Novotel Annecy Centre — Hotel in Annecy

|The Novotel Annecy Centre is situated in a more commercial, business-oriented area of the city, but it's only a short walk from the main shopping streets and the charming old town beyond. The hotel shares its building with the Artia business complex, creating a lobby space that feels more like a co-working hub than a traditional hotel reception. This atmosphere is particularly noticeable during weekdays, with many people using the space to work from. However, on weekends, the space is noticeably quieter and offers a relaxing environment in the lounge and bar areas.||Unfortunately, my check-in experience left much to be desired. Although I arrived just after 3pm, I was told that no rooms would be available until the 4pm check-in time. While I understand that early check-in is subject to availability, it seemed more a matter of policy than occupancy. Even the paid early check in offer wasn’t possible as I hadn’t given prior notice. Upon returning at 4pm, I had to join the queue of people wishing to check-in. However I was greeted by a different receptionist who was friendly, welcoming, and efficient, which made a noticeable difference in my impression of the front desk.||I stayed in what was described as a suite, which included a sofa bed and was larger than the standard rooms on the floor plan. While the size was appreciated, the room itself showed clear signs of wear and tear. The decor was typical of the Novotel brand, but the finishes felt less robust: stained carpet and furniture, faulty cupboard doors, soap dispenser coming away from the wall, slow drains, faulty sockets etc.||The bed was comfortable, but the non-fitted sheet didn’t stay in place overnight. The room had a large TV, a small unit with a fridge and Nespresso machine, a luggage rack, and a full wardrobe containing a safe. However, unlike the pictures on the website, there was no desk or vanity unit, which I would have expected in a room described as a suite.||The bathroom, with a separate WC, was functional, though it suffered from slow drainage. The large walk-in shower had strong water pressure and a rainfall head, which was a plus.||The air conditioning appeared to be centrally controlled, as the room never warmed beyond 22°C regardless of adjustments. ||Despite the hotel’s location over the train tracks, I experienced no noise issues on the top floor, thanks to double-glazed windows that provided excellent sound insulation.||WiFi was stable, though not particularly strong. The open network offered about 6 Mbps, while logging in with an Accor account gave variable speeds between 15–50 Mbps.||For my welcome drink, I opted for a cappuccino—served in a basic mug. For a four-star hotel, I expected a bit more finesse in the presentation.||In summary, this is a functional hotel in an extremely convenient location, especially for train travel. It’s best suited to business travellers who prioritise practicality over comfort or style. Given the number of minor issues, I can see why the hotel is often priced more competitively than other Accor properties in the area. While it served its purpose, I don’t plan to return on my next...

We’ve been travelling around France for a number of weeks now and have stayed at numerous Novotel, most of which have been very good. However I have to say that this is by far the worst one we’ve stayed in. Frankly, whoever the Manager is clearly doesn’t care about this hotel. Time for a change?||Firstly, the location is poor, as has been reported in many reviews. The hotel borders the railway lines, and it really doesn’t matter how much double glazing you put on the room windows, it doesn’t drown out the incessant rumbling of trains.||Staff - restaurant staff are pretty good and try their best to offer decent customer service, so well done to them. The front desk staff however leave a lot to be desired. The hotel seems to of adopted a ‘we’re young and hip vibe’, and as a result the youngsters on reception really don’t seem to care very much about their job. Smiling and good customer attentiveness seems lost on this lot, it’s more ‘why are you inconveniencing me by asking questions’ type of vibe. If that’s the vibe the manager is trying to create then he/she has been very successful.||Gym - truly shocking, filthy dirty and covered in dust, some of the worst gym equipment I’ve ever seen with many pieces completely out of action.||Rooms - tired. A vain attempt to jazz them up in recent years that has failed miserably. The whole building looks tired, dirty and it need of demolition if I’m honest.||Cafe - two things must be true; firstly there must be a university nearby and secondly there must be free wifi. The result is that the cafe is absolutely packed with students using the free wifi all day and ordering a coffee every eight hours. The result is that hotel guests have nowhere to sit and service is pretty much non existent. Once you do get some service you have to pay for things almost immediately, perhaps given that students are poor payers of their bills? Either way it’s a truly terrible experience.||Summary - avoid if you can, one of the worst Novotel...

Was hoping to receive an email from the hotel asking for my review of the stay but nothing was received.|Very disappointing few days at this hotel and I blame myself as previous reviews should have warned me.||The biggest and most concerning issue with the hotel is cleanliness. This hotel is not clean. On checking into hotel and entering the room it was obvious that the room was not cleaned properly. Despite bringing this to the attention of the staff, during the stay it did not improve.||The second issue we had was the noise from the train station below. The trains run underneath the hotel at all hours and the room vibrates as they pass under. ||Thirdly, not that I expect any staff member to “ get down on one knee and greet me” but there was not one mention of my ALL platinum status. I always appreciate what someone at least acknowledges it!||Previous reviews mention the lobby ( or lack thereof). |The lobby seems to be some sort of shared workspace or something, kind of reminds me of a Starbucks coffee shop. People on laptops occupying every seat in the place. Outside the main door smoking in between work. |If you like to enjoy a coffee and croissant while planning out your day in the city, you can forget it here. Not only will you not have a seat but you’ll receive no service. The staff obviously know the people that use the workspace on a daily basis and seem to be deep in casual conversation, at least during my visit. ||There’s plenty of alternative hotels in Annecy and I would advise others to avoid this place at all costs.||I can overlook most of my issues with this property except the hygiene/ cleanliness of the property which is...