Novotel Ulaanbaatar

Rooms and decor

Walk into the Novotel Ulaanbaatar lobby and you could be back in any Accor chain hotel you've stayed at in Bangkok or Seoul — warm brown-and-beige tones, soft lighting, comfortable lobby sofas with the odd person working on a laptop. The building was finished and opened in 2014, so it still looks fresh and well kept. Upstairs, the rooms hold the same concept. Standard rooms start at about 28 sqm, wider than most local hotels in Ulaanbaatar, which usually give you just 20-something. The king bed is soft with the kind of linens Novotel regulars know, and the desk by the window has power outlets with built-in USB. From Superior up, the bathroom separates the tub and shower, with a big mirror and familiar French-brand soap and shampoo. Executive rooms and above get access to an upper-floor lounge with free drinks and cookies, while the Premier Suite adds a separate living room with a large sofa — ideal for business travellers meeting clients in the room. The rooms read modern and clean, even without Mongolian patterns or local weaving — a global chain that's "safe" in the sense that you know exactly what you'll get.

Food and amenities

The heart of Novotel Ulaanbaatar is the unusually full set of facilities. The main restaurant is The Square, an international buffet open 6:00-22:30 with Western, Asian and a Mongolian corner to try — Buuz (steamed beef dumplings), Khuushuur (fried beef pastries) and Mongolian milk soup. Reviewers praise the breakfast spread and the coffee. Alongside it, The Square Bar in the lobby handles light drinks through the day, and in the evening Sky Lounge, the rooftop bar, pours cocktails and Mongolian vodka (the well-known Chinggis Vodka) with city views many guests come up to photograph. What really sets Novotel apart is the indoor pool — about 20 metres, open all year. That matters, because Ulaanbaatar's winter runs 6 months and can comfortably touch -30°C; swimming in warm water mid-snowstorm is a memorable thing. Next to it sit a full gym and a free sauna. For teams and events, the 490-sqm Grand Ballroom seats around 400 for weddings and seminars — one of the largest in the city — plus several smaller meeting rooms that make it a go-to for national corporate events. Wi-Fi is free throughout, and there's free private parking in the building.

Location and getting there

Novotel sits in Sukhbaatar District, central Ulaanbaatar — about 1.1 km, roughly 15 minutes on foot, from Sukhbaatar Square (now also called Genghis Khan Square, with a giant seated Genghis Khan statue at its centre) and the classical Government House. On the way you pass the State Department Store, the city's popular old department store stocked with souvenirs, and Peace Avenue, the main road cutting through the centre. Nearby are the Choijin Lama Temple Museum, a temple museum kept in its original state; the National Museum of Mongolia, which tells the story from the era of Genghis Khan's empire; and Beatles Square, a fun check-in spot. With an evening to spare, Seoul Street, dense with restaurants and cafes, is just another 10 minutes' walk. From the new Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN), which moved out to about 50 km from the centre, it's a 45-60 minute drive; the hotel can arrange an airport shuttle but it needs booking ahead. Getting around the city mostly means taxis — Ulaanbaatar has no metro — and the Novotel concierge offers fixed-price taxi vouchers that are cheaper and easier than hailing one yourself.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide — the most common gripe is that Novotel lacks Mongolian local character. If you want to sleep in a traditional ger, see Mongolian-pattern weaving, or feel the country around you, this can look like too generic a chain hotel; the international room design gives no hint you're in Ulaanbaatar. If that's important to you, look at a local boutique instead. The next point is distance — you can walk to Sukhbaatar Square, but 1.1 km on a -20°C day with a hard cold wind is no fun, and in winter you'll call taxis more than you expect; walkers may prefer a hotel right on the square. Third is Wi-Fi and some service that a few reviews call less smooth than at Novotels in bigger Asian cities — peak-hour speeds can drop, the front desk can be slower than the brand suggests, and the breakfast booking system isn't always seamless. Finally, at $91-183 a night it sits mid-market, but a budget traveller who just wants a bed before heading out all day may feel they're paying for a pool and ballroom they won't use.

Our take

From reading the real reviews across Agoda, Booking and Accor ALL, Novotel Ulaanbaatar is the "safest" international-chain pick in the Mongolian capital — consistent, with full facilities from the indoor pool to the gym and ballroom, rooms wider than average, English used throughout, and a familiar booking system if you're already an Accor ALL member. It suits three groups best: families wanting a roomy, safe base with a pool the kids can use even in winter; business travellers or conference teams needing a ballroom and stable internet; and older guests who'd rather have a familiar global chain than gamble on a local hotel. But if your trip is about soaking up Mongolian culture, or you're a backpacker who'd rather spend the budget on Terelj park and the steppe than on a fancy room, this may not be the answer. Overall we give it 8.0/10 — strong on reliability and completeness, not on excitement or one-of-a-kind charm.