Novotel Saint Petersburg Center

Pros: Not far from the train station and very close to Nevsky Prospect. Since it's on a back street, it's very quiet. There is a self-service hot water dispenser by the elevators on every floor. The breakfast was plentiful, and the front desk staff spoke very good English. Cons: The lobby is quite upscale, but the rooms look just like a standard domestic budget hotel in China. The hotel consists of two interconnected buildings; this time I stayed in Building 2, and there was a strange, locked door in the bathroom, which felt a bit creepy.

The rooms were clean and tidy, the breakfast was rich and varied, and the location was excellent, right next to Nevsky Prospekt and just a 10-minute walk from the train station. The gym facilities were also quite comprehensive for basic needs, offering great value for money. I'd recommend staying at Novotel Saint Petersburg Center whether you're on a business trip or vacation. There's also a Korean restaurant nearby called Bab Jib, which I highly recommend as the food is delicious.

I've stayed here twice, and my feelings are mixed. The first time, I had a standard room, which was really subpar and very dated. I absolutely do not recommend this room category. The only plus was that it was on the second floor, which is the only floor you can access by stairs instead of the elevator. The second time, I had an executive room, which was decent. However, there were still drawbacks. For instance, the view from the window wasn't great, and there was an adjoining door in the wall to the next room, through which sound traveled easily. On the positive side, the bathroom was well-renovated. The toilet and shower were separate, which I found fine. What I liked in both rooms were the good mattresses, and the pillows were decent. The room came with tea, coffee, and bottled water, which were replenished daily. I also generally liked the lobby's interior design. It was convenient to leave luggage at the storage room before check-in and after check-out. Regarding the front desk staff, everyone was polite, and I have no complaints. What was generally disappointing was the quality of the breakfast. It was a buffet, but most of the food was low quality. For example, the sausages and cold cuts were maximally unappetizing, the potatoes were tasteless, and the bread wasn't particularly good either. They even managed to ruin egg dishes like omelets; even the omelet was unappetizing. We speculated that perhaps it was made from egg powder, which would explain it, because how else could an omelet be ruined? What was good at breakfast: the porridges were nice, the fruit salad was excellent, there was panna cotta, and a good selection of teas and juices – those were great. Since having a good hotel breakfast is important to me, I likely won't be booking here again.

Everything was excellent; the staff was friendly and welcoming. The rooms were clean and cozy, with all the necessary amenities. The food in the restaurant was also very delicious.

This hotel is excellent! It's very close to Nevsky Avenue, St. Petersburg's main commercial street. The front desk staff all speak English, which is quite rare and a huge plus, as not many people speak English in Russia. The breakfast was also rich and varied, the service was great, and the hygiene was top-notch. Plus, no need for tipping!

Good facilities, large quality bed, clean and comfortable. They have a gym. I would repeat.

This hotel is similar to a budget hotel in China, but the price is significantly higher. This might be due to the proximity of the Scarlet Sails festival. The facilities are quite old. We stayed for five nights, and the housekeeping was decent, although they occasionally missed replenishing amenities. I have to particularly complain about the disposable toothbrushes; the bristles kept falling out, which indicates a quality control issue. The air conditioner is very old-fashioned, and perhaps not used frequently, but it's incredibly noisy. It's impossible to sleep with it on at night.

It was just okay, pretty average. There was a strong smell of disinfectant when we checked in on the first day. The good points were the water dispenser and the coffee machine. The hotel is split into two buildings, and we stayed in the annex starting with building number 2. We didn't try their breakfast. It's not far from the Moscow Railway Station and the metro, and there's a really good Korean restaurant right next to the hotel.