Novotel Paris la Défense Esplanade — Hotel in Arrondissement of Nanterre

I often take some reviews with a pinch of salt, but this hotel is as awful as others have made out. ||I have stayed in a number of hotels around Paris now and I can advise you to go elsewhere if you are expecting a 4 star hotel. This should have at least one star stripped off it, as well as management being taken to task about the terrible state. It's quite clear that no one is looking at the guest experience. ||Having paid £500 for a 2N stay in a superior room with views o Paris, I was expecting a lot more than a 3* (at best) motel from the 1970s. ||The check-in experience was not notable of any event other than passing over ID and being handed a key. No interaction, no explanation of anything, such as breakfast hours or anything like that, there was not even a confirmation of my stay arrangements. But this is what happens when you employ people and do not train them. ||Out of the lift, onto the 10th floor, I was met with a dismal dark brown corridor, which was probably right on trend in 1970, but way out dated for a business district 4star hotel. It is not helped by the gloomy dark lighting. But, don't judge a book by its cover, so, let's at least make it into the room. ||That was no better. Gloomy, cramped, dated, dark and not clean.... am I repeating myself?.... definitely not 4 star and nothing superior about it! Credit where it is due though, it does have a wonderful view over yo Arc de Triumph and The Eifel Tower. But that's where the positive wonder ends. ||The bed leg was the next thing I noticed, the bed was almost collapsed. I did what I could to put it back together and as straight as possible. Why does housekeeping not report this?||It is hard to describe just how gloomy and awful the mood of the room is with the colouring. Brown and dark browns and grey, it is simply depressing and awful. ||Next, I sought to find my superior element to my room. Nope, nothing! I make no excuses for saying that throwing a few Rituals product bottles on the wall does not make this superior! Ok let's find the robe, slippers, fridge, water.... no, none of those items! Really?! 4star, £250 per night?!||The toilet is a separate and tiny room. The bathroom is also tiny with a shower over the bath. The head would not stay up, so I had yo hold the head and try to shower. Interaction this way was not what I expected from my superior room. ||When I took the shower head out of the holder, I noticed all the dirt and residue in the holder... who is supposed to be cleaning this? Then I noticed the fan hanging down. ||When I entered the bathroom, I noticed the socket surround hanging off, lucky I didn't put my fingers anywhere I should not have!||Having showered myself, and most of the bathroom now because I had to throw the shower head around me, I noticed I could see through the towels! I note others made reference to this but it really is as basic as those reviews! Then you see how damaged and under maintained the rooms are. ||Having survived the night I made it to breakfast, which is chaotic! The food selection is poor and the hit food is not even hot. I never once saw any member of staff checking food temperatures, which I thought was a food safety requirement. The scrambled egg is the usual carton egg affair and looks so uninviting I never understand why anyone eats it. I opted to boil my own eggs in the machine provided, it was the safest option. ||The breakfast area is unclean. Food debris on the chairs and I even had a drop from the ceiling air conditioning. I grabbed a coffee and left. ||All in all, you have the IBIS literally next door, I don't see how this hotel is any better. I am so glad I only had 2N to endure and not a week or worse, a family holiday, I would be devastated. ||It goes to show the saying is correct, you cannot polish a poo, but you can roll it in glitter. ||My recommendation, go somewhere else please, you will thank me I...

