IBIS STEVENAGE (Ibis Hotels in general)

Member Name: shanediablo

Product:	Ibis Hotels in general
Date:	15/07/08 (123 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Food, Price

Disadvantages: Service, Room quality, Some rude staff

IBIS Stevenage
Hotel - Danestrete, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 1EJ - 98 Rooms

Quality of Rooms - Terrible
Standard of Service - Terrible
Quality of Food & Drink - Good
Quality of Facilities - Poor

I was starting a new job in the Stevenage region some time ago and needed somewhere to stay on a temporary basis so it seemed logical for me to select somewhere of reasonable price. Ibis seemed to fit that bill - It was £47 a night with continental breakfast being £5.50. I booked in for a 3 night stay.
From the outside it just seems to be a standard chain hotel, nothing spectacular. Expectation was that it would be fairly minimalist but clean and friendly.

The guy at check in was very friendly and helped me register my details - he was consciencious and helpful. A credit to the company.
However this is where the pleasantries stopped. The lift up to the rooms was rickety and felt like it was going to stop working at any moment - it was ancient.

After the little lift scare I found my room. I entered the room and all seemed fine until I looked in the bathroom which to my utter disbelief was dirty: The bath/shower had what looked like mud on the bottom of it and the toilet looked like it needed a good clean too.
I am not really a confrontational sort so kept my feelings to myself. Cleaned the bath and got on with my stay. Except I was woken up at 4am by drunks at the hotel who were running up and down the corridor - how nice?

On my second night it was the night when there was the earthquake in the Uk (which I now laugh about) so I was a little shaken up and went down to reception. I tried to make conversation with the night receptionist and bought a bottle of coca cola off of him. When I asked if he felt the earthquake he laughed at me and said "oh I am so scared, can't you see that" in a really sarcastic manner which I wasn't really in the mood for. He was quite rude in general to people while he sat on his overweight lazy behind looking smug.
This whole thing soured my stay.

I do not wish to be entirely negative as a major plus however for the hotel is it's food. The breakfast is excellent and healthy. Lots of variety to it. The breakfast is pretty much exclusively Continental which will not please everyone in this country but it did the trick for me - it was very filling and satisfying.

On the whole i'd say pay a little extra and get yourself a much better quality service or just be better organised than me so you do not need to rely on hotels. The likes of Premier Inn are probably a better option if you have the means - if not then Travelodge hotels are a better budget alternative to IBIS.

On a further note - After the stay I sent a letter to Accor about my stay and told them that I would be cancelling my cheque to them because the service I recieved was so poor.
In true form IBIS passed this on to a debt collection agency so I am recieving letters regularly saying that I will be taken to court and all the other usual knucklehead threats like my assets (not that I have any worthwhile) will be seized. So even though I had a miserable stay so rightfully witheld payment - I am the one who is make to suffer again. Grr.. I am so incredibly angry when I think about them.

Summary: Sh*thole