Review: Novotel London Euston
I’ve just posted my review of my night’s stay in the Novotel London Euston, an AA four star hotel, to TripAdvisor. The review hasn’t been published yet, but you can read it here.
Design and Decor
The design of the rooms at the Novotel London Euston is smart and business like. Lots of reds and creams with dark wood furniture makes the room feel cosy and warm. The lighting isn’t that great and areas of the room can be dingy at night, even with all the lights on. The bathroom is, by contrast, much colder in feel. Both the door and the sink are glass and opaque and the main wall on the bathroom is covered by a mirror. I viewed three rooms, and while all are of varying sizes, they are all pretty similar and very clean. The hotel entrance, reception and restaurant is very modern, clean and attractive.
Location
The hotel is a 5 minute walk from Euston station to the west and Kings Cross St Pancras to the east. Both stations are major national rail and underground stations. The hotel itself is right on the Euston Road which is very busy pretty much all day. If you’re a light sleeper, you will definitely want a room at the back of the hotel (even if you’re not, I’d advise a room at the back anyway). The general area where the hotel is situated is fairly safe at all times, although exercise caution at night as you would normally around any major city train station. A red light district is apparently only a few blocks away, so probably best not to go wandering around. The immediate area around the hotel though is perfectly nice. If it’s good enough for the British Library just across the road from the hotel, it should be good enough for you.
The Room
Of the three rooms I saw, one was fairly small while the others were fairly large. In the room I chose, there was masses of cupboard space, a firm, comfortable king-sized bed, a desk, a flat-screen TV with accompanying wireless keyboard for internet access and a connection for an MP3 player, a chair and table and a mini bar filled with (expensive) drinks and snacks. In the bathroom, you’ll find the toilet, sink and bath tub (obviously). The tub is average in size and there’s two shower nozzles available for some reason.
Amenities
There two phones in the room, one on the desk, the other next to the toilet (not kidding). There’s tea and coffee making facilities, although the kettle is stored in an odd place and you have to hunt for an available electrical socket in order to use it. The TV has a miserable selection of channels although it does offer channels in French, German and Spanish. I’m sure the lame selection is to encourage you to watch the pay-per-view films on offer. There’s also a hairdryer (in the cupboard) plus an ironing board and trouser press. (These amenities may vary from room to room).
Service
I wasn’t happy with the noise level in the first room (traffic, lift motor and people in neighbouring room through adjoining door), so after spending four hours in that room, I decided to move. The second room was small and the window didn’t shut properly so it was even noisier, so I asked to move again. As every Brit does when they explain they’re not happy with something, I felt pretty embarrassed, but felt, because I was paying a lot of money, that I should go through with the moves. The staff at the desk dealt with my polite complaint efficiently and without fuss. At one point, three staff members were crowded around the computer screen trying to locate a good room. One assured me it was no bother and absolutely fine. Thumbs up for the service then.
Conclusion
The Novotel London Euston is a good hotel in a good location. While I wasn’t happy with two of the rooms due to noise, the third was fine and suited my needs. Would I recommend this hotel to you? Sure. It’s not the best hotel in London, but it could be a great deal worse.
To see images of the hotel room, go to the Wimbledon 2007 set on Flickr and select from the images.
