Hotel Novotel Salerno Est Arechi

The car park was the only real plus. The location was poor for getting anywhere, and the hotel was not very clean. We found several dirty towels. The staff were friendly but unhelpful, and the pool looked absolutely filthy, though it wasn't open at the time. In March, the air conditioning wasn't in use, and our room stayed at 25 degrees Celsius, much too hot for us. It was set to heating, and the hotel was sweltering, as if many rooms had the heat turned up. I usually choose Accor hotels first. We knowingly picked this poorly located one because it was Accor, and I regretted it a lot.

I booked this hotel for the pool, hoping to cool off, since I hadn't expected early June to be so warm already. If being close to the city is what you want, this isn't the right place.

The value just wasn't there for what we paid, because the services didn't match the price. The rooms were far from clean, which is unacceptable for this kind of hotel. I was also put off by the many restrictions, like a receptionist telling me peanuts weren't allowed on the downstairs chairs. It felt rigid rather than comfortable. The staff came across as clearly unprofessional, and that spoiled things from the moment I arrived. I was very disappointed and wouldn't recommend this hotel.

Reception staff were friendly and helpful, but there were several things that made our family visit disappointing. The location looked tempting at just 100 meters from the beach, but it is next to military facilities and an industrial area, so we couldn't enjoy the beach. Historical Salerno was a 30 minute drive away, and though trains ran every 30 minutes, there was no service after 10 pm. Breakfast was average, with a variety of hot food, cereals, and fruit. The pool wasn't available for what seemed a very strange reason: reception said the weather was too warm. I couldn't understand why guests couldn't use it, and wondered if they were saving money on maintenance. A few times in the middle of the night someone called our room. I was still unsure about it, since answering the hotel phone after midnight felt like too much. I slept with the window open and woke during the night to a strong burning smell, like a fire. My room faced the rubbish dump. It wasn't ideal for someone with asthma, though I'm not sure if it was a one-off. I'd probably not return, and wouldn't recommend it for families. It seems more designed for business travel.