This week the Compensation Clinic pays a visit to an Accor-affiliated hotel in Barcelona where one of our readers had an unsatisfactory stay.
Remember that you can always reach us by email, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, including photos. We’ll try to cover a Compensation Clinic case here regularly.
You can access Novotel Barcelona City here.
READ MORE: Accor ALL Rate & Bonus Points And Miles Promotions
Here’s the email from the reader:
I would like to share with you my bad experience at Novotel Barcelona City. Almost everything there went wrong – staff approach, communication with clients, service in the restaurant and handling of the complaint.
Apart from trying to solve issues on the spot I sent a complaint after a stay to GM (shown at the end of this message) and in the after stay questionnaire. Then I sent a reminder to GM without any reply.
So I opened the case with All Accor support. Finally I received a response that you can see below. The response answers complaint partially and provides requested compensation of 3000 points worth 60 EUR on a 2 night stay for which I paid 123 EUR.
But what really impressed me was excellent approach of All Accor staff. Response from the hotel shows all correspondence between the hotel and All Accor (not really professional for the hotel to send to the client).
Clearly Novotel Barcelona City wanted to ignore the claim. All Accor team was very persistent. They sent 5 e-mail and made a phone call to the hotel. I consider this exceptional.
Here’s the response from the Novotel Barcelona City Guest Experience Manager Barbara Carazo:
Good morning from Novotel Barcelona City,
First of all we regret the delay in our response. We have read carefully your complaint sent not only to Customer Care but also sent to our Manager, and we are really sorry that we didn’t sent you an answer on time.
We have had some meetings with our team in order to know and fix several details informed by you. Our main goal is to provide the customer a pleasant experience and offer them a pleasant stay. Is for that reason that We are so sorry that you didn’t enjoy your experience at our Novotel Barcelona City.
We upgrade you due your All Status. Maybe we did not explain well to you but the reason for the upgrade was his status and not that the Suite rooms were near the elevator. In fact the Suite rooms are at the end of the left corridor (short corridor) after exiting the elevator. We could have offered another room closer to the elevator, but it would not have been a suite room.
Normally the pool is open in summer, and we inform in our site. Also it is an external pool, as photos we have in Accor site.
Your stay, Mr. REMOVED was at the beginning of April, when it was still cold, and the pool was closed to use it. Also we had government regulation and pool must be closed in that period due Covid situation.
We have had a meeting with FB department in order to know what happened during the dinner. It is true that due the actual situation we had some staff not-working, and normally all the staff speak more than one foreign language. We are sorry for the inconveniences caused during dinner time.
We hope, Mr. REMOVED, you can excuse us for not being live up to his expectations, we will take into consideration all your comments, and the next time, for sure we will improve our service.
We hope to have the opportunity to welcome again you and bring you a nice and wonderful stay with us.
We are really sorry for all the inconveniences caused and we have charged in your account 3000 courtesy points.
With my best regards, and hoping to welcome you again in our hotel I wish you a happy nice day,
Accor sent THREE emails for the property to reply to the reader’s concerns:
Hello Novotel Barcelona City Team,
I am coming back to you about the folder 03878928 regarding Mr. REMOVED PMID: 00589914 concerning his complaint and demand for courtesy points.
Following our call to the front desk with Vitoria regarding, it appears that we have not received yet an answer from your not to mention our several reminder emails. We would be grateful if you could send us an update regarding this matter as soon as possible before we escalate this matter to the higher level.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Above was the last one before they responded.
Conclusion
I am surprised that Accor followed up the reader’s concerns with THREE emails to the property and “threatened” to escalate the issue unless it was resolved. I was not aware that they process these then instead of storing them in the x-files.
I am glad that the reader was resolved with the property that was acceptable to his party.
The dude is a wimp. All issues could have been handled at site but he wanted to stiff the hotel after he left. Guests like this deserve nothing.
John didn’t publish original e-mail that was sent to the hotel. I show it below. As you can see I tried to resolve it at the hotel, but was ignored. From the below you can also see number of issues experienced and staff approach – if you don’t like it you can check out.
