Novotel Spa Rennes Centre Gare

We had a good four-night stay in Rennes. The hotel is central but on a street that isn't too crowded, and our bright, clean room faced the main street without being noisy on the fourth floor. The small wardrobe and WC were the downside, so we had to use the coffee shelf and bench. We enjoyed the set meal at the pleasant restaurant. There are plenty of paid public parking spots along the street, and we didn't need the hotel's car park service. The location worked really well for us.

The location is excellent, about 10 minutes on foot to the cathedral and 3 minutes to the Metro+SNCF, with every kind of restaurant nearby. There's a spa and pool as well. Breakfast was excellent, though they didn't offer the plated options available in the UK and Asia. On arrival at 9.30pm I waited about 10 minutes because nobody was on duty. The card machine took a while to work, but it was reasonably quick.

The room itself was comfortable, and breakfast had plenty of choice. The hotel was also well placed for exploring Rennes. But we chose it partly because the listing mentioned a bar and restaurant, hoping to have dinner there after a day out. Both were closed when we came back on Saturday at 8:30 pm, which was a real surprise for a 4-star hotel. We'd also booked an Executive room for the high floor, away from street noise and possibly with a city view, but were given a room on the first floor. When I asked about the high-floor request, I was told only that it was an Executive room, with no acknowledgment of the booking reference. We could have eaten nearby, but the missing hotel services spoiled our weekend stay. We’re unlikely to choose it again.

The location was handy, near the station and metro, and about a 15-minute walk from the old city center. My room was spacious, though it felt quite dark and lacked any color or liveliness. There wasn't a reading light at the desk, which seemed odd. A faulty power socket also caused the electricity in the room to go out several times. Breakfast was decent. The price felt a little high, but the stay was okay overall.