Review: the Novotel London Blackfriars hotel

This is my review of the Novotel London Blackfriars hotel.  It is brand new and very modern – but is it good?

There is a lot of Accor coverage on Head for Points and this site is apparently their major driver of Happy Mondays bookings (£25+ UK rooms available on a Monday and Tuesday for the following weekend).  However, I haven’t stayed in one for a long time.

I had heard some very positive feedback about the Novotel London Blackfriars.  This is a relatively new property which is decorated in Novotel’s new modern style.  When the property came up in a recent flash sale, I decided to book myself in for two days of cheap office space.

This is not as odd as it sounds.  Because of a couple of Accor promotions and my Platinum status, the post-tax cost was partly written off by the 1,750 Accor points I earned.  Throw in the free glass of wine I had, the free breakfast – which I usually eat out anyway – and the swim I had in the pool and it worked out nicely.

The hotel sits on Blackfriars Road, close to Southwark tube station.  Whilst Blackfriars station is north of the Thames, this hotel is on the south side – don’t get confused.

It shares a building with an Ibis although the hotel is entirely separate, at least ‘front of house’.  The road outside is currently a complete mess due to the building of the cycle superhighway but this will only be a short term issue and did not cause any noise anyway.

I was upgraded to an Executive Room due to my Accor Platinum status which is a perk of my American Express Platinum card.  I received all of my benefits – upgrade, late check-out and a free drink.  I would have received automatic lounge access if it had a lounge, but it didn’t, and free wi-fi if it was charged.

The Executive Room came with a Nespresso machine (good) and a Bose sound dock (good idea, but it uses the old-style Apple connector which is rarely seen these days and was therefore useless).

If I had to describe the hotel in a word, I would say ‘fresh’:

…. and (the yellow furnishings were actually not annoying):

and

…. with a view of The Shard:

Breakfast was in the attractively designed restaurant and featured an impressive spread of both hot and cold items.  This is not free although it did come bundled with my sale rate:

and

I want to give a special mention to the swimming pool.  There is also a decent gym and sauna.  Take a look at this:

There is a video of underwater life playing on a loop on a huge screen behind the pool.  This is the first time I have ever seen something like this and it was impressive.  There is also a jacuzzi but, because it shares water with the pool, it is not hot.

Overall, I was impressed with the Novotel London Blackfriars hotel and I hope my review reflect that.  For a four star property there is a lot to like about it.

The rooms are bright and modern, it has a pool and good exercise facilities, breakfast is good and there is a decent bar.  The wi-fi was also good.  Southwark station gives you access to the Jubilee Line and it is also a very short walk north to the Thames if you prefer to stroll.  It is well worth considering for future London stays, especially if you have Accor status or if there is a good Accor points promotion running.

You can find our more or book the hotel on the Accor website here.

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Accor Live Limitless update – September 2024:

Earn bonus Accor points: Accor is not currently running a global promotion

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