Novotel Mechelen Centrum

We were four people with big suitcases for a two-week trip, stopping for one night while travelling across western Europe on business. Two staff members noticed us unloading and came across the street right away to help. The room was very nice again, and breakfast in the restaurant was superb. I love staying here.

The location is good, but the staff didn’t seem service minded. I stayed two nights, and on the first morning found there was no hot water in the shower. I reported it at the front desk and was told to check again when I got back that afternoon, and that I’d get another room if they couldn’t fix it during the day. That evening, nobody at the desk knew about the issue. They told me to go check for hot water myself. There still wasn’t any, so I went back downstairs. I said I was disappointed with the service and got no response beyond “sorry, here is your new room key.” I had breakfast there both mornings. Even with only a few other guests, one morning there were no free tables because they were covered with used dishes, cups, and cutlery. I had to clear one myself.

The location is perfect and the rooms are nice, though I wouldn’t use the sleeper couch as a bed. The gym is quite tiny, with just a cable machine, dumbbells up to 10 kg, and a few cardio machines. The hamam is nice, gets properly hot, and doesn’t have the bad smell you find in some hotels.

The venue was clean and looked great, but service suffered because there weren’t enough staff in reception, the bar, and restaurant during our stay. It made a big difference to how things ran and left us disappointed as customers.