Novotel Wien Hauptbahnhof

Being close to the main railway station and its U-Bahn link made trips around Vienna and beyond really easy. The room was quiet and very comfortable. The bar was well stocked and well run, and the sauna was excellent. Both made for a relaxing end to the day.

There’s no hotel parking, but a public lot is about a four-minute walk away, so it wasn’t a problem for me. I’ve stayed here at least five times and never had a bad experience. The restaurant is exceptional, with delicious hamburgers and decent steak. The hotel is clean, the rooms are spacious, and the beds are very comfortable. The team are down to earth and happy to chat. Food and drinks are well priced for such a nice hotel. It’s near the train station, with pubs, restaurants, and some attractions within walking distance. I’m especially glad the showers have great pressure, and the bathrooms are clean and well lit.

The room looked set up for one person, not a couple. It was very small, with just one chair and a tiny coffee table. We were given a room for disabled guests without asking. That wasn’t the main problem, but the shower and toilet setup was different, and when I tried switching off the lights I triggered something like the alarm by the bed. There was no minibar or fridge, and not even a small bottle of water. Any water we bought had to be drunk warm. There was no coffee either. The towels were for one person, so my partner and I had to share one after showering. I’d rate the room cleaning 2 out of 5 and the whole stay 0.5 out of 5. It was the worst 4-star hotel I’ve stayed in, and I will never book with Novotel again. Avoid it at any cost.

The hotel could be much better with some improvements. The service, especially housekeeping, didn’t meet what I expect from a 4-star place: our hand soap was empty and needed refilling, and we had to ask for conditioner too. There was no fridge in the room. That said, I liked the hotel overall. The rooms were nice and clean, breakfast was good, and being very close to the train station made it easy to get anywhere in Vienna.