Novotel Cairo El Borg Hotel

The location’s pretty good, and the staff were warm and welcoming. On arrival, they upgraded me because the room type I’d booked wasn’t available. They mentioned I might need to move back to my original room later, which I understood, but I got to keep the same room for the whole stay. A nice extra. Honestly, everything went smoothly, and I’d definitely recommend staying here. Thanks, team!

Breakfast was a bright spot, and it runs from 6:30 to 10:30. The bathroom, though, was very small and only functional, so it could be awkward for someone larger. We got lukewarm water in the shower. That was okay for us, but might not suit anyone who likes a hot shower. We spent three nights here in December. Before our scheduled checkout, staff went into our room and put our luggage in storage. Maybe there was a mix-up, but we weren’t there to sort it out at the time. When we spoke to the manager, Osama, he was rude and accused us instead of apologizing. Staff also pushed us hard to leave a five-star Google review, so I’m not sure how much faith to put in the ratings here. If good food matters more to you than your belongings, this might be the place.

We stayed for eight nights, and the dinner on our half-board plan was well below standard. When we raised it, nobody responded. Another evening, Tuesday 6th jan, there wasn’t a single staff member in the dining room. We waited ten minutes and then left without anyone showing up. On two afternoons in a row, while one of us was unwell and stuck in bed, renovation work meant drilling and hammering. The first day, reception didn’t even answer our complaints. I had to go there myself and ask for the manager before they reluctantly stopped the noise. The next day, we went to management again and got no response at all. There wasn’t even an apology for the disruption. Breakfast was good, but the hotel doesn’t take its customers seriously.

Aya, the manager, followed up with me herself to hear my feedback, and I appreciated how much she seemed to care about improving guests’ stays. The cleaning staff were kind and respectful, and the staff in general were nice and helpful. The hotel is right by the Nile, which is a great location. The building, though, is old and needs renovation. The elevator is painfully slow, and outside noise and nearby parties carry right into the rooms. The bathroom feels dated too, including both the shower and hand shower, which need work. A toilet brush in the bathroom would help as well.