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Welcome to Novotel Canberra, accommodation in the Heart of the City, work, relax & rejuvenate in our spacious, well-appointed rooms. Within walking distance of boutique shopping, Canberra’s best restaurants and entertainment, offering the perfect location for your Canberra stay. Guests are provided with the ideal environment to handle the busiest workload or simply to enjoy the comfortable surroundings relaxing after a long day in our in-door heated pool, spa, gym and sauna. With a variety of room types featuring comfortable custom-made Novotel “Live N Dream” beds, 32-inch LCD screens, highspeed Wi-Fi and sustainable amenities with carbon offsetting available. We invite you to explore the natural beauty of Canberra for both business and leisure at Novotel Canberra with the convenience of the city at your doorstep.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Accor Hotels.
HOTEL STYLE
Green
Family
Languages Spoken
English
Location
65 Northbourne Ave, Canberra 2601 Australia
Novotel Canberra
4,042 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
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Novotel Canberra, while celebrated for its central location near vibrant cafes and shops, receives mixed reviews on other fronts. Guests have called out the hotel for its outdated rooms and atmosphere, suggesting a need for renovation despite some areas being praised for comfort and cleanliness.
The amenities, including the pool and comfortable beds, offer solace, but inconsistent service and maintenance issues have been noted. While the hotel's cleanliness generally meets standards, the value proposition is challenged by dated facilities and less-than-impressive dining options.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Outdated
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Satisfactory
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The Novetel is in a great location right on Northbourne Avenue and close to cafes, shops, and restaurants.
The furniture and decor are looking tired, worn, and outdated. The bed was saggy, and although comfortable enough, it was on its last legs.
The staff seemed overworked, but they were friendly.
The room was quite spacious and had a desk, which i appreciated in order to do work. (Although one of the drawers wouldn't close and kept popping open).
The shower door couldn't close properly, so it kept popping open, and water would go everywhere. The toilet didn't flush fully (or often at all).
There were signs to leave the bathroom door open, or the fire alarm might go off..and if that happened, you have to pay a fine (there were no fans in the bathroom). The fire alarm did go off one morning... I wonder if they traced who did it?
The food in both the restaurant and in room dining was pretty average for the cost.
I guess if you could get a room here for a good price, it would be worth it due to the location. However, if you're after more than 3 stars, you might want to keep looking .
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Date of stay: May 2024Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jessica James, General Manager at Novotel Canberra
Responded 19 June 2024
Dear PussyCat69 Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about your recent stay at the Novotel on Northbourne Avenue. We sincerely apologise for the inconveniences you experienced during your visit. We appreciate your positive comments about our location and the friendliness of our staff. However, we are truly sorry to hear about the issues you encountered with the room. Your comments highlight areas where we need to improve, and we assure you that these concerns will be addressed with our maintenance and housekeeping teams. Additionally, we apologise for the average quality of the food and will work with our culinary team to enhance our offerings. We value your feedback as it helps us improve our services. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future, providing you with a more pleasant and comfortable stay. Kind regards,
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Despite the friends & family discount we received from a friend interstate, we were still pretty underwhelmed. We booked an Executive King Room, and requested one of the rooms with a bathtub. When we arrived at the hotel, we were asked if we needed the sofa bed in our room, we said "no", so the front desk "upgraded" us... to another Executive King Room, except, without a bathtub, or the extra pillows we'd asked for.
That night, we decided to go for a swim in the pool, and read that the pool towels were located in the cupboard... which they weren't. So we called down to the front desk to request two pool towels, and were sent one towel and a large woollen blanket, instead. Ver The pool was extremely shallow (we could kneel all the way through) and unfortunately we didn't get much of a chance to experience it as it was very busy, even at 9:30pm.
The room itself was extremely dated. The shower fixtures are all rusted, and the soap tray was so loose that soap constantly fell off it. No toothbrush or toothpaste was provided, I guess most people don't use them any more. But we'd forgotten ours and it was noticed. The "rain shower" is not a rain shower, it's just a regular showerhead with intentionally drippy water pressure.
At the buffet breakfast the next morning (not included), we booked in for a 9:30 slot, arrived at 9:25 and we didn't get in until 9:45 as there was a long line of large families and only one staff member checking people in. Most of the breakfast food was gone, and being only sporadically refilled, and when a new plate was put out it was quickly pounced on by the other guests. When you only have half a dinner plate's worth of mushrooms coming out at a time, with 45 people waiting for them, yeah, they went quickly. The food we did get was tasty, but after we were hurried to finish at 10am, we left quite hungry. It also ended up costing us about $65 so realistically, a bit of a ripoff.
Overall, we were really quite disappointed. When we were down in Canberra last year we stayed at the Canberra Rex which, while less convenient location-wise, was considerably nicer. I would highly recommend them instead.
