Novotel Leipzig City - Leipzig, Germany     

The Novotel Leipzig is a very nice, basic chain hotel. A great central location, right by the train station, competent, friendly staff who are fluent in English, clean rooms - all that you would expect. The rooms that are located in the circular part of the building are more like suites - my friend was assigned one at no additional charge, and it was amazingly spacious. I would definitely return.

I was attending a very big conference in Leipzig (which coincided with two big music festivals -- very entertaining indeed). I booked late-ish (2 weeks in advance), but even so the Novotel had a few rooms available at a decent rate. The hotel is very conveniently located a few minutes' walk from the main rail station. It's not right outside the station, but you can see it about 200m away. The hotel is also a few minutes walk from the main shopping streets and restaurants, so it's handily located. The hotel lobby was bright and tidy, with a decent bar/lounge that had good coffee. I didn't manage to eat at the restaurant. I had booked a non-smoking room but none were available; staff at the desk were apologetic but suggested I check back the next day for a non-smoking room. However, the hotel was so busy for the three days of my stay, I had to accept the smoking room, alas. My room was large and comfortable (apart from the cigarette smell) with big windows that, fortunately, opened wide. My room looked out over a quadrangle which also served as the open-air dining area for the restaurant -- it got a little noisy in the evening, but nothing serious. Staff were helpful and friendly. There was no wireless access, but the room had a wired connection which was surprisingly expensive. Even the Westin nearby had cheaper rates. Overall, my stay was fine, but nothing special. The room was a good size, and comfortable, but nothing stood out, and nothing was terribly wrong, either. A good, solid, average hotel. If you can get a good deal, and you're looking for a convenient location, this place would be fine.