I often take some reviews with a pinch of salt, but this hotel is as awful as others have made out. ||I have stayed in a number of hotels around Paris now and I can advise you to go elsewhere if you are expecting a 4 star hotel. This should have at least one star stripped off it, as well as management being taken to task about the terrible state. It's quite clear that no one is looking at the guest experience. ||Having paid £500 for a 2N stay in a superior room with views o Paris, I was expecting a lot more than a 3* (at best) motel from the 1970s. ||The check-in experience was not notable of any event other than passing over ID and being handed a key. No interaction, no explanation of anything, such as breakfast hours or anything like that, there was not even a confirmation of my stay arrangements. But this is what happens when you employ people and do not train them. ||Out of the lift, onto the 10th floor, I was met with a dismal dark brown corridor, which was probably right on trend in 1970, but way out dated for a business district 4star hotel. It is not helped by the gloomy dark lighting. But, don't judge a book by its cover, so, let's at least make it into the room. ||That was no better. Gloomy, cramped, dated, dark and not clean.... am I repeating myself?.... definitely not 4 star and nothing superior about it! Credit where it is due though, it does have a wonderful view over yo Arc de Triumph and The Eifel Tower. But that's where the positive wonder ends. ||The bed leg was the next thing I noticed, the bed was almost collapsed. I did what I could to put it back together and as straight as possible. Why does housekeeping not report this?||It is hard to describe just how gloomy and awful the mood of the room is with the colouring. Brown and dark browns and grey, it is simply depressing and awful. ||Next, I sought to find my superior element to my room. Nope, nothing! I make no excuses for saying that throwing a few Rituals product bottles on the wall does not make this superior! Ok let's find the robe, slippers, fridge, water.... no, none of those items! Really?! 4star, £250 per night?!||The toilet is a separate and tiny room. The bathroom is also tiny with a shower over the bath. The head would not stay up, so I had yo hold the head and try to shower. Interaction this way was not what I expected from my superior room. ||When I took the shower head out of the holder, I noticed all the dirt and residue in the holder... who is supposed to be cleaning this? Then I noticed the fan hanging down. ||When I entered the bathroom, I noticed the socket surround hanging off, lucky I didn't put my fingers anywhere I should not have!||Having showered myself, and most of the bathroom now because I had to throw the shower head around me, I noticed I could see through the towels! I note others made reference to this but it really is as basic as those reviews! Then you see how damaged and under maintained the rooms are. ||Having survived the night I made it to breakfast, which is chaotic! The food selection is poor and the hit food is not even hot. I never once saw any member of staff checking food temperatures, which I thought was a food safety requirement. The scrambled egg is the usual carton egg affair and looks so uninviting I never understand why anyone eats it. I opted to boil my own eggs in the machine provided, it was the safest option. ||The breakfast area is unclean. Food debris on the chairs and I even had a drop from the ceiling air conditioning. I grabbed a coffee and left. ||All in all, you have the IBIS literally next door, I don't see how this hotel is any better. I am so glad I only had 2N to endure and not a week or worse, a family holiday, I would be devastated. ||It goes to show the saying is correct, you cannot polish a poo, but you can roll it in glitter. ||My recommendation, go somewhere else please, you will thank me I...

I recently stayed in Paris for three days prior to New Year's Day with my family of four. Unfortunately, my experience at this hotel was highly disappointing and did not meet even basic expectations for a three-star establishment.

The room, marketed as a "family" room, was far too small for four guests. There was insufficient space to move around or store our luggage, and the closet lacked doors, further reducing its functionality.

The reception staff exhibited a notable lack of experience and were unable to address any issues effectively. Their slow service resulted in long queues, often exceeding ten minutes, even for the simplest requests.

While the hotel advertises a parking service, it has no control over availability. After inquiring at reception, I was directed to the basement parking, only to find it full. I was then greeted with a rude response over the intercom. The lack of signage made exiting the parking area a difficult task, and I was forced to navigate around the entire La Défense district to return to the hotel.

The breakfast offered was subpar for a hotel of this supposed caliber. It consisted primarily of pastries, with no fresh or made-to-order options. The breakfast room was untidy, and the overwhelmed staff struggled to keep up with the number of guests. Finding basic items such as plates, cups, and cutlery was challenging, and there were no spoons, only wooden ones reminiscent of those found in service station coffee machines.

Throughout our stay, one of the three elevators was out of service, leading to long waits and forcing many guests to use the fire escape stairs.

Despite being booked into a "family" room, we were only provided with towels for two guests, requiring us to request additional towels daily.

The water temperature in the shower was inconsistent, with the water failing to reach a sufficiently hot temperature, unlike the tap water, which was hot. This suggested poor quality in the shower mixer installed. Additionally, the heating system appeared to be overstretched due to the number of guests, resulting in inadequate room warmth.

Having previously stayed at other hotels of this brand, I had expected a much higher standard of service and accommodation. Unfortunately, this property falls far short of expectations. I cannot recommend this hotel to anyone, as it is outdated, with service and management that are more in line with a three-star...