Novotel Paris La Défense Nanterre

The worst hotel stay I've ever had. The rooms were extremely small and uncomfortable, and there was no sense of hospitality or care for guests. The staff didn't reflect what I'd expect from a 4-star hotel in the Novotel / Accor group. Breakfast was very limited, repetitive, poorly prepared, and presented with little care. There was no omelet station or toaster, the boiled eggs were cold, and the coffee machine served poor quality drinks with a bad taste. I repeatedly asked staff to make an omelet, warm the eggs with hot water, and heat the toast, and they refused each time. In the evening I asked to speak with the hotel manager and explained everything. He apologized but said this was the hotel's standard, which was shocking for a 4-star property. He said the toast and boiled eggs could be heated, but omelets weren't possible, and apologized for how I'd been treated. The following day the same requests were refused again, and the staff were even worse. It honestly felt like they were treating me badly because I'd complained, as if to punish me. The manager seemed to have no authority, and nobody followed his instructions. The worst incident happened when I again asked to have the boiled eggs warmed. After I insisted, staff heated them in a microwave. My 5-year-old son tried to cut one with a knife, and it exploded in his face, injuring his eye. When I asked for the restaurant manager, I was told there was no manager and that I couldn't complain. I was treated aggressively instead of being helped. The service was far below acceptable standards. I truly wouldn't recommend experiencing this hotel.

The staff weren't helpful or friendly. There are stairs at reception, which made handling our luggage difficult. My room's phone didn't work, despite staff saying they'd fixed it, so I had to go downstairs each time I needed something. I raised the room temperature problem six times, but it was never resolved. Dust remained on the mirror, table, and coffee machine even though staff came in daily, apparently just to make the bed.

The location worked well for the arena, which was our main reason for visiting for the Paris tennis masters. There's a taxi rank just down the road, too. But this was overpriced for the room and service, and poor compared with other Novotels I've stayed at in Paris. The cramped room had a terrible layout, and the air conditioning, mini fridge, and bedside USB points didn't work. Ordering taxis through reception was a bad experience: the first took 25 minutes when we were told 5, and the second never arrived, even though it was meant to take us to our train home. When I questioned the receptionist, they were so rude and basically blamed us, saying the taxi must have come and left. We were standing outside waiting.

It's been two weeks since my stay, and I still haven't received the deposit I paid at check-in. I was assured it would be returned promptly after checkout. This delay has caused significant inconvenience, and I expect an urgent update on the refund status and confirmation of when the money will reach my account. I trusted Accor hotels to be professional and reliable, so this has been particularly disappointing. Please resolve it promptly.