Ibis Sheffield - the heat is on, no it's off again! (Ibis Hotel Sheffield City)

Member Name: fizzywizzy

Product:	Ibis Hotel Sheffield City
Date:	09/04/09 (249 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good location, good value for money

Disadvantages: No additional facilties

A low budget weekend getaway (thanks to National Express for the £1 each way offer!) called for a low cost hotel. I remembered someone saying that the Accor family member Etap now had a hotel in Sheffield but, situated by the Don Valley Stadium, it was a little too far out of town to be practical for such a short stay. As I am now the proud owner of an Accor hotels loyalty card I decided to check the Accor website and see if any other reasonably priced hotels presented themselves and this was how we came to choose the Ibis. I know this will sound strange to those readers who like a certain "standard" of accommodation but I have rarely considered Ibis hotels because I've always thought them to be pricey; in any case I tend to look at hostel and bed and breakfast accommodation before I look at hotel options.

We were quoted £49 for a double room (including a £10 discount) with a bonus multi-media package, usually costing £9.99 for 24 hours, free of charge. However, on arrival at the hotel we saw a notice in reception saying that the price for a standard double for one or two people was £54. Usually you can get a cheaper price by booking on line, but clearly not in this case. To get this price we had to pay in advance and we could not get a refund if we canceled.

The hotel is situated a stone's throw from Sheffield's bus and coach station and a fifteen minute walk from the train station. You should know that this is at the very bottom of the hills on which Sheffield stands so you will have quite a climb to get to most of the shops, museums and other places of entertainment in the city. There is a multi-storey car-park next to the hotel. The area is quiet but is close to the amenities of the centre. Within a minutes walk you'll find the heart of the city so this is a very good location.

As with all Ibis hotels the public areas are small and functional. Reception doubled as a bar and also the breakfast room. We didn't eat breakfast there but we were told it would cost an additional £5.50 for a continental breakfast. There was a vending machine here selling soft drinks and snacks, and newspapers to read but these had to be kept in the lounge area. Check in was quick and easy and we were issued with our key card and directed to the sixth floor. Something that struck me as excellent design was that rather than one long corridor, there were several corridors off the lifts, each with a door to cut down on noise.

The room was fairly small but there was enough room to move around. The en suite bathroom was the "pod" kind where a plastic bathroom can be found within a plastic kiosk in the corner of the room. Why do these things exist? Why not build a proper partition and just have a bathroom? I am sure there is some cost/plumbing thing behind it but nevertheless I hate these things. At least the plastic pod was spotlessly clean and fresh; we had piping hot water whenever we wanted it and the place didn't flood when you had a shower like is often the case. The vanity mirror had the largest magnification I'd ever seen from a mirror - the type that shows the tiniest little blackhead on your nose and makes you not want to leave the room for fear of looking like a troll.

There was a television, a keyboard for using television internet and a kettle and tea and coffee making stuff. It was all functional but clean and in good repair. In short it was like just about any other Ibis room, bland but acceptable.

The only issue I had at all with the room was that during the night it was in turn too hot then too cold. The first time the temperature changed we altered the heating accordingly but this just became charade of getting in and out of bed to re-adjust every twenty minutes and as a result I spent a restless night either tossing and turning with the heat or shivering into the quilt.

There was room service with a small selection of dishes and snacks and drinks but this was quite pricey and you can find places locally that are open late. However, if you don't want to go out, at least the option is available.
Obviously this is not a hotel for people who like magnificent views and lots of facilities. Yes we had the free multi-media package but we didn't have any opportunity to take advantage of it. Even if you do not pay for this package (or get it free of charge like we did) you still get the basic television channels and radio stations. We did however try to use the television internet using the keyboard provided which turned out to be the most arduous and pointless exercise known to man. Fortunately if you have a laptop you can plug in your computer for internet access. The multi-media package also gave us free films from a selection and use of the "music jukebox" which was pretty limited and not much to our tastes.

For leisure visitors who expect to spend most of their time outside the hotel and to spend most of that time in the city centre this is a very good choice. If you want a gym or a swimming pool, perhaps a restaurant and a cooked breakfast, then this isn't the hotel for you. Of course, for these things you'll pay more so if your budget is your main concern, you should certainly consider the Ibis. One thing that strikes me, though, is this: why do Ibis hotels charge that little bit more given that they don't really provide anything more than their cheaper stable mate the Etap? There is really no difference between the two.

Recommended.

Ibis Sheffield Central
Shude Hill
Sheffield

Summary: A reasonably priced chain hotel in Sheffield city centre