The only positives of our stay were the housekeeping (who said good morning to us whenever we passed by, and did an extremely thorough clean when we ducked out for lunch for no more than an hour) and the proximity to Canberra centre (about 500m away)
Great: Housekeeping, location Not Great: Front desk, buffet breakfast, room appearance
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Date of stay: January 2022
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of an individual contributor and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Perfect location right in the center with a multitude of restaurants and shops in the immediate area. The hotel itself is very decent with a beautiful swimming pool. The restaurant only has a skeletal menu but offers a nice discount to Accor Plus card holders.
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Le petit supplément pour une chambre plus confortable vaut la peine d être accepté.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Not sure where to start, there were so many things wrong with this hotel. I believe the photos might describe part of the experience.
False advertising. Should have known as soon as we stepped into the lift which had chunks taken out of the floor on entry, the room was incredibly small, the power outlets didn’t work, the shower/bath was putrid and unable to be used by anyone over 5 foot tall, it certainly had no mirror or vanity in the bathroom - all the room had was the cracked sink which was nearly at the front door, the furniture was literally held together with sticky tape, the glassware wasn’t clean… honestly was lost for words.
The front desk even admitted the carpark was a joke - I would say for $32 a day additional to the overpriced cost of staying at this ‘hotel’ this was extortion. If you park there, don’t expect to get out even though they advertise unlimited entry. Lucky that the hotel is walking distance to most facilities because there was no way once my car was wedged in the carpark I was risking moving it!
I have never loved my own bed more either than after staying at the Novotel Canberra. The pillows are literally concrete. My wife ended up getting severe neck pain from the ‘bed’ while on our holiday - she ended up bed ridden and sick upon returning home.
This hotel needs drastic renovations, the carpark needs to be replaced and they need to seriously reconsider their pricing structure considering the level of dilapidation of their facilities. They are more interested in blowing leaves away from the front foyer than actually addressing what needs to be done which is ensuring rooms are fit for guests. The hotel staff are delusional if they think this is even close to being acceptable. To say it was disappointing to the hotel industry but to Canberra itself is an understatement!
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Save your money and look elsewhere
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jessica James, General Manager at Novotel Canberra
Responded 13 Sept 2023
Dear Trevor H, Thank you for choosing to stay with us at Novotel Canberra. We are very disappointed to hear that your recent experience at our property did not meet your expectations. Please allow me to express my sincerest apologies. At Novotel Canberra, we strive to provide a superior service experience for every guest. Your detailed feedback is very important to us and we appreciate you taking the time to share it. Please rest assured that we are taking the appropriate measures to investigate and address all concerns that you have raised. It is our hope that we get the opportunity to better serve you in the near future. Sincerely, Jessica James General Manager
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Common areas are satisfactory, but nowhere near luxury.
Beyond premium room options, rooms are outdated and feel dirty with marks on walls, broken tiles, stained grout, stained carpet, etc.
Breakfast is fantastic if you want a tutorial on how not to run a restaurant. A buffet breakfast with entry wait lines all three mornings we stayed. Specific areas Novotel must address: - 16 minute wait time from elevator door to restaurant entry. - only one person admitting entry to guests to the breakfast area. At minimum, two staff are required. It is not feasible to have one person with a line 40 people deep running back and forth between table and entry. Note, there were at all times at least three tables fully vacant which could have seated four guests. - the raised bar seating to the right of restaurant entry is wasted seating space. Not once was a single person seated there. The three of us would have been quite happy to be seated there. - a line for clean plates each day. - slow replenishment of food. - staff conduct. On multiple occasions, one female staff member was speaking aggressively towards a male colleague, at times yelling at him in frustration.
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Go to a different hotel.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed 2 nights in a standard twin room with 2 adults and 2 kids. Had read reviews so knew the hotel might be a bit average and I would definitely agree. Our room was in desperate need of a renovation. Walls and furniture all very marked, carpet stained and bathroom, particularly the shower was pretty gross. The room wasn’t serviced all day, had to ask reception but phone broken so had to go down and speak to them. Also Asked for fitted sheets to be put on the bed as only flat sheets which came off in the night. I was told they don’t have fitted sheets. They sent up some fresh cups but still no tea/coffee so had to ask again. They finally came in with new towel la while we were at dinner but left all the dirty plates/bowl etc. Pool/spa good but very busy in school holidays. Kids running up the corridor and yelling from 5.30am. Parking also expensive and difficult. We came back from dinner and couldn’t get a spot. Husband had to drop us off then go look for a car park in the dark/rain which wasn’t fun. Much cheaper than hotel parking however. Always had to wait at front reception as not enough staff and not overly friendly either. Overall, a very basic hotel, desperate for a renovation and won’t return.
