Novotel Montreal Airport
September 2022
Novotel is a French hotel chain that shares the All Accor rewards program with the Fairmont and Sofitel hotel chains in Canada. Interestingly, there are very few Novotel properties in the United States, only three at the time of writing, in Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania. For my first visit in an hotel of this chain, I chose one of their two establishments in Montreal, the Novotel Montreal Airport. As its name suggests, it is located a few kilometers from Montreal’s Trudeau Airport, near Highway 40. This area is not very commercial and there are not many stores or restaurants within walking distance, or within a short driving distance.
The property
This hotel is a four-story building. This construction dates back since everywhere in the common areas, and in the room, there are traces of wear and tear and lack of maintenance, including several stains on the walls. The lobby is medium in size, and there are several tables and chairs around.
The room
The room is large, furnished with a king size bed, very comfortable. However, the bed sheets are stained. The floor is of imitation wood. There is a sofa bed, a small work desk with a chair on wheels. Power and USB outlets are accessible from the desk. There are no other tables available despite the space available. Bedside tables are available on each side of the bed and power, and USB sockets are accessible.
The room is also equipped with a medium-sized TV, hung on the wall. It is possible to connect an HDMI cable using an extension cable provided for this purpose, but there is no surface to place the equipment that could be plugged in, which is not practical. It will therefore be necessary, to place, the device, for example the computer, connected to the TV, on the floor, since the desk is placed too far from the TV. No USB connector is available on the TV. There are no options available to watch a streaming channel directly. However, a good selection of French and English channels is available.
There is also a closed wardrobe, in which there is a safe and an ironing board and iron. There are also a very small fridge and an original Nespresso capsule coffee machine. Cardboard cups are available, but they are too large to fit under the spout of the coffee machine. You can still make a coffee by tilting the cardboard cup. A kettle is also available with a very small assortment of two tea bags. These accessories are placed on a stand in which several storage drawers are available. There is no microwave in this room.
There are a lot of wear marks on the furniture that betray the age of the last update of the place. I found several stains on the walls that indicate a lack of maintenance. The lampshade of the floor lamp, placed next to the sofa bed, is stained. The window blind is damaged and does not work very well. Despite the wear and tear of the furniture and stains everywhere, the room is clean.
The window in my room looks out onto the roof of another section of the building, below, and you can constantly hear the noise of the mechanical systems. Sound attenuation measures would be necessary, or to improve the soundproofing of windows. The air conditioning system in the room is noisy.
The bathroom
The bathroom is accessed through a “French” door placed at 45 degrees. It’s difficult to snap the mechanism to latch the two parts of the door together to close it, and to trigger it to open it. The bathroom is rather small. There is a shower, and there is no bath.
There is enough surface area on one side of the sink. There is an interesting assortment of small-format cosmetic products based on shea.
The entire bathroom, including the shower, is clean.
Services
The staff at the front desk are polite and friendly. Outdoor parking is free, which is interesting since many establishments in this area have started to charge fees for their outdoor parking. The wi-fi is free and of excellent quality. There is a restaurant on site that offers a small menu. Breakfast is not included in the cost of the room. The restaurant’s menu offers only four choices for this meal, and the prices are affordable. A bar is in the lobby, and adjacent to the restaurant. This establishment is also equipped with an indoor swimming pool, a small gym and a few meeting rooms.
Design
The furniture of the room is insufficient for its surface area. I found the futuristic design of the headboard with the integrated lighting interesting. The light-coloured woodwork of the bed and bedside tables is in the spirit of Scandinavian design. However, the colour of the work desk and the floor do not match together or with the bed. The whole thing gives the impression of patched up.
My two cents
Although a stay at this hotel might be a great opportunity to earn All Accor points, this establishment is clearly showing its age and could use a facelift. There are several other hotels of varying categories in this area of Montreal. It’s easy to find others in better condition.
The devil is in the details:
- Stained bed sheet.
- Cups incompatible with the coffee machine
- Constant noise from outside
Pros
- Large room.
Cons
- Wear and tear and poor maintenance of the room.
- Noisy air conditioning system.