Novotel Avignon Centre

This is a very nice and clean hotel about 5 minutes walk from the train station, and maybe 15-20 minutes walk to Palais des papes. Ample fresh cold drinking water is available on each floor in coolers near the elevators. Rooms are clean and modern. Lobby area is awesome with a pool table and games, as well as a bar and restaurant. There is a courtyard swimming pool that is well-maintained and is surrounded by recliner pool deck chairs and umbrellas, giving the feel of an upscale beach resort. Our room included a couple of complimentary juices, sparkling water, and mixed nuts. The layout of the bathroom is the only bizarre part, as the shower is visible to the bed through a glass wall that can be frosted with the push of a button. We had a peaceful stay, with the only concern being the restaurant staff. There were three of us eating and two meals were finished before the third meal was served (and it was cold). The taste of the food was delicious and the restaurant was not very busy, but the staff seemed unable to keep up with orders. Otherwise, I would recommend staying here. Certainly, a swimming pool in Europe in a hotel in this price range can be hard to find.

Don’t walk—run. This was one of the most disappointing hotel experiences I’ve had. When we entered our room, it smelled like raw sewage. We immediately reported it to the front desk. The staff acknowledged the problem and brought an air purifier, but it did absolutely nothing to eliminate the odor. We were told the hotel was fully booked, so moving us to another room was not an option. To make matters worse, while I was calmly explaining how frustrating the situation was after arriving late and simply wanting to shower before dinner, one of the front desk employees, Jeremy, became impatient and walked away from me mid-conversation. His colleague, Ilan, remained courteous and professional, but unfortunately there was no solution. After returning home, I noticed multiple reviews mentioning the same sewage smell. If this is a recurring issue, guests should not be assigned to these rooms until the problem is permanently resolved. A four-star hotel should provide a clean, comfortable room and respectful customer service. We received neither. I also contacted hotel management (Pauline) after our stay to request a resolution and never received a response. I cannot recommend this hotel. There are many better options in Avignon that value their guests and maintain their rooms to an acceptable standard.

Unfortunately we can't recommend this hotel, although the location is good and the onsite parking (at €14 per night) is convenient that's where the positives end. The room was large but the bed was the worst hotel bed l've slept in for a very long time. Our king size bed was two singles pushed together which was fine. Whilst my husband's side was ok, my side dipped in the middle through, l assume, years of use and there was very little support, l could feel the base through the mattress and l am not a large person. The bottom sheet was also ripped, stained and very old. Definitely not what you would expect from a decent hotel, or even a semi-decent one. I'm not someone who complains but after one night of very little sleep, l spoke to Reception who told me, a little tersely, that someone would be sent to investigate and, if it couldn't be resolved we would be moved. Unfortunately, after returning late in the day, we found nobody had done anything. Housekeeping had simply made the bed without even changing the ripped sheet. Although l didn't eat breakfast in the hotel my husband and our friends said it was particularly bad. Add to this the generally shoddy housekeeping and need for some additional TLC l wouldn't recommend this hotel and won't be back. I would also think twice about staying in another Novotel if this is the standard they accept.