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Date of stay: July 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jessica James, General Manager at Novotel Canberra
Responded 22 July 2024
Dear ksweed04 Thank you for taking the time to provide detailed feedback about your recent stay. We are genuinely sorry to hear about the multiple issues you encountered during your visit. We regret that your room was not up to standard and required renovation and we are addressing these concerns with our housekeeping and maintenance teams to ensure improvements are made. The busy pool and spa area during school holidays and the early morning noise from kids running in the corridor are unfortunate. We will explore ways to manage these busy periods better and ensure a quieter environment for all guests. We understand your frustration with the parking situation and the lack of staff at reception. We are looking into ways to improve our parking facilities and staffing levels to provide a more seamless experience for our guests. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we apologize for the overall basic experience you had at our hotel. We are committed to making necessary improvements and hope you might reconsider staying with us in the future to experience these changes.
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I had a comfortable stay in this hotel. I certainly like to sit in the yellow chair in the room! The housekeeper was also diligent and the room was cleaned very efficiently everyday when I was there. The hotel is also in a wonderful location in the city centre.
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Date of stay: October 2024Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I don’t know where to start, we arrived at 3:30 and check in is at 3 but our rooms were not even ready. I requested for interconnecting rooms but they gave us 2 standard rooms. I told reception to fix it and he did but it took him a while.
$32 per day for parking but when we went to the carpark, no parking was available so we ended up parking at somewhere else. It was valet parking, which was okay but when they told us there was no parking left and that they would take it somewhere else we didn’t want that. Later when we were looking for our own parking we found out they park our cars to a close by parking lot which is WAY CHEAPER than the $32 per day.
The rooms are dirty and outdated, the painting was peeling off the walls. There was mould in the bathrooms and the carpet was stained which made the room smell. Also very small elevator, the hotel needs renovation.
Breakfast is okay, nothing special. No pancakes/hotcakes. The staff was not that friendly at the buffet, they didn’t even have a smile on there face.
I am very very disappointed.
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jessica James, General Manager at Novotel Canberra
Responded 9 Oct 2023
Dear Rindfleishtravels, Thank you for choosing to stay with us at Novotel Canberra and thank you for taking the time to provide us with this detailed review. I also appreciate you taking the time to speak with me over the phone in such detail this afternoon. As discussed we are very sorry to hear that your time at our property did not meet your expectations. We are working through all of your concerns and will ensure they are investigated and addressed. We hope to get the opportunity to better serve you and your family in the near future and make this up to you. Thank you again for sharing and for allowing us to improve. Sincerely, Jessica James General Manager
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The beds were amazing, so soft and comfortable. The Staff were amazing, the front desk were always happy to give any help they could. The restaurant team gave an amazing experience and the housekeeping team were incredibly professional when cleaning my room. Cannot wait to stay again!
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jessica James, General Manager at Novotel Canberra
Responded 28 Jan 2024
Dear DeanrH805kn, Thank you for choosing to stay with us at Novotel Canberra. We are thrilled to hear that your recent experience with us was outstanding. It is fantastic to hear that you found our beds very comfortable and our team both amazing and professional. This feedback will be shared and celebrated with the whole team. We look forward to warmly welcoming you back on your next visit to the Nation's Capital. Sincerely, Jessica James General Manager
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Room was a decent size, double king. However my bathroom had an absolutely putrid smell to it. I complained and someone came fairly quickly to 'pineoclean the drains' which did nothing. Shower was a little dirty. When my room was made up, they forgot to restock the milk and coffee and the lotion in my bathroom was empty. When I called reception for more milk, someone did bring me up some (immediately) in person - which was efficient. The pool, spa and sauna at this hotel are nice.
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Date of stay: October 2024Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Tess McLaughlin, Guest Services / Front Office at Novotel Canberra
Responded 9 Nov 2024
Dear Sophie, Thank you for sharing your feedback. I’m truly sorry to hear about the issues you experienced with the bathroom odor and cleanliness, as well as the missing amenities. This is not the experience we strive to provide for our guests, and I’ll be addressing these concerns with the housekeeping team to ensure they’re resolved. I’m glad, however, that you enjoyed our pool, spa, and sauna facilities – we aim to provide a relaxing experience, and it’s great to hear that aspect of your stay was positive. I appreciate your comments and hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back for a more enjoyable stay in the future. Please feel free to reach out directly if you’d like to discuss further. Kind Regards, Tess McLaughlin Front Office Manager
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Dear James W,
We do have a sumptuous buffet breakfast available and if you purchase on check in you can get it at a discounted rate of $20 instead of the usual $30. The buffet includes 6 hot dishes, cold fruits, cereals, juices, danishes and tea and coffee. Enjoy!
There are more places to choose from in the Canberra area.
PRICE RANGE
AU$153 - AU$220 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
novotel canberra hotel canberra, accor canberra, canberra novotel
LOCATION
AustraliaAustralian Capital TerritoryCanberra
NUMBER OF ROOMS
286
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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