Novotel Salvador Rio Vermelho

Super noisy neighborhood, loud music until very late (2 am). The windows are not noise-proof. Spent 3 nights and could not sleep in any of them because of the noise. Room service is poor. I ordered a certain dish, they sent it wrong. When the right one came, it was not tasteful. A leisure trip became a very stressful trip. The room view was the only worthy thing.

Guest rooms and public areas received an uplifting since hotel joined Accor. However, there is something wrong with the bathroom, it smells sewerage all the times, it gets inside of the bedrooms, disgusting! Breakfast was great, quality of the food and service.

Without a doubt, one of the worst hotel stays I've had in a very, very long time. At best, this is a three star hotel - if you consider the rooms and amenities. Service standards are at the lower end of two star (this is being generous). Check-in took at least 20 minutes, and despite having booked months in advance, I was allocated one of the worst rooms in the hotel. I was eventually allocated another room (after multiple requests at the check-in desk). The second room was very slightly better - although the standard is much more Ibis than Novotel. The shower leaked, as did the aircon, which barely worked at all. The room does have a minibar - the prices of which are equivalent to daylight robbery. Despite this, every morning I was disturbed by someone knocking at my door to ask if I had consumed anything. At those prices, I certainly wouldn't be. The bed is among the worst I have slept in at a hotel - there was no mattress protector, or topper - which, for a hotel claiming to be 4 star, simply isn't acceptable. The mattress was like sleeping on a rock. The pillows were also terrible. Rooms are showing visible signs of wear and clearly maintenance is poor. The rooftop pool is nice. It'd be even nicer if they bothered to clean it. Sadly, it was not uncommon to find debris in the pool, and I question how often it is maintained. There is a bar available here, although the Caipirinha is possibly the most revolting I have ever had in Brazil - quite how they've managed this, I do not know. Breakfast is barely acceptable and very repetitive. I will never forget the 'chicken' dish served one morning. It was so dry, I almost thought I was eating chewing gum. During my 21 nights at the hotel, I was unwell twice after eating the breakfast, so I question the hygiene standards. Do not come here if you would like a restful nights sleep. It can't be guaranteed. One Saturday I was awoken in the morning by incredibly loud banging noises. The hotel was apparently hosting a rooftop concert. No notice of this had been given to guests, and the full blast of music could be heard until 8pm. I find it astounding that this is considered acceptable. I have Accor Platinum status, which means absolutely nothing at this hotel. At check-in I was informed that while they did not have availability for my first two nights, I would receive an upgrade after this. Upon going to the check-in desk two days later, I was told I'd been given false information. I had to ask for the welcome drink voucher, even though this should be automatic. The voucher itself can only be used for a very limited number of drinks - this is the first Novotel where I have been refused a glass of wine. Even a mojito was too much. Usually, as a Platinum member I receive a welcome amenity - usually this will be some sort of food item, a local gift, a bottle of wine (or equivalent). Unsurprisingly, nothing was offered at Novotel. I eventually asked them if they could send the welcome amenity to my room - this request was met with much confusion. In the end, I received some chocolate covered strawberries - which was nice - but it isn't really a welcome gift if you have to ask for it. Without a doubt, it is sadly the staff who let this hotel down to the greatest degree, and I genuinely regret having to post this. With the exception of one man on reception (who appeared to work overnight and was incredibly kind), they are among some of the most disinterested and difficult people I have had to deal with. Basic requests were continually challenging, they'd give different answers to the same question, and in some cases would just make up information. I was for example told after the rooftop concert incident that I would receive a refund for that night. I did not. The majority of the breakfast staff were beyond miserable, and unfortunately, did not provide a bright start to the morning. They were far more interested in trying to clear away everything before the breakfast service was supposed to finish. They'd also remove the labels to say what the food was. The one exception is the housekeeping staff - who were, by far, the most pleasant people at this hotel - they deserve to be recognised for offering a far, far better level of service than any of the other teams. They were the only people who smiled, and upon checking out, one of them offered me a safe journey, and said they hoped I'd enjoyed my stay - which is more than can be said for Bruno at the reception desk. The hotel has visible security personnel in the reception area who appear to do very little - usually, they'd greet me with a scowl, this is if they weren't distracted using WhatsApp on their mobile phones. Basic 4* amenities aren't provided. As an example, I called to ask whether ice could be sent to my room. I was told that I would have to pay 9 BRL for this. It's the first time I've ever stayed at an Accor hotel (including Ibis) and been told I'd have to pay for this. Overall, the attitude was very much 'you should be grateful for us letting you stay here', rather than a recognition that guests are paying a lot of money for such a privilege. I do not believe in leaving negative Tripadvisor reviews unless I have complained directly to the hotel during my stay, and given them the opportunity to rectify any issues. I emailed Accor Customer Services twice during my stay, and was told that my concerns had been passed to the General Manager - not once during the stay did anyone from management contact me, and not once were any of my concerns acknowledged or rectified. I would not return, nor would I recommend this hotel. If you are considering Accor properties in Salvador, I would instead recommend the Mercure Salvador Boulevard - although it is not in Rio Vermelho, the level of service, and general attitude is far, far better (it is also usually considerably cheaper).

You may argue about Novotel and their qualities and shortcomings. What we cannot argue about is the Bahaina cuisine of Head Chef Adriana França. A force to be reckoned with. Adriana delivers culture, tradition and sheer pleasure with her creations effortlessly. Together with the charmimg attention of Liliane the restaurant managed to impress us every single night of our stay. Is it not these qualities we should preserve?

We purposefully picked the Novotel because we stayed in 2 other properties prior to visiting Brazil. The staff & food were excellent. The hotel is fairly new, the views & location were amazing. BUT, there was mold in the shower & our floors were never mopped. I complained to the staff & actually SHOWED the housekeeper the dirty shower, but nothing was done. The rooftop pool needed cleaning & two of the glass walls around the rooftop were cracked. All in all, this hotel needs better housekeeping.