Hôtel Europole

The noise was the main drawback. Doors banging in the corridor woke me at night, and in the morning other guests heading to breakfast made it hard to sleep in. The rooms don’t seem well insulated. The location worked really well for me, with the station and conference venue a short walk away and plenty of restaurants nearby. Staff were very friendly, and I appreciated having my room cleaned each day. Breakfast was disappointing: no fresh vegetables and very few hot choices, though the coffee was good.

I wouldn’t recommend staying here. The area didn’t feel very nice, and the room was small and far too hot. Neither the air conditioning nor the electric kettle worked, and there was visible grime and staining in the shower. The restaurant closes on weekends, and there’s no day shift at the desk. For safety, the doors are locked from outside at night and on weekends, so if you go out without your key, you have to wait for staff to arrive. The staff were kind, accommodating, and spoke English, which was the main positive.

The food was the only thing I liked. Most staff didn’t speak English, which made things harder for us coming from Greece. This was a school trip, so I understand rooms may differ. In mine, there was no mirror, unlike in some other rooms, and the shower light didn’t work. We also found used toilet paper in the bathroom bin. There was no grab handle in the bath, and the floor was slippery, so take care when showering. In another room, the bathroom door handle wasn’t fitted properly and had damaged the wall, and that room had no fridge. The TVs weren’t smart, so there was no Netflix, and the elevator was loud. I don’t think this place really deserves three stars.

The station area felt a little dark, as it can in many cities at night, but it still seemed safe. The hotel was well placed for the fair I was attending, and it was about a 15-minute walk to the center. It’s a nice three-star hotel, clean, with a kettle in the room, which was a welcome extra. The people at reception were wonderful and really kind and attentive.