Novotel Southampton — Hotel in Southampton

2025 UPDATE: The hotel is far too warm in all non-conference areas of the building. Bar? Hot. Dining rooms? Hot. Bedroom? Sweltering. There's a useless thermostat in the bedroom, so we had to set up the desk fan to run all night and open the windows to cool the room down. Of course, this meant we were subject to noises from the police station opposite. The curtains are so heavy that they have to be drawn in order to let the air in, resulting in a bright light coming through from same police station. It didn't really matter since the bed was extremely firm and left me in pain. There were also holes in the wall, the main light switch was sunken into the wall, and one of the bedside lights did nothing at all. The toilet is a separate cubicle to the rest of the bathroom and is incredibly small, so you run the risk of knocking the toilet roll off the holder when turning around to sit. One can only suspect these were designed by a man who didn't expect it to be occupied by people who do not stand to use it. They have fitted new doors to the bedrooms and these are incredibly heavy, I had to use both hands to open them from the inside - at which point they swing wildly open and bang into the nearby wardrobe.

The positive for this hotel is, as usual, the staff. Shout-out to the barman working Sat + Sunday night and the lady who worked the bar on Friday evening and in the dining room for breakfast. 10/10 service, they are superb.

2023 UPDATE: Rooms are getting pretty dated and could do with a refresh with respect to decor and TVs. Sofa bed is meant to turn into a double but turns into two twins, which is a bit weird.

Toilets are separate from the bathroom and are in tiny cubicles so you worry you'll knock a loo roll in for a swim every time you turn to flush.

Went for an event, food served on the first night was raw chicken, vegetarian option contained fish, veg was uncooked.

No food available except at breakfast for other nights we were there which might be a relief. Signs were up that if you wanted bar food or lunch to go to the Ibis which looks and smells like a supermarket canteen. Two people got food poisoning from eating pies there. Opted for the McDonalds instead.

Drinks prices extortionate, £7 for a small glass of wine or £8 for a large so well over the odds. £2.75 for an appletiser. No visible price list available at the bar, prices only visible for measures over at hotel reception which is not next to the bar. Staff members unable to access cost of drinks except through their phones. Payment is only available through their phones too as it's now a cashless bar. I do get that that's the way it's going but this results in faffing about and delays when you're ordering.

Visible security on team on site, did not stop a random drunk member of the public from entering and getting lairy. They did act when this was reported but surprised me that it happened in the first place.

Staff I interacted with at breakfast and reception all lovely as usual. Can't fault the customer service on site. Was very frustrated as we were told we were moved over to the Ibis Budget (a student dorm style accomodation) a few weeks before our event, so communication over email and phone has been patchy. People who had been moved were permitted to come in for breakfast but had to sit in the bar area to eat instead of in the restaurant. Thought this was odd as the restaurant is really large, they had just closed off half of it.

The novo is the best hotel if you're there for a conference, and I get that the staff are doing their best to juggle managing long stay residents with short stay guests - but good communication goes a long way. I liked coming here, it felt like a holiday sometimes with the spa, but this year felt like we were sometimes...

I haven’t posted a review on a website like trip advisor, I’d rather give feedback to the hotel direct. I’d like to caveat my review with the fact I’ve stayed in a number of your Novotels over the years and always had a good experience. On this occasion however I was extremely disappointed with the hotel. It was not worth anywhere near the price we paid and I was upset to bring my family there considering it was the start of our holiday. The hotel is in need of serious refurbishment, chip board walls and separate toilets from bathrooms is not acceptable in a hotel that advertises itself as yours does. The rooms are extremely dated and stained, cleaning was at a low standard and the pull out bed my children slept on was terrible, they both ended up with us on our bed after my son complained of his ribs hurting due to having little padding in the mattress. All in all this hotel is 20 years out of date which to be fair isn’t acceptable when the majority of people staying with you are about to go on a cruise holiday they no doubt spent a lot of money on. The only semi redeeming quality the hotel had was a half decent breakfast which I’m afraid to say didn’t brighten our mood after a poor night sleep and parting with money I’d rather not have spent. On a final note, charging the rate you do for your rooms is fine if all the facilities you provide are available. If the facilities aren’t available for example the pool then this should be relayed to customers before they arrive so they can either ask for a refund and find another hotel or accept the fact and carry on. We weren’t given that option until we arrived which isn’t acceptable. I hope your take this feedback in the manner in which it is sent. Again I won’t post this on trip advisor or any review site for that matter but work is required and should...

I stayed here one night 5th May 2025. Check in was very friendly and efficient. The room was large with a double bed and a fold out sofa. There was one ‘desk’ chair but no easy chair, which would have been redundant anyway, with the sofa. There was no air con at all. There was a control and grille, but no way of getting them to work, so the windows had to stay open. Tea/coffee were provided, along with two complimentary cans of water in the fridge. || The TV swivelled, which was great as I didn’t have to sit on the bed to watch it. Only two electrical sockets were available, one by the desk and the other (also with 2 USB ports) by one side of the bed. Oddly, the other side had nothing. A hair dryer was under the desk. A safe, large enough for an iPad was provided. Like the last Novotel I stayed in, there was no phone. WiFi was fast, about 70mbps, this was the ‘enhanced’ WiFi for All Accor members.|| The toilet was separate from the shower and sink. The seat on the toilet refused to stay up. Soap, shampoo and body wash were by Rituals (Ritual of Karma). The water was just about hot enough to wet shave with and the shower was very powerful. || I slept OK. I could hear the traffic, because I left the windows open due to lack of air con. But I woke up rested.|| Breakfast was OK. All the usual suspects. Fried eggs were available, but other options were to be had on request. The coffee machine stopped working when I tried to make a cup, but a member of staff made me one from the bar. Another member of staff got it going again.|| I was on a ‘stay and park’ cruise package. Weirdly, no taxi was included, however Uber is available and comes in cheaper than the exorbitant prices the local cabs charge cruisers!|| Would I stay here again? I...