E-mail sent:
I would like to share experience from the stay in your hotel, which unfortunately was very far from
satisfaction. Let me start to say that room itself I consider nice. Well
furbished and quite large. I have seen this design before, so I am surprised
TV’s are so small. Also in other places it is referenced as junior suite, as
without really separate room it is not a proper suite. But these are small
things. When I was checking in I was told I was given a suite as I marked I
preferred room close to elevator. I would feel much better hearing I was
upgraded due to my loyalty as Platinum member. After checkin I asked about pool
opening time. I was told it was closed as it is available only in the season
(whatever it means). I didn’t discuss it at that time as I wanted to double
check information on the website. After a dinner (another disaster I will cover
later) I came back to reception. I told receptionist that your website didn’t
say pool was available in the season only, nor it was external. In fact there
is also a note from you inviting to use the pool without any condotions. After
that receptionist searched the website and this time she referenced a statement
that due to COVID some services might not be available. Clearly looking for an
excuse. I consider it a lie as before Novotel I stayed at Hilton Diagonal where
pool was available and now I stay at Curio where pool is also open. When I used
those arguments I was told she could cancel my reservation so I could go
somewhere else (at 22.00 after unpacking in the room). This is appalling
treatment of any guest, not mentioning one of the most loyal ones. After
further discussion I suggested that as part of the service that I consider part
of the agreement was not delivered we are offered free breakfast or point credit.
She said she needed to ask for approval. And … she never came back. In the
meantime we had a dinner. First shocking experience was that our waiter
couldn’t speak a single word of English. We managed to order. I got a lasagne
which was a joke as a main course, considering size, on a small side even for a
starter. I complained, waiter couldn’t understand. With help of another person,
issue was understood and I was offered second portion. Still I have eaten many
better lasagne’s. On top of that tomato sauce was much over salty. My partner
had chicken curry. Instead of sauce chicken was served in tasteless, watery
liquid. Again small. Also settling bill didn’t go without problems as
receptionist forgot to open credit. Next day I approached reception again. I
asked about a welcome gift. Receptionist said she was not aware of that and
maybe it is given in other brands. It definitely is applicable in Novotel.
Anyway this receptionist was much more helpful and willing to find solutions.
She offered additional drink vouchers. Nice gesture, still not justified why
welcome gift is denied. To complete all problems when checking out system was
down, which was an issue as I considered using points for payment.
I am with you. That complaint letter/email is worse than I could I have imagined.
Regardless what you think about complaint (not really clear), a pity you did not express opinion about staff not coming back on it when in the hotel and ignoring emails. The facts are:
– pool was closed even though advertised on the website as available
– waiter couldn’t speak English
– food was dreadful
– staff attitude was dreadful – how can you accept saying to the guest at 22.00 he can go somewhere else
I still see your problems as minor. I live right outside Barcelona and you will find the hotels here during the pandemic all went to limited service. I don’t know about this hotel but the one I stay the most often in Girona had closed their pool as well. The waiter didn’t speak English (um, you went to a country that isn’t English speaking so please save your American “demands” the world spins around you, you travel to Barcelona and then eat in the hotel (you order curry and lasagna to boot expecting large portions-not happening here and why would you eat at the hotel in the first place?), I will go with you on the desk clerk telling you to go elsewhere-that would have been unacceptable and to me, your complaint.
This property I know. I found it brittle, clumsy, regimented, unimaginitive (so typically Novotel), but despite itself I appreciated my stay. Although — the hotel system and management seemed to do more to disappoint me than see me return or praise — I was in many ways happy to be there. Just over the road a superb supermarket, the trams and taxis to my conference venues were a doddle (EN = easy). I had the impression that the decades of generation-shedding in Accor had started to reap their harvest, but, apparently, a dinosaur lives on, in BCN.
Ever since, and ever future, I stay at the Hiltons on Diagonal, up town (find a spacious room, they do exist, and superb NL management) and down on the coast.
Actually I stayed at Hilton Diagonal a few days before Novotel Barcelona City stay described in the article. Service there was good, sea view is always nice. But to be honest in my opinion it is way overpriced. I paid twice as much as for Novotel night. And on a day I stayed at Novotel, Hilton was 3 times more expensive.
You have just proved what every professional traveller learns very quickly: “You get what you pay for.”
Should have stayed at the Hilton, great hotel.
I’ve now read all of this and I have no clue what any of the issues are.
I’m an American who has been living for a long time in Spain, and have stayed at many a hotel. While your experience might not have been “ideal” for you (and maybe even somewhat typical for a Spanish hospitality experience) I think your real world expectations are a bit much, and not worthy of the ruckus.
Your expectations for a EUR 61.50 a night Novotel are unreasonable. Honestly, for that amount of money in Europe I’d be happy if there is someone to check me in and a clean room. Given there is little the receptionist could do about a closed pool, and you insisting to compare it to other hotels (that by your own account cost 3 times more), her offer of a free cancellation seems quite reasonable, depending on how it was presented.