I've stayed at NEXT twice now and have to say it's got a lot going for it, including a terrific location, great guest amenities like a big lounge area to work and play in. The rooms themselves are new and slick and the phone-remote controller for everything in room is clever but sometimes hard to use when you're tired and can't remember how to do things like turn off lights and aircon!
The room rate is really quite reasonable for this standard of hotel and they win the hearts of those who stay here with special extras like free tea and coffee in the lounge area, a "we trust you" mini bar (including 4 freebies per day!) and sleep pods if you need a little pick-me-up during the day (still haven't tried them, damnit!)
My only criticism: the set up of NEXT is supposed to be seamless and more self-serve. I guess the idea is kind of like the supermarkets that now have self check-out, so you can check yourself in and out of NEXT without ever needing to speak to a human. The problem I see though, just like the supermarkets, is that when you need help or actually want to speak to a human, they're not always that friendly. You really could stay here without interacting with another human, and that I feel is a bit sad. It's set up with the business traveller in mind (free wifi, work areas, places for meetings etc which is awesome) but as a businesses traveller sometimes you want a friendly face to greet you when you come "home" at night and to perhaps remember your name. In the age of technology, have we forgotten the art of human customer service? read more