Unfortunately had to stay in the Novotel a few times before I persuaded our travel booker to find me book a room elsewhere when I’m in Wolverhampton. Rooms are ok, normally clean and well presented. Meals are ok and the service at mealtimes acceptable. The main issue I had when staying was the poor service when I came to checkout. Every time there have been long queues of frustrated travellers having to deal with the poorly trained staff who seem to take an age dealing with what should be a quick and simple task. Other issue is the fact it’s a pain to drive into as you have to drive past the hotel if you’re coming clockwise off the ringroad and left at the Bilston St Roundabout, left and then left again into the hotel carpark (which is expensive for a quick overnight stay). Overall there are nicer hotels in the vicinity but if you don’t mind the risk of lengthy delays the Novotel is okay.

I stayed in this hotel recently - May 2008 and I cannot believe some of the negative comments made in previous reviews. I found this to be a very good hotel and in a good location - the only difficulty was finding the entrance to the car park. As long as you remember to hand your ticket to reception there is no charge for parking. The hotel is modern and my bedroom was very spacious and well furnished. The double bed was comfortable with lovely soft pillows which ensured that i had a good nights sleep. The room also had a sofa, coffee table, desk, chair, flat screen TV, and tea/coffee facilities. The service in the restaurant was excellent both at breakfast and in the evening. The evening meal was very well presented and excellently cooked. There was also a good selection of wine. Breakfast was buffet sytle with plenty of choice and all freshly prepared. Service was frindly yet speedy which is a bonus when you have a business meeting to go to. I really am surprised at some of the previous comments as I have stayed at 4* hotels which have not been as good. In fact I stayed at a 4* the next night (Shropshiire) were the room was a third of the size, uncomfortable, stuffy and I could even hear the person above me snoring!!!

My family and i wanted a break and hubby has friends in this area, so I looked into booking the Novotel. The hotel states that children stay for free, so my 2 infants (one is 6 months, the other is 2.5 years) stayed along with us. 1) Checking in I had reserved a "2 night break" rate online (basically the terms were 3 nights including breakfast for 2 adults and 2 kids but NO cancellations were allowed, we had to pay up front = ?215 in total) but this was not picked up on at reception, the receptionist was not able to find the discounted rate upon check-in. Concerned, i phoned down once we had reached our room. Considering i had booked this special rate directly via the Novotel website, i was a little surprised that there was such confusion over the booking. She was still unable to find the discounted rate and so told me she would call me back. I waited about 30 - 45 minutes. She didnt call me back, I had to call her. SHe still wasnt able to find where i had booked the discounted rate, and again said she would call back once she had spoken with the manager. We waited and waited but with no luck, so we went downstairs for some food as we couldnt wait for her call any longer. To her credit she DID approach us in the restaurant to explain that the hotel had just adopted a new computer system which was having some hiccups, and she did eventually put my mind at rest and confirm that she found my discounted booking. 2) Decor and furnishings In general I think that the hotel is in need of refurbishment, in many places the decor in the rooms is shabby. For example the grouting around the bath was very mouldy. The pallid "marble effect" wash basin was cracked - and looked pretty tacky . The wall coverings in the restroom look ill-matched (white and mauve) - but maybe thats just a question of personal taste - i hate mauve rooms! Cheap looking chipped furniture. The overall finish in the rooms wasnt of a decent standard compared to hotel rooms that i have stayed in in Spain for example for the same price or cheaper (my favourite hotel is the Melia in Spain). The children's bed was a twin-sofabed and it had a sizeable cigarette burn in it. Manageable for a 2.5 year old ..not really appropriate for a 6 month old. I asked for a cot but it was not an option. The decor in the corridors leading up to the guest rooms is very poor especially compared to the decor in the main lobby downstairs which is modern, trendy and well maintained. The corridors are VERY dimly lit and dingy, doors were scratched, decor looked dated, chpped, worn etc. 3) Cleanliness In addition the rooms were not cleaned properly, there was quite a lot of food left on the floor one one occasion. There was a spot in the toilet which was there when we arrived. There was an unidentifiable spillage on the floor under the bathroom door in the corner (sorry hard to describe the location). It was clear that no-one vacuumed underneath the beds. 4) Ease of information We were not told the times for breakfast and this information was not available in the room as far as we were aware, so we had to phone down for this information. We phoned on Saturday and were told that breakfast finished at 12 noon, but we almost missed breakfast altogether on MOnday because we werent told that it finished at 10 am on weekdays. 5) Restaurant On the upside, the breakfast at the Elements restaurant (full English buffet breakfast with contintental options) is tremendous. Everything is fresh and good and the breakfast is plentiful and keeps you going the whole day. Surroundings are pleasant, modern and clean - its dimly lit, but that isnt a problem for me, who wants bright lights first thing in the morning??!! No complaints at all there. Most of the restaurant staff are very friendly (except one who was a little po-faced) but then I found most Wolverhamptonians to be generally good natured, affable etc. The hotel receptionists were v.friendly too. To summise In short i would recommend the hotel to someone who is not fussed at all about decor, ambience etc, but someone who is on a budget and just wants somewhere relatively clean (i.e. not extremely dirty) to crash for a night or two. Wolverhampton is a small place and there arent many other options if you want to be near the town centre. On the balance of things the Novotel could be considered if money is tight and you want to be near the centre, but arent too fussy about the rooms or wont be in the rooms much. I would stay there again if money was VERY VERY tight and if it was a short stay, but if i had a little more money, i'd upgrade. Sorry Novotel, not good enough, must do better!!

This cramped hotel is run by staff that have trouble speaking and understanding English. The service is slow and it is not uncommon to have a long queue waiting to check in/out as there are only 2 desks. The food is at best mediocre and at worst cold, tasteless and greasy. The rooms are fairly sized but the toilet is in a different room to the sink (I understand this is common to all Novatels?). The 'toilet room' is smaller than the loo when I was in uni diggs. The bath is narrow and feels really cramped. The shampoo, shower gel and soap are not always replaced. The lift is tiny and uncomfortable with more than 2 people in. The bed is comfortable. Internet access is not included in the price of the room. The staff don't seem to agree on whether or not breakfast is included in the price being told one story when I checked in and another when I checked out. This messes up my expense claim for breakfast ordered one morning to my room – but at that point I was late for work (due to the long check out queue) and frankly just wanted to leave. Overall the hotel is not terrible. The stay was OK. However - I'll stay at the York next week.

?70 for a night (without breakfast) isn't bad, but... there was a big stain on the carpet in our room (which was extremely stuffy), the kitchen closed at 11pm (despite boasting a 24 hr menu!) - and there's an additional ?3 charge for outdoor parking! Definitely not up to the normal Novotel standards. Suggest you stay in Birmingham if you're up that way...