Novotel Makkah Thaker City

Stayed there 3 nights as I wanted to try staying further out from Haram and also wanted to try their shuttle service to and from Haram. The room was of high standard, clean and the pantry was great. The room was a bit small when compared to a standard novotel elsewhere (I think ). The shuttle service was ok but I kept missing the bus from Haram to bus stop by 1-3mins....always had to rush after prayers. The bus timings were not convenient or efficient. They should increase the frequency and service should start at least 1 hr before each prayers from hotel and at least 1 hr after each prayers. Other times the service should be at every hour. Their breakfast was just not worth the money! Breads, cereals, salads and drinks were all just too basic....1 chicken curry and a soup ... And the menu was exactly repeated the 4 days I stayed there.

First of All our check in was smooth Thanks to the receptionist Reem, who was very professional and helpful and speaks fluent English. The room was first class with soo many amenities and the room service was excellent and Sami have maintained our room to good standards throughout our 11 days stay in this magnificent hotel but the only thing needs improving is to maybe add additional panel to the shower because the water overflaws to the bathroom area. Secondly the breakfast was fantastic!! With soo many different dishes and plenty of quality food to choose from and everyone in the restaurant are soo friendly. Also The hotel provides round the clock free shuttle service to Al Masjid Al haram & back to hotel which was really helpful for us to pray in that blessed Mosque regularly Alhamdulillah! and the drivers are also very polite and friendly and they don't drive like crazy!! Finally I have stayed in some of the best hotel around the world but this one is amongst my top 5 hotel, I would be coming back to stay in the future whenever I'm in Makkah mainly because of the friendly staff and world class service but most importantly value for money!! so huge credit to the management team of Novotel Thaker Makkah. ?

PROS: - The breakfast was incredible! Kept me going for most of my day and was delicious with a wide and differing variety each day - The hotel is brand new, so it is neat and clean - The bed was very comfortable - Plenty of fast elevators that avoid a build up of rush - Shuttle service seems to be getting better (see new timetable), but can improve a lot. Consistency and a better place for pick up and drop off required CONS: - The location is awful. I had many an Uber and Careem driver come to my location but they would mostly end up somewhere else, which was infuriating to say the least, as the road Novotel is located does not show on maps. This may change with time once construction is complete and the road is displayed on maps but until then, it’s likely to cause problems - The location is far from the Haram. When the construction of the Haram’s Ghazza side is complete (which frankly may take another 3-5 years I feel) only then can the location be considered semi-decent. With all the construction going on in and around the Haram, taxi drivers charge much more as the route they have to take is much longer due to road closures - The showers are a travesty! The person who designed the showers should have angled the floor tiles in a way that the water flows downwards towards the drain. Instead, it leaks out and floods the bathroom floor. It is a major design flaw that causes inconvenience to the guests and the staff who have to keep assigning new rooms. I was moved swiftly to another room in which, although the water flowed out less, I ended up placing an extra towel in front of the shower entrance on the floor to absorb the spillage - The drainage is poorly designed. The drain next to the toilet, which passes water from (I presume) other rooms to the main gutter, “burps” all day and night which can be disturbing to sleeping guests. Also, it can produce a stench at times which I experienced over the 4 days I was there - The receptionists could smile a bit more. It goes a long way. Otherwise they are very helpful :) SUMMARY: All in all, it’s a decent hotel and well worth the price. But be ready to face a few challenges

It brand-new property Shower glass curtains still not installed , so makes a pool in the bathroom. To get toiletries it took us 2 hours and 5 calls to the reception . A good place to stay if service does not matter to u.

Location and bus service is terrible. It is located on top of a hill and there are no restaurants, stores or taxi available within 300m of the hotel. The bus service is very irregular and the reception staff is pretty new and not knowledgeable. If one is able to get a hotel closer to Haram by paying extra 50-100 SAR then please do so. Novotel is not worth living far from Haram as the services and management is terrible.