Novotel London Canary Wharf — Hotel in London

This is my husband and mine’s first time to London, for our babymoon and we were really excited but the check in process left a sour taste in one’s mouth due to staff’s lack of customer recovery with regards to me not getting the room I paid for.

I added on Early Check In for £60 which states “ Need access to your room from 8 am on the day of arrival” as we would be arriving at 8am – this is implied that I would get access to my room from 8am onwards right? Unfortunately nope, apparently there were no rooms available for the type of room I’ve booked for (Executive Room). The next best option was to give us another room for us to freshen up. We understood the situation and used the temporary room to get ready, and had to pack up our luggage and store our luggage on ground floor (which kind of defeats the purpose of paying for online check in to be honest).

At 3pm we came back, and we had to go through the process of collecting our luggage, queueing up to check in to get our room again. The reception was short staffed and we had to wait approximately 15-20mins to get our room keys – this was fine although this could have been avoided if the system blocked off the room to honor our Early Check In (for the same room).

When we entered our room, we realized that it was a corner room, even though I had mentioned that I did not want a corner room. Reauested for a change of room but there were no other Executive rooms available. Hence I told them I was okay for a downgrade to the Superior room, and kindly requested for the difference in both room to be refunded to me – in which they rejected and say it’s not possible. I simply do not understand why this is not possible?

(Difference between Superior and Executive rooms are that Executive rooms are on a higher room with guaranteed city view, and comes with amentities such as bathrobe, slippers, coffee machine and speakers)

I ended up compromising with staying in a Superior room, and just simply requested for the amenities such as bathrobe and slippers to be given to me. This is the first time I had encountered such a situation with a hotel, which is fine since I understand situations do crop up time to time, but this is my first time seeing hotel staff displaying such lack of service recovery. Honestly this is also my very first time leaving a bad review for a hotel which says alot.

What made matters worse was that there was a protest going on on the same day outside of the hotel. This was fine - what was not fine was that when it rained, the protestors sought shelter at the hotel entrance and blocked the revolving door entrance and exit for the hotel guests.. and the hotel staff did not do anything to ensure that guests could and exit the hotel safely which was really unsafe especially since I’m pregnant (the staff just stared and look as we forced our way into the hotel via the revolving door which was blocked as it was filled with protestors).. It was not a pleasant experience I would wish upon anyone..

I’ve stay in various Novotel (New Zealand, Munich, etc) but this might be the Novotel with the worse customer service ever.

TLDR: Paid for early check in but had to use a temporary room for that. Had to do repack my luggage, and collect my luggage again at my later timing to do check in again. Found out that I was given a corner room even though I requested for non-corner room. Was willing to downgrade my room but told I could not get a refund for the difference in room. Overall a very unpleasant experience for my first...

From the moment I arrived, it was clear that the front desk staff were overwhelmed and unable to manage the volume of guests waiting to check in. Despite having completed the online check-in process—expecting a smoother experience as a member—I waited approximately 15–20 minutes before being assisted.

When I inquired about the possibility of a late check-out, he immediately quoted a fee. I had to remind him that, as a member, I am entitled to late check-out if availability permits. He then told me to check again on the day of departure, which I found unusual, as other hotels typically allow confirmation the night before.

I was handed the room key with no additional information about the hotel—no directions regarding breakfast, where to redeem my welcome drink voucher, or any explanation of hotel facilities. This lack of basic communication was quite disappointing.

breakfast was a highlight. The food options were great, the view was lovely, and the breakfast staff were exceptionally friendly and accommodating.

However, the positive experience was quickly overshadowed upon my return to the room that afternoon. I discovered it had not been cleaned. I called reception and I asked why the room had not been serviced and was told housekeeping could arrive any time before 7 PM, and would be mark as a priority.

I also raised a serious concern: the door to my room had been left open, and my key card no longer worked. I could push the door open without resistance. I was told they would send maintenance, but no one ever arrived.

When I stopped by reception that evening, I was informed by a staff member that housekeeping only operates until 5 PM and room cleaning is by request only. This was never mentioned at check-in. I expressed my frustration about the misinformation and lack of communication. Later, towels and water were provided, but the room was never cleaned.

The next morning, I called again regarding late check-out and was told the hotel was fully booked. This was confusing, as I had asked the night before and was given no definite answer. Even more concerning, when I checked online, I was still able to make a new room reservation—suggesting the hotel was not actually at full capacity.

This stay has left me deeply dissatisfied, and I am now reconsidering my loyalty to the ALL program, as consistency and care across properties appear to be lacking.

Edit: 1 star removed purely for the time it took to respond to my review and no real acknowledgment of the other issues raised especially the safety issue of the room door.

FYI I did not have early check-in...

Again poor service and I will not be returning for a stat at this...

Overall a good place and would stay again.

The bad points: 1. TV has software from 2010 with no casting or smart functions. In 2024 this is unacceptable. We could not connect our laptops or phones to the TV, which was very annoying, especially when budget hotels have this function. TV channels extremely limited with no music channels. The shower was disappointing as there was very low pressure. This may be just London in general with the hotel not having much choice over this. The lifts can take forever. Often the wait can be around 5-10 mins for a lift to arrive. On the next day there were 2 lifts out of order, so this led to further delays. Some parts to the room were damaged or unsightly. Only minor stuff but for a premium hotel you'd expect the best quality. Things like the wardrobe and cupboards catching and scraping. The safe door constantly bashing into the wardrobe door. The lounger also had multiple stains on. Mixed opinions on the view and depends which direction your room is. We faced towards the shard which was a pretty long sight view especially at night. However your main close view is a derelict piece of land, which isn't pretty. Hopefully this only improves with any future developments of canary. 6 .The price of rooms is steep compared to other hotels. This is mirrored by the breakfast, food and drinks offerings at the hotel and associated restaurant. However if this is within your budget, then this shouldn't bother you.

Main review: Very welcoming with a very stylish entrance which is related throughout the hotel. Certainly a premium feel which matches the price of the hotel. The room was very spacious and modern. The foldout lounger was very nice. The bathroom and the glass window shower was classy and jazzy. The check in and out times are very good at 3pm and midday. There is a sauna, pool and gym which unfortunately we didn't get time to use but I'm sure would've been great. There is an express shop only 2 mins walk away, although the walk there felt a bit wherry in the dark. The walk to Canada square shops and activities was around 10 mins along the river. We parked via a third party company at the top left entrance of canary. The walk was around 10 mins, however there's not many options closer to the hotel for reasonable priced parking. Thanks for...