More about Novotel London Greenwich
Nightmare at the Novotel London Greenwich
by TripAdvisor Member TravelFrogBoston
I booked two stays at the Novotel London Greenwich based on reviews on TripAdvisor. My mother and I arrived at the Novotel London Greenwich on April 19, 2007. The hotel is modern and fashionable and our first stay was relatively uneventful except for one minor annoyance. We had ordered continental breakfast to be delivered to our room between 7:00 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. At 7:15 a.m., a young lady came in with just a coffee service and left. Because we were checking out of the hotel 15 minutes later, I didn’t call to complain. When I checked out, I realized that they had charged us for 2 buffet breakfasts in their restaurant and 2 continental room service breakfasts for that morning. These charges were immediately removed from the bill and I wasn't really worried about it. Mistakes can happen sometimes.
We returned to the hotel on the evening of April 24, 2007. Unfortunately, my mother had left her handbag with all of her identification, including her passport, in an inn in Devon, England. The innkeeper sent the handbag to the Novotel London Greenwich by overnight courier through the Royal Mail so that my mother would have her passport the next morning. This was crucial because this would be our last day in London before returning home to the States. The room was reserved under my name, so my mother introduced herself to the young lady at the desk of the Novotel and told her that she was expecting a very important package in the morning. The young lady acknowledged this information but I did not see her write it down. We spent the entire next day waiting for the package and placing calls from our hotel room to try and track the progress of it. Several times during the day we went to the front desk and my mother asked if the package had arrived but was told it had not. At around 5:30 p.m., we finally found out from the innkeeper in Devon that the package had been delivered to the Novotel London Greenwich at 8:00 a.m. but that someone at the front desk had rejected the package. Upon learning this, I was infuriated and demanded to talk to a manager. The young assistant manager I spoke with seemed sympathetic and said she would try to find out what happened. Shortly after that, the assistant manager came up to our room with the hotel’s manager. He was quite defensive and blamed the situation on the innkeeper in Devon who he claimed had put the wrong street # on the package and blamed Royal Mail, claiming that they had tried to deliver it to the wrong address and that the hotel was not responsible for this circumstance. He also said that he talked to his staff and that none of them had rejected a package. [We later called Royal Mail ourselves and they confirmed the fact that they had tried to deliver the package to the Novotel London Greenwich and it was rejected by someone at the front desk.] With much distain, he provided us with a telephone number for the American Embassy whose office was closed for the day. The next morning we were awoken at 6:00 a.m. by the front desk asking us if we needed a cab to the airport, a not-so-subtle hint that the hotel would appreciate it if we leave as soon as possible. When I checked out, I found that they had charged me again for 3 breakfasts that we had never ordered!!! This whole situation turned our last day of vacation into a nightmare and ended up costing us nearly $150 in unnecessary telephone calls as well as double delivery charges to send the handbag to the Novotel twice. Plus, my mother had a very difficult time trying to travel back to the U.S. without her passport or any other form of ID. The hotel received the handbag for the second time on April 26th after we had left the hotel for the airport. The assistant manager told my mother they would send it to her at her home but my mother is still waiting to receive it .
My advice would be if you decide to stay at this hotel, please do not depend on the front desk for anything important and check your bill very carefully when you check out.
Loved the Novotel Greenwich
by TripAdvisor Member lindyjane
We stayed at this hotel for three nights in May over a long weekend and were very impressed overall with the services and quality of the bedrooms. This hotel is a well hidden secret in a fantastic location in London. Greenwich was surprisingly very easy to get in and out of the centre of London and we did not have to pay Central London prices. Honestly we could not fault this hotel at all, if you are planning a trip to London and are looking for a place to stay I would strongly recommend this hotel to anyone.
Excelent choice
by A TripAdvisor Member
London was by far the most expensive destination we had in this whole trip. Finding a nice and confortable place to stay with a reasonable rate was not an easy job, but we are glad we chose the Novotel Greenwich.
Despite being far from the main atractions, it is located beside a railway station and London has one of the best public transportation I know. So, it wasn't very hard to reach any point of the city, except on the weekends when they usually close some lines for maintanance, crowding all the others left. To complicate even more the Greenwich station doesn't operate on Sundays, and you have to use the Greenwich DLR station which is right beside it, but makes longer trips to get to the center. It was a problem we had to manage but not a big issue.
The hotel was a tipical Novotel standard which is perfect for me and my wife. Nice, modern, confortable, clean, good sized rooms.
As I already said in a previous review, I have to remark the hotel's service charges here again. The breakfast for a couple would cost you around 58 dollars (29 pounds) per day, which is astronomically high even considering that we are talking about London. Obviously, since I am not burning money, we took our breakfast elsewhere everyday.
