Just another Novotel....or is it? (Novotel Paris Tour Eiffel)

Member Name: frankie1984

Product:	Novotel Paris Tour Eiffel
Date:	05/12/08 (87 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clean, very modern, nice rooms and great rates

Disadvantages: Some will prefer a hotel closer to the Champs Elysee

Another hotel in my recent hotel visit to Paris and this time the Novotel Tour Eiffel. I was really looking forward to arriving at this hotel because I had heard so much about it and so I already had an idea in my head about what it would be like.


The hotel:
The hotel is a 4 star hotel that is located quite close to the Eiffel tower on the left bank in the 15th Arondissement of Paris. It is in fact just across the main road from the river bank. It is also within easy reach of the Louvre. The hotel is obviously part of the Novotel chain and is fairly easy to spot as it is quite a garish red/orange colour in one section.


Location:
As mentioned it is in the 15th Arondissement and is situated at 61 Quai De Grenelle. The hotel is on the main road so is easy to find when coming along the road.


First impressions:
The building is in two sections and from a distance it is very easy to spot the first part as like I mentioned it is bright red/orange in colour! However the other part of the building is a bit more down to earth in a neutral grey tone. When you first spot the orange bit though it doesn't really give the impression of a classy hotel! As you get nearer though and pull up outside you see the usual Novotel sign in blue and the bottom half of the building looks a lot better which makes you feel a bit more at ease.
Upon entering the lobby you can start to see that this is actually a very modern hotel with a much classier looking interior and staff to greet you.


The lobby:
The lobby I have to mention as it is quite an unusual lobby - firstly there is not really a main check in on the first level - well I tell a lie there is, but, it is check in for cabin crew and airline staff as the hotel work with a lot of airlines and so to make it a swifter check in process for many staff who will be only having a short stop over, they provide a separate area where they can promptly get everyone checked in. So if a mere mortal checking in you need to enter you take the escalator or lift from the first floor where you have just entered to the next floor where the main lobby is. This is where the reception desk is along with a bar to the right hand side and a wide open plan seating area. The lastly there is also a third check in area for groups - this is located away from this area so that it is easier to get a large group checked in swiftly without causing crowding in the main lobby where a lot of guests have to go through to go back and forth between their rooms. So quite a combination but, it seems to work really well and overall all three areas are very clean and all nice and bright so no matter which section you are in you can admire the nice decor whilst waiting!


The rooms:
The room was actually much better than I had expected it to be - photo's I had seen previously always made the rooms look a bit drab but this was a nice, bright airy room I was stood in and in actual fact wasn't all that different to the Novotel Vaugirard but just a slightly different colour scheme. I liked that the room had a nice bright bathroom and I thought the room was equipped with everything you would probably need for a short city break - TV, tea and coffee facilities for that all important first cuppa in the morning, a safe and air conditioning. The windows could be opened properly which is always a bonus and most importantly the room was nice and clean and was somewhere you would want to come back to after a long day out sightseeing! In fact I think I have quite a soft spot for the Novotel rooms at the moment as I seem to keep coming across ones that suit me very well!
All together the hotel has 764 rooms of which there are 12 suites and there is 416 of the rooms that are non smoking rooms. The hotel also has 12 rooms that are adapted for disabled guests. All rooms have room service which is available between 6am and 11pm.


Restaurants and bars:
The hotel has on main bar which is located just off from the lobby - I didn't have a drink in here so I am not too sure how expensive it was but, I imagine it would be on par or possibly slightly more expensive than the other Novotel hotels in the city which were charging roughly 9 Euros for a pint of beer.

The hotel has 2 restaurants. The first is the Novotel Eiffel Cafe which is where breakfast is served from 6am and then after breakfast becomes a French restaurant until 11pm in the evening. The second restaurant is named Benkay and is a Japanese restaurant. This is located overlooking the main road and also with views of the Seine. I didn't eat in either of them unfortunately but, I did have a look in Benkay and it looked really nice with a modern but traditionally styled Japanese theme. Again I couldn't really tell you about prices but, if Japanese food is your thing it might be worth having a look.



Other facilities:
The hotel has a range of other facilities as you would expect with a hotel of this standard. The hotel being as large as it is has plenty of meeting room so is an ideal choice for those looking for a meeting venue. There is a concierge desk where the staff can arrange most things that you need.
Families are well catered for in this hotel. Not only do they have family sized rooms they also have free breakfast for children as long as under the age of 16 and a children's play area. Plus if a family is checking out on a Sunday they give them a late checkout of 5pm to allow them enough time to get organised - not really sure why it's just Sunday though as that does restrict the family a little on when they can travel!
The hotel also has a small gym and swimming pool - however thumbs up for this swimming pool as it's located underneath a removable roof - during hot weather the roof is opened up so that swimmers can enjoy the sunshine and in the winter it is closed up so swimmers can still enjoy it without freezing to death! The gym is at a charge but the swimming pool I believe is free to use for all guests.



Price:
The hotel is not the cheapest 4 star hotel you'll find in Paris but rates are pretty good for what you get. A room starts from around £100 per night based on two people sharing and also including breakfast. The hotel also offers plenty of free night stays throughout the year too so if you can travel when the hotel offer it you may find you can stay for 3 nights and only have to pay for 2 which means the hotel rates are suddenly very attractive!


Overall opinion:
The hotel is truly a nice hotel - I am a sucker for modern designed hotels and love it when they have a funky decor! This hotel is certainly that except for the exterior of one part of the building which is not that appealing to look at! The hotel has a good location in terms of being close by to the Eiffel tower and is convenient for guests with children who want a spacious room with lots of facilities and business travellers who want mod cons available to them. Price wise it's not too bad and overall is another good choice of hotel if you want a good standard in Paris.

Summary: A nice modern hotel