I selected the Novotel Bandung Hotel for this review for its fantastic rate under $30 and its good location closer to the Bandung city center and the Dago area.
When I walked in on the day of my reservation, there was a huge Independence Day party going on in the parking area and it was so loud I could not hear myself speak. The front desk agents seemed unfazed and I tried to explain to them that I had made four reservations, each one night…
They quickly looked up the reservations but it took a good 30 minutes to consolidate and print the four (!) check-in forms. All reservations had been prepaid and they were all for the same room so I was at a loss as to why the agents kept going back and forth forever. By then, a huge line had snaked through the hotel as the front desk had been literally shut down by my plain vanilla check-in.
Once I had my room keys, I was good to go. The room wasn’t old but it was tired. It was quiet and the WiFi was somewhat fast (in terms of slow Indonesian standards) at 2 Mbit.
The bathroom was old and definitely needed a refurbishment and the shower didn’t have much pressure left.
The room would cool down nicely by itself at night and no AC was necessary except in the afternoon hours.
On day two, one of the only two elevators shut down, making it impossible for me to leave my floor besides walking. Eventually it was fixed but even two elevators is not enough for this busy hotel.
The breakfast was a disappointment. While it had a huge number of items, all were of low quality and so I started skipping breakfast after the second night.
The size of the pool is too small and in an odd location behind the hotel.
In sum, this is a solid option because of its good location and decent amenities at a very low rate. However, the hotel is aging quickly and needs more efficient staff and a refurbishment to compete better.