Hotel's managers of the world... get reasonable!
Splendid hotel & service
by TripAdvisor Member mechelaar
The novotel excel is really excellent, although out of the city center, it is located in a nice area in the docklands, 5 minutes walk from DLR Custom House and from there a 25 minute ride to Tower or Bank. Very cleanand modern rooms, breakfast: all that you can want from(fresh) fruit, different sorts of bread, toast, muffins, salmon, cereals and cereal bars and cooked breakfast. The staff is very friendly and let you check in early when the room is free, also a free luggage room available. We will return to this hotel, that's for sure!
A Perfect Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member Jcw811
This hotel was on a package list, after reading extensive reviews on hotels in and out of London, we decided to stay in Greenwich because hotel was important and this had great reviews, but was economical as well. We have to add our high ratings to these reviews. It is a new, immaculately clean hotel, in the fun college town of Greenwich. Staff knew us and was proactive in meeting our needs. Housekeeping was ahead of the game, and always responsive to requests. The English buffet breakfast was outstanding and one of our favorite things of the trip, and gave us a great start for the day. The hotel was quiet, right near all the transportation you would need, and located in an area we had no hesitation walking at all hours. A couple of specific points: TRAIN: The train station is located behind the hotel--we did not hear the noise of the train although we slept with our window wide open, but when we were ready to go, it was a matter of yards to the train station door. Super convenient. Two train options, with the main stops we needed. Rarely a wait more than 10-12 minutes. We debated the distance, but in the end loved the train ride, and found it no inconvenience. BATHROOM: The reviews I had read raised an issue about the location of the toilet. I thought this was a plus. The toilet was in a separate small room which was adequate sized, and its separate location made it possible for two people to be using bathroom at once. This was an efficiency for us. TECH: This was one area of problem for me because I have my own business and had planned carefully for staying in touch. This is not a fault of the hotel, but I was unable to 1) use my computer charger with the converter I had, 2) connect easily to the internet line provided with the remaining charge I had, or 3) make phone calls from my cell although my provider had assured me London was covered. The staff did what they could to help; there was a second internet option in the room, although it was difficult to type on; there was phone service through the hotel but it was not a fee I could have justified to my clients; staff was able to refer me to the internet service down the street, but all in all, this was the big dilema of my trip. Higher tech options at this hotel would have been a blessing. FOOD: Breakfast was absolutely fabulous--even though the buffet was the same, we enjoyed it equally every morning. We had one evening at the bar and ordered martinis that were sub par by our standards, and modestly recognizable as martinis. In fact the concept of using an olive was unheard of!! In retrospect, we would have passed on this for the pub a couple of yards past the train station. LOCATION: This is a quaint college town and pleasant and safe to walk around with multiple public train options. Our regret was not being able to fully explore Greenwich, and we'll plan to do on our next trip. Within easy walking distance was a full grocery, money exchange and post-office, internet cafe, dry cleaners, several pubs and really good restaurants, and on Saturday, a flea market. We thought the location, even considering the train requirement, to be a plus. We're pretty critical, but we considered this pretty close to a perfect hotel experience, and would pass the London hotels again to stay here. RECOMMENDATION: Buy a 7 day pass on public transportation for zones 1-2. Its $50.00 (25 pounds) per person, and gives you use of all trains (except Heathrow express), buses and undergrounds. This is all we needed for the entire week as tourists, except transport to and from airport. We learned the hard way that it is better to take train with luggage if you don't taxi from airport, because trains are all on one level, and undergrounds are at multiple levels which you can only reach by stairs and escalators--tricky if you are carrying luggage and work files for a week! It also crossed my mind many times that public transportation would have been a real challenge for someone with a disability.
Excellent
by TripAdvisor Member Axwell
Stayed here for 3 nights at the beginning of February mainly because we needed to be in Greenwich. Hotel was very good - difficult to fault in any way. Decent sized room in very good condition, well equipped, well lit and excellent breakfast (didn't try the restaurant for dinner). Hotel is located right next to mainline rail station (10 mins to London Bridge) and the DLR for connections into central London. Greenwich itself is well worth a visit.
Hotel is wheelchair accessible
Best Hotel in London
by TripAdvisor Member laf1701
This is perhaps the best hotel for the money in London. Although it is fairly far from the city center, the location and price cannot be beat. The hotel is very well located for quick transport--right off the DLR and National Rail Station. The rooms are very clean with the exception of the smelly sofa-style throw pillows they put on the bed (in addition to the regular pillows) and a somewhat crusty light switch. One other problem concerned my Delta Skymiles card. I have stayed here before and the first time the Skymiles card was not an issue and I was properly awarded credit. This last time, I got a slight hassle from the abrupt recption upon checkout. I explained to them that I received credit before and they nodded their heads (but I was not convinced they were going to see it through). As of now, two months later I still do not have credit, nor do I expect it. Other than this incident, I still think this hotel is the best in London for the price.
