I was a little surprised by the current rating of Novotel, as we Hamilton locals generally consider it to be one of the nicest hotels in town (I've lived here for nearly 4 years now). So, I was looking for something special when I booked a night here to stay with my husband to celebrate his birthday.
I made my booking online. In the comments part of the page, I mentioned that we were celebrating my husband's birthday. I asked for a view of the river.
When we arrived, the check-in process was quick and easy. The reception staff members were friendly and warm and wished my husband a happy birthday. She even said, "We managed to get you a room with a river view." Awesome - I love places that pay attention to details!
We got to our room and it was beautiful! It was spacious and the decor was modern and comfortable. I was amazed that there was a "pillow menu" to order form (although, mine were fine so I kept what I had).
The staff had also (at no charge to me), left a gorgeous fruit, nut and cheese plate in our room, with Happy Birthday written in chocolate around the rim of the plate. Additionally, there was a handwritten birthday card beside the plate, addressed to my husband. It was incredibly thoughtful and again, I really appreciated the attention to detail.
As part of a online booking special, we had breakfast at the hotel the following morning for $1 each! That's right, $1. It was a huge buffet style breakfast with an incredible amount of variety of options - cold cereals, eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, cold meat slices with cheese, pastries, muffins, breads (and even gluten-free ranges). Coffee was included and we each had a flat white. It was all very, very good.
I will definitely return and encourage any visitors I have needing accommodation to stay here while in Hamilton. read more