OverviewLocated about an 8-minute drive from Geneva's city centre and a 2-minute drive to Lake Geneva (Lac de Geneve), the Novotel Geneve Centre is geared towards business and vacation travellers who prefer a centrally located hotel with a spa and wellness centre and on-site dining.
This hotel has 206 air-conditioned guest rooms and suites, each offering free Wi-Fi, an in-room safe, cable TV, a coffeemaker, a mini-bar, a desk and a hair dryer. Rooms with a sitting area and sofabed, slippers and a bathrobe for each guest and a separate bedroom are also available, as are wheelchair-accessible rooms.
Hotel amenities include a free bus pass for each guest, a spa and wellness centre, a fitness centre, a Turkish steam bath, a sauna, a bar, meeting/banquet space, a business centre and laundry facilities. Self-parking is available for CHF 30 per night and pets are permitted for an additional CHF 20 per pet, per night.
On-site dining is offered at Novotel Cafe, which serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and room service daily. Many restaurants and shops are near the hotel, accessible in under 10 minutes on foot.
Centre Balexert SA offers shopping about a 13-minute drive away, while United Nations Office at Geneva and the Geneva Botanical Gardens are both roughly a 9-minute drive away. Geneva Cornavin Train Station is a 7-minute walk southwest, and Geneva International Airport (GVA) can be found 12 minutes away by car. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with praise going to the hotel's staff, rooms and location.
The hotel's staff were the source of many compliments by lodgers, who characterized them as pleasant, professional, accommodating and multilingual. One guest remarked, "The staff were very helpful with our travel arrangements, booking a taxi for us and giving us free passes for public transit".
Numerous guests enjoyed the hotel's accommodations. They described their rooms as clean, spacious and quiet, with comfortable beds and pillows and large bathrooms.
The hotel's location was praised by several reviewers, who found it close to restaurants, Lake Geneva, Geneva Cornavin Train Station, shopping and downtown. One patron noted, "Location wise, it's central and in the city centre, between the main train station and the river/Geneva lake. It is just a short walk from everything". It should be noted, however, that some lodgers had complaints about the location (see below).
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were some common complaints about the location, the Wi-Fi and the prices.
Although several reviewers enjoyed the hotel's proximity to Lake Geneva and restaurants, some guests had complaints about the location. They reported the hotel being in the red light district, and said they felt unsafe at times. However, the majority of reviewers acknowledged that the hotel was in the red light district, but also felt safe in the area.
The hotel's Wi-Fi was a source of complaint for a few guests. They reported intermittent signals, and mentioned being disconnected frequently.
A few lodgers found the room rates, parking and restaurant to be overpriced and expensive.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #40 of 104 Geneva hotels with an average rating of 3.5 out of 5 from 533 reviews.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 7.8 out of 10 from 424 reviews.
Expedia.ca guests reviews rated the hotel 3.8 out of 5 with an 85% recommendation rate from 180 reviews.
