Novotel La Rochelle Centre

Beautiful setting in a park, but surrounded by high rise flats. Reception staff charming. Room lovely. Restaurant a strange curved shape, and was a bit like eating in a corridor. Food ok, but zero atmosphere.

The room was clean and large enough for two. The breakfast was good quality and plentiful. Quiet location but not the easiest to find especially as La Rochelle centre was full of road works and diversions which we though the hotel could have forewarned us about when they telephoned to confirm booking. 10 minute walk through the park into the centre which was very pleasant. Pool great and public areas clean and welcoming. The hotel needs to review the daily replacement of complimentary gels, soaps and shampoos, half used were taken away and replaced which was wasteful.

Beautiful friendly town with lots to do for tourists and locals. Very family orientated..children welcomed and catered for everywhere. The hotel wa soak in that it was friendly staffed and clean. However..the last day of our three day stay, and we weren't late for breakfast, there was no bread left for toast..minimal fruit options and various options not replaced...staff who clean upstairs frequently smoke on the fire escape with the doors to the corridor open which left me thinking people were smoking in their rooms it was that bad...there are literally 8 or 9 sun loungers and unfortunately for us a family with several children took up 4 of the 6 by the pool and one other couple must have got up at the crack of dawn to snaffle the other two beds for the whole three day stay...needless to say given the very limited space round the pool which only has a narrow space round it there was nowhere else to sunbathe or relax. The hotel really should cater for the amount of guest they have and 8 or 9 lounges is not ok for a hotel for tourists...most people end up sat in the quite uncomfortable plastic chairs which as you might imagine get very hot and also are not great for relaxing in..having said all of that it's a shame a few things let this hotel down as it's very near amenities and a lovely park across the road where they have birds and some small animals for children to see...

We booked this hotel for 3 nights as a 'stop gap' after camping for one week on the Vendee and waiting for a Tuesday flight home. The location is great - close to the centre of town (easily walkable even with toddlers in tow) and also nestled within the leafy trees of a large park. Also, a little carrefour express around the corner, which we used to grab a quick croissant in the mornings rather than paying for expensive breakfasts (we're not massive morning eaters). Good start. However, once checked in, we arrived on the 3rd floor to find our room not ready, with the cleaner still working. She made a call to reception and we were told to go back down to get a different room. At reception, there was no apology or any mention of the mistake, just a new room key. Not impressed. Generally the hotel decor seemed tired. Clean but tired. I understand a refurb is scheduled for autumn 17. On the morning of check out, I was checking my emails early for an important email about a funeral I was to attend back in the UK, when a 'fast check out' email arrived. When I opened the attached PDF I could not believe that I was going to be charged for 3 days worth of breakfasts for both adults. A total of €99 added to the bill despite us not having one single breakfast at the hotel. I couldn't rest any longer in bed and had to get up at 8am to go and speak to reception. Given that this was the final day of my holiday I was not impressed with this 'wake up' email ! To make matters worse, the receptionist just could not understand my point of view. She took the charges off but refused to sympathise with my frustration at the attempted extra charge! What if I hadn't have checked the PDF? Would the money have been taken anyway? Reception had take my card details when checking in so could have taken the funds. The receptionist was incredibly rude and repeatedly refused to agree that it was unacceptable error. She in fact said that the charges are applied to everyone's bill and then they wait to be challenged on it. Is this even allowed?! Check your final bill everyone!!!

On the face of it this Novotel is okay - but there is a lack of staff training and organisation that lets it down badly compared to other hotels in this group. The worst organised breakfast service I've had in years. It is virtually impossible for the whole family to sit down to breakfast together at the same time as the layout of the buffet makes no sense and it takes forever to assemble your food - by which time most of it is cold... including the eggs which you have to cook yourself... The staff in the breakfast room are too busy running around and dropping things to engage with their customers. At dinner time, it's best of you are not vegetarian - I received a platter of cold salad with an egg - for 17 Euro. I know that traditionally in France it can be hard to find vegetarian food but come on Accor, it's 2017! Overall I'd say there is a certain disregard for the customers here from many (not all) of the staff, a sense that families on holiday are a bit of an inconvenience. In my experience this comes from poor management and training - it is not the fault of the staff themselves. There is no sense of anyone directing operations, overseeing or managing the staff and checking on the customer experience. This is our second time staying here but next time we're in the area we'll find somewhere else.

Very well located, in the greenest area of the city and still within a walking distance from the city center, main touristic attractions, restaurants, etc. Lots of families with kids, good service, restaurant and breakfast (great Brazilian Caipirinha at the hotel bar too). If I go back to La Rochelle, I will definitely book this hotel again!

This hotel is very well placed to stroll into the centre of La Rochelle. This hotel is easy to find and has a very big secure outdoor car park. There is no need to reserve a parking space. The room was quite basic but was adequate and clean. The only downside was the breakfast service. We were halfway through our breakfast and had just got our tea and coffee then both stepped away from the table to get toast. When we got back to the table it was completely cleared away and the staff didn’t think that they had done anything wrong and offered us a new table without apologising. The breakfast staff look to be young and inexperienced and not customer focussed.

We stayed here part way on a journey from St Malo to the Dordogne. Prior to our arrival we received a courtesy call to ask what time we would be arriving so they could ensure our room would be ready, a lovely thought. Finding the hotel was a nightmare as all the port roads were closed and lots more shut for resurfacing. Once we were there things couldn't have been easier. Checking was swift and the rooms were clean with air con - which was very welcome. Our family room had a double bed and a pull out bed, fine for our teenager. The hotel is situated off a lovely park about 10 mins walk from the town centre which was very handy. After a good nights sleep breakfast was served in buffet style. There was the choice of cold continental or cooked bacon sausage and egg. It was really lovely wand set us up for our journey for the rest of the day. I would stay here again .

Nice hotel Good sized room and had a great nights sleep!!! Very and helpful friendly staff I didn't use the pool Great breakfast However the hotel needs a refurbishment to be brought to the 21st century.