Tried & Tested

Hotel check: Novotel London St Pancras

24 May 2010 by BusinessTraveller

What's it like? The 16-storey four-star Novotel used to be an office building and I nearly walked past it on the busy Euston Road. The lobby has the Mirrors bar and restaurant and when I arrived at 6pm on a Tuesday it was busy with people meeting and chatting over coffee. There were a couple of people checking in but I only waited a couple of minutes before being served. There are three lifts and the middle one has a glass wall so you can look out as you ascend.

Where is it? On Euston Road, between Euston and Kings Cross St Pancras stations. It's a four-minute walk to each.

Room facilities: There are 312 rooms, a mixture of Superior and Executive. All have a combined bath and shower with a glass sink, adjustable vanity mirror, and toiletries by Novotel (shower gel and shampoo and conditioner, body lotion, soap, vanity kit, shower cap, nail file and body scrub). Rooms are the modern new-generation Novotel style with contemporary artwork and simple red and white décor. There is a large desk and lever arm lamp and wired internet access [Wifi is charged at 20 euros for 24 hours and wired internet access is charged at £12.95 fro 24 hours.] Wired and wifi access is free in Executive rooms. If you don't have a laptop with you there is TV internet access too.

Rooms also come with satellite TV and radio, tea and coffee-making facilities, a safe, iron and ironing board, hairdryer and minibar, although I couldn’t find the price list.I stayed in an Executive room on the 14th floor and the view from the lift area was stunning, overlooking the British Library and St Pancras station. The three suites have a panoramic view of London including the London Eye, the Gherkin, London Bridge and St Paul's – the other executive rooms have either one side of London or the other but all of them are high up. Executive rooms come with free water, a platter of fruit, robe and slippers and a Nespresso machine. I set my TV alarm and also requested a wake-up call from reception. Executive rooms also have king-size beds (Superiors have queens). I found the bed soft but very comfortable and I slept well, although I could hear the road below.

Restaurant and bars: The two-Rosette Mirrors bar and restaurant has purple and pink décor and comfortable armchair seating. I sat by the window and watched London wind down for the evening. There was a good atmosphere at 7pm. There are menus for lunch (two courses £16.50; three courses £18.50) and dinner (two courses £18.50; three courses £22.50), as well as à la carte options. The set menu has a good choice of starters, from potted shrimps to blue cheese terrine with Waldorf salad, mains such as coq au vin and salmon risotto and a good choice of desserts. I chose from the à la carte menu. It changes seasonally and this was the first two weeks for the new menu. There was an impressive choice – starters included coconut and crab soup (£5.75), rabbit galantine with cranberry (£5.95), and asparagus Mille-Feuille with butter sauce and truffle caviar (£7). I chose the latter and was served bread and butter while I waited. The starter came and it was delicate and delicious – the pastry was flaky and light and crumbled with the asparagus and lovely sauce, while the truffle caviar added a salty touch. Mains included rib eye and fillet steak (£20.95/£25.95), risotto with poached hen’s eggs and summer truffle (£13.95), and goats cheese terrine with lavender honey jelly (£16.25). I chose seared scallops with chorizo, green beans and blueberry fricasse and garlic tuile (£16.95). It was delicious, the blueberry complementing the chorizo perfectly.Champagne and wine are served by the glass and there were some lovely options including Pommery Brut Royal and Heidesieck Monopole Blue label. I also spotted a bottle of my favourite – Chateauneuf du Pape 2005 – for £55.

The service was attentive and the space between courses well considered. An excellent meal and a good place to have lunch if you have arrived from the Eurostar and are looking for something away from the station. The restaurant is open 12pm-2.30pm and 6.30pm-10.30pm. The bar is open 11am until midnight. Breakfast is also served here from 6.30am and you can order a take-away breakfast if this is too early, or room service from 6am. 

Business and meeting facilities: The hotel is next to the Shaw Theatre, which the owners took over last year. It is now used as an event space and is a great alternative to the more traditional type of auditoriums found in hotels. It has a separate entrance, own foyer, reception and bar, and tiered seating for 446 people. The theatre can also be used in conjunction with the hotel’s Nobel suite, a large room that divides in two with a breakout area and capacity for 360 people theatre-style. On the first floor are seven Regents Park rooms, which open on to a small atrium area. On the lower ground floor are six Hyde Park rooms with a foyer and breakout area. All rooms are flexible and the hotel has a dedicated meetings team to arrange packages for day and overnight delegates. The hotel also offers the Skyline suites on the 16th floor as an alternative to a boardroom meeting. There are a couple of PCs in the lobby for basic business needs and staff will help with secretarial services such as faxing or printing.

Leisure facilities: There is a good-size gym with large windows overlooking St Pancras station, with a variety of cardio machines and free weights. Use your card to access the gym. There is a steam room and sauna too but both are closed while the sauna is being refurbished – this should be completed by the end of May. After that the small changing rooms will also be revamped. Open 6.30am-10.30pm.
Verdict: An excellent location for the Eurostar and for Euston and Kings Cross stations. The excellent restaurant is good for a lunch meeting, and the meeting and event facilities are great too.

Factfile

How many rooms? There are 312 rooms, including three suites and 13 accessible rooms. Rooms are either Superior (standard) or Executive.

Room highlights: Spacious with neat, modern décor. The robe and slippers and free internet in Executive rooms are a bonus.

Price: Online from £175 in mid-week during June.

Contact: Novotel London St Pancras, 100-110 Euston Road; tel +44 (0)20 7666 9000; accor.com

Accor news: Accor has recently launched its free business account card for companies, which can be used to pay for any of the 130 Accor hotels across the UK, [including food and drink, and guaranteeing reservations]. The idea is to keep track of company expenses – you get one monthly VAT invoice detailing each transaction made. The card has 45 days’ interest-free credit and you can get monthly reports on expenditure to keep track of spending. Visit businessaccount.accorhotels.com for more information. 

Felicity Cousins

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