Book 4 , Sleep 3
We booked a family room for 4 at the 4-star Novotel in Phuket, expecting a comfy stay for everyone. Imagine our surprise when we arrived at 9 PM only to find the room had just 3 sleeping spaces instead of 4! We called the reception, and they calmly explained that this was “okay” and that we’d need to pay for an extra bed if we wanted everyone to have their own bed. Honestly, I think this might be the first time in my life I’ve booked a hotel for 4 people and ended up with only 3 beds. And I have to say, I was genuinely surprised that a well-known 4-star chain would do this. Apparently, it’s mentioned in their website conditions—but let’s be real, who expects that booking a room for 4 people might not actually include 4 beds? Not me, that’s for sure. Legally, Novotel is on solid ground, so no complaints there. What really concerns me is the sales technique itself. It seems like Novotel assumes that booking for 4 doesn’t necessarily mean everyone will get a bed—and they’re happy to profit from it. In the end, we did pay for the extra bed, which boosted our total by almost 20%. Yep, it wasn’t cheap. When we mentioned this to the staff, they didn’t seem embarrassed at all—actually, they seemed almost proud of the strategy. Not exactly what I’d call a “family-friendly surprise.” So, a tip to fellow families: avoid Novotel Resort Phuket if you want everyone to actually sleep in a bed. There are plenty of other 4-star hotels in Phuket where 4 people means 4 beds—no hidden extra charges required. Unless, of course, one of you doesn’t mind sleeping on the floor!