Hot & Cold!
by TripAdvisor Member Brunlea
To start with the bad: bedroom much too warm despite 'air conditioning' being continuously on (and whilst warm outside it was hardly a heatwave). To make up for this the cooked breakfast was served at a tepid temperature and some of the fruit at breakfast was still frozen.
The room was nice and large and of a 'trendy' design. My only criticisma are that the toilet door opened inwards and would be awkward for larger people or anyone with mobility issues. and an attractive relaxing bath oil was supplied but it would be difficult for anyone over 4ft in height to relax in such a short bath - good shower though.
Insufficient staff at reception on both check in and check out though all the staff I dealt with were efficient and pleasant.
The hotel is right next to Greenwich Station (rail & DLR). Greenwich is pleasant and a bit different - village atmosphere and good range of (not very expensive) places to eat. Easy journey to central London but as hotel is not cheap & Greenwich probably only rates a brief stay, I would only recommend it for those with a specific reason to stay in the town.
Lovely hotel but hot!
by TripAdvisor Member Dragonheart1996
Stayed at the Novotel for two nights in June 2007 with my husband and two children. Easy to find and great for parking as car park is under hotel and you feel your car is safe. Very clean, trendy and modern hotel. Staff were really nice and helpful. Didn't eat in hotel so cannot comment on restaurant. My only two criticisms are one the hotel was horribly hot and although air conditioned in room, this didn't seem to work. No 2 is that although rooms are lovely and spacious for two people, once you put the sofabed in for the children, the room becomes very small and also bathroom is very small with the door opening out into room. But overall a lovely hotel, but couldn't have stayed in that room for longer than two nights, but great as a base for London as right next door to railway. Would stay again but without the children or would book two rooms!
You won't be dissappointed!!
by TripAdvisor Member cwiley34
I have travelled to the UK several times over the last six months. This is one of the best hotels I have stayed at while travelling in the UK. It is also one of the best values for the money. I spent 120GBP and was treated to a modern comfortable room. The room had a flat screen TV, modern fixtures and one of the more comfortable beds I have found in the UK.
The hotel is right off of the Greenwich train station which is extremely convienient. Its a distance from London but for that price you can't beat it. Will definitiely be visiting here again.
Photos
Liberty Bounds pub - Main entrance
A beadle
From the rear
temple of commerce
Forum Posts
transfer from Greenwich cruise port to Heathrow airport
by seaborne
What it the best and easiest way to transfer from Greenwich cruise port to Heathrow Airport? And how long would it take? Any information will be appreciated.
Re: transfer from Greenwich cruise port to Heathrow airport
by hawkhead
I never think of London as a cruise ship destination but one lives and learns! It seems that the ships dock near London Bridge station, so one way would be to take the underground from there out to Heathrow. www.tfl.gov.uk has a good journeyl planner plus will also give you an idea of how long it will take. You should also factor in the time it takes to get from your ship, once you are disembarked, to the station but the travel planner will also give you that time.
Re: transfer from Greenwich cruise port to Heathrow airport
by film
I have seem enormous cruise ships dock at Greenwich. It does not happen often and they seem to dock next to a block of council flats (housing project) which would be a rude awakening for both sides.
Anyway, it is easy enough to get to Heathrow. Go to Greenwich rail station and take a train three stops to Waterlool main rail station. From there take a train to Feltham station and Heathrow is a short bus ride from there.
Of course, being rich cruise ship passengers, with, no doubt huge amounts of luggage, it might be better to take a taxi.
Here is reputable company, email them and get a quote to take you to Heathrow. I suspect it will be in the order of 70 UK pounds.
http://www.handicars.co.uk/
I would point out the Greenwich cruise port is not a location that locals recognise. The best reference point is probably Creek Road next to the Cutty Sark DLR station. This is slap in the middle of Greenwich and a couple of hundred yards from the river where I have seen cruise ships dock (which I presume to be the 'cruise port'. I suspect it is here...
http://www.corycruise.co.uk/london-ship-moorings.html
Hope this helps
Re: transfer from Greenwich cruise port to Heathrow airport
by hawkhead
Have to be careful - there are apparently two places where cruise ships dock. The poster should find out which one they are arriving at!
Re: transfer from Greenwich cruise port to Heathrow airport
by seaborne
Thank you all for the information. As we are travelling with luggage we will probably book a taxi to the airport.
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