Citadines Confluent Nantes - Europe

The rooms were lovely, beautifully decorated and clean, and the staff were friendly. I can’t fault the hotel itself. The spa setup was the letdown. We found it while searching for a spa hotel for New Year’s Eve, but the small pool and steam room are in a separate building across the courtyard, beneath a care home. You have to carry your things across an uncovered courtyard, then pass through a foyer where older people are playing cards. There are no spa signs in the hotel, and reception is where you find out how to get there. No fluffy robes or slippers, and no relaxing lift ride down to an oasis. It just didn’t meet the expectations we’d had.

On my first stay, I liked the quiet rooms and comfortable bed. The kitchen made it easy to prepare a quick meal, and the location was handy: a good walk from the town centre, with the tram and bus right nearby. I’d recommended the place before. My return was very different. I’d tried to add my husband to an upcoming reservation through the app, but it wouldn’t let me. When I mentioned this to the manager, she assumed I was the loud, rude English-speaking caller she’d dealt with earlier. I explained it wasn’t me, but she went to the computer and changed something. On my second stay I got a room where everything was broken and noisy. I felt I was being punished for someone else’s behaviour on the phone. I’m sorry the manager had been treated badly, but it wasn’t by me. She started shaking and seemed nervous, wasn’t listening, and overreacted to everything I said.

The rooms were large, the beds comfortable, the coffee was good, and the employees were nice. Still, this was the poorest four-star hotel I’ve stayed in so far. The floor, fridge and bins were dirty, there was no daily cleaning, and I couldn’t open the windows or adjust the temperature. The odd smell and heat eased over time with the AC. Breakfast was limited in both quality and choice compared with other four-star hotels. Plastic seemed to be everywhere, from the sheets and room floors to the breakfast mats. Getting to the pool meant carrying all your things across the yard to another building and asking that receptionist where to go. It’s a long way from the city centre, though there’s a tram stop nearby. Maybe Citadines just isn’t my kind of place, but it fell short of what I expected and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it.

Reception made a strong impression: check-in and check-out were smooth and professional, and the team seemed to genuinely enjoy working in hospitality. Their warm commitment was especially nice to see during such an uncertain time. My room, number 304, looked onto the courtyard, so it was quiet, and it was spacious and impressively clean. I booked a one-night stay for 04th - 05th December 2021 after reading good reviews on Google and Booking.com. The hotel is conveniently placed between Nantes city centre and the route to the airport. It was a very pleasant stay, and I’ve found my preferred hotel for next time in Nantes.