Short review
Value for money: 4/5 – High, but unfortunately the parking fee is expensive
Services: 4/5 – Friendly staff, good breakfast overall
Bedroom: 4/5 – No complaints here; relatively spacious and looked new
Sleep quality: 5/5 – Comfortable beds, quiet room
Bathroom: 4/5 – A bathtub, which is a rarity in 4-star hotels nowadays
Facilities and amenities: 5/5 – Very good compared to other 4-star hotels
Pros
- Very good location; many amenities nearby
- Good facilities
- Good breakfast for an Australian hotel
Cons
- Expensive parking fee and limited car park spaces
Long review
My family and I had the opportunity to stay 4 nights in the Novotel Glen Waverley. Let’s talk about the location first since, in my opinion, it is the best aspect about this 4-star hotel. Novotel Glen Waverley is strategically located within a 5-minute walking distance from a brand-new shopping centre, the Glen. There are also a cinema and several restaurants in the Century City Walk next to the hotel. Behind the hotel, there are also many restaurants offering dishes from various countries. In addition, the Glen Waverley library is within a walking distance. It was a fun place to visit for our 17-month old daughter. She actually made a friend when we visited the library in one evening.
From the best aspect, let’s move to the opposite end of the scale and look at the worst aspect. There is a car park in the basement of the hotel, but it is only one level and, as such, parking is limited. One evening, there was only 1 parking space available when we got back to the hotel. Not sure what to do if we did not have that 1 space. The parking fee was $20 per night for hotel guests, which was rather pricey. My view is always that guests should be allowed to park for free when staying in a hotel.
Check-in was uneventful and quick. The staff was friendly. The lobby is decent in terms of its size and design. There was a stall for serving water which was designed to appear like a popcorn stand near the main entrance. It’s unique I guess, but I don’t think it matches the overall interior of the lobby.
Our room is a standard room with 2 double beds. The room looked relatively new. The splash of red here and there made the room feel livelier. At 28 sqm, it is relatively spacious. The amenities in the room were as expected. The beds were comfortable and the room was quiet, allowing us to have wonderful night sleeps.
The bathroom is spacious enough. The bathtub is definitely welcomed since it has become a rarity in 4-star hotels in Australia.
The facilities in the hotel are very good. The indoor poor was clean and has a decent size. Unfortunately, there is no kiddie pool available. The sauna room in the pool area is a pleasant surprise. The gym was nicely equipped as well. The kids room is also a nice addition.
We tried the room service once. We ordered a steak and a plate of risotto. Both dishes were satisfactory. However, for a better value for money, simply try one of the many restaurants behind the hotel.
Finally, let’s review their breakfast. The breakfast room looks reasonably spacious at first, but it was filled up quickly during busy hours in the morning. Luckily, we always managed to secure a table every morning. There are various ‘stations’ in the breakfast area, including cereal and milk, cold food bar, English breakfast buffet, bread table, congee station, kids station, and beverages. Overall, the breakfast experience was better than the typical breakfast offered by Australian hotels.
At slightly less than $200 per night, the value for money was supposed to be high, but the expensive parking fee reduced this value quite significantly. Overall, however, we did enjoy our stay in this hotel due to its outstanding location and good facilities.
