking, worth around A$600, and bringing the nightly cost down to A$275 which is decent for NYC. Upon boarding my flight back to Austin, I checked the printed folio and noticed the hotel had charged me the full amount. Note that the points were deducted from my account at the time of booking. No biggie I thought, I emailed the hotel and thought nothing of it. Two days later, I emailed the hotel, including the concierge, front desk and reservation email addresses. No response for another two days. I emailed all of these folks again, including the GM. After another day without response, I raised a credit card chargeback. The overcharge was subsequently reversed within 24 hours. I received no response from any emails that I had sent. The refund was simply processed, without letting me know or apologising.

With that out of the way, let's cover the basics. The hotel is brilliantly located in Midtown Manhattan between 5th and 6th streets. Short walks to Times Square, Broadway, Central Park and Grand Central Terminal. The hotel and rooms are dated, but there is supposedly a major renovation underway that is scheduled to be complete by end of year. I did not receive a room upgrade, nor a welcome amenity. A drink voucher was provided in app, which surprisingly could be redeemed for any drink, including coughtails. Nice.

The room I was provided was large, although dated. I didn't get any pictures unfortunately. On the first night, I experienced significant noise issues - a ticking/rattling noise due to one of the elevators, AC or water pipes. I let the front desk know in the morning, their response being "it's a known issue, but most guests don't have an issue with it". So much for French hospitality. I was allowed to change rooms, this time moving up to the 24th floor from the 18th. The noise issues persisted overnight. The room was also around half the size of the original room. Not nice.

I ended up completing the standard feedback form, posted a review to Google and also sent a more detailed complaint to the GM. This morning I had the 'Assistant Director to the Front Office' respond, apologising for the failures and noting that they are taking "immediate steps" to ensure welcome amenities and room upgrades are provided going forward. Yeah right. I was told I would be credited with 5,000 ALL points, and that I was invited to return for a complimentary suite upgrade on a future stay. I will likely take them up on this once the renovations are complete, although that will depend on the rack rates of the standard rooms at the time.