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.

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

The hotel is new and very clean ... but i think it is still under development, as a result of that they need to improve their services ( Not everything should be available is available such as shaving kit, coffee, reliable shuttle bus, and reception didn't answer all the time ) One more thing, they said that there is a connected rooms ... I am here 5 days in the hotel and every day they promised me to give me a connected rooms but unfortunately they didn't!!

It's a new hotel,just started,so you will get neat clean fresh rooms,regarding hygiene. Breakfast isn't included, 57sr for breakfast per person,kids below 13 are free.they have less staff as its not running fully,opened recently. The only drawback that I face here they dnt provide shuttle service after 9p.m You will get iron and iron stand, safe ,hairdryer,kettle,TV with many channels, you can directly charge with USB ports . They only provide tea sachet aur sugar sachet in room. If you have small kids then 1 room is ideal as they have very comfortable big size sofa ,they also provide extra blanket and prayermat a d Mushaf(Quran) in room.

New and the first to inhabit it has a beautiful future