Novotel Nuernberg Messezentrum

The birthday decorations on the breakfast table were superb. They set them up when I asked and made a lovely memory. Breakfast was tasty, and the staff were friendly. I do think parking in front of the hotel should be free when guests are already paying for their stay, though the side street parking was free. The Wi-Fi wasn’t impressive, and some games or activities for winter would be a nice addition.

I enjoyed the sauna and the breakfast. The room was good, though quite small, and it fitted me fine. The gym is tiny, with one piece of equipment out of order. The outdoor pool wasn’t much use either, since it’s always inaccessible during winter in Germany. I also didn’t like having to pay for the outdoor garage.

We did get dinner in the end, and I helped cool things down after my wife argued with the restaurant employee. But it was a strange and unpleasant way to get there. At check-in, a board said dinner reservations were compulsory. The receptionist told us they weren’t needed. Since we arrived around 6 pm and the restaurant looked empty, I checked with someone there about eating in 5-10 minutes. He firmly said we needed a reservation. When I asked if that was really necessary with no customers around and mentioned his tone, he seemed annoyed and did nothing to make things better. My wife arrived with our daughter five minutes later and had a row with him. She’s used to US customer service. The man said he was the manager on duty, in charge of the hotel on the Saturday after Christmas. I found his attitude hard to understand for someone in that position. Had he missed all the training on dealing with guests?

The food was good and it was quiet, but everything else was poor. There were bugs in lots of places, and the beds were hard, which I don’t like. I wouldn’t recommend it.