Novotel Geelong

Nice room, close to everything. Good spot

Location is good, price is ok, room facilities are nice and new but the lobby is undergoing renovation so you need to carry your baggge up a flight of stairs or wait for someone to assist you.

Renovation can be seen Paid for an upgrade to L6 Oceanview room. Book room fr Agoda… most times room assigned are low floors n not great . Hotel ok, breakfast Ok but is near to sea / esplanade - nice

Novotel Geelong — -100/10. Extremely disappointing for a 4-star hotel. I was extremely disappointed with my stay at Novotel Geelong. For the price I paid, almost THB 10,000, which is around AUD 428, I expected a much better level of service and transparency. The hotel stated that car parking was available, but it was not clearly communicated that it was not free. I was shocked to find out that valet parking costs AUD 50 per day. If this had been stated clearly before booking, I honestly would not have chosen this hotel. It made me feel misled and very disappointed. There was also no assistance with luggage, which was surprising for a hotel that presents itself as a 4-star property. The check-in experience was terrible. The receptionist was not helpful at all. She simply handed me three pieces of paper without properly explaining anything. It did not feel like a 4-star hotel experience at all. I had two separate bookings for the same room. The first booking did not include breakfast, while the second booking did. However, the receptionist did not proactively explain whether I could stay in the same room or whether I needed to move. I had to ask repeatedly myself. This is something the receptionist should have clarified clearly during check-in. On the second morning, after breakfast, my keycard no longer worked in the lift, and I had to go back to reception again. Luckily, the receptionist at that time was a different person and spoke much more politely. I also did not receive complimentary water for the second day and had to follow up twice. Unfortunately, this involved the same receptionist from check-in. Before going to bed, I asked where the breakfast area was and what time it opened. The receptionist simply pointed at the paper and told me to read it myself. Is this really normal for a 4-star hotel? Are guests not supposed to ask staff basic questions? The breakfast experience on the second day was also extremely disappointing, especially because it was part of a separate booking that cost even more than the first night. I felt very bad for my friend because we paid this much and received such poor service. My friend even asked whether the female staff had an issue with Asian guests, because the way we were treated felt noticeably uncomfortable. We had to wait a very long time for a table, much longer than other guests, and the female staff did not seem to care. Fresh coffee was not included in the buffet, and guests were expected to use a basic coffee machine. The coffee tasted terrible — honestly, even instant coffee would have been better. When I went to order eggs, the same female staff member ignored me and left me standing there for a very long time. If she was busy, she could have simply said, “Just a moment.” But saying nothing and making a guest wait without any acknowledgement is not acceptable for a 4-star hotel. The breakfast buffet itself was very disappointing. There was almost nothing impressive, except the rice soup and chilli powder. I regretted paying for it, especially when there are much better breakfast places around the hotel. The hotel also sent a message before arrival through Agoda, but the links and buttons in the Agoda message did not work, so I could not complete the pre-arrival form. However, whether the form was completed or not, proper explanation and basic service mind should still be expected from hotel staff. Overall, this stay was extremely disappointing. The lack of transparency about parking, poor check-in experience, lack of luggage assistance, repeated issues with the keycard and complimentary water, and the poor breakfast service made this feel far below a 4-star standard. I would not recommend this hotel. For the price paid, the service was absolutely not worth it. Rating: -100/10.