Superb hotels at brilliant prices (Ibis Hotels in general)

Member Name: sandrabarber

Product:	Ibis Hotels in general
Date:	08/12/01 (1723 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very clean, Very comfortable, Great prices

Disadvantages: You can't live there

Ibis Hotels are a chain owned by the French Accor group. Ibis hotels are situated all over the world and there about 30 around Britain. I've stayed in 3 - Manchester, Glasgow, and this week Greenwich, London. I have never been anything but delighted with my stay, and will illustrate by telling you about my most recent.

The Ibis in Greenwich is well-placed right in the centre of things at the top of Stockwell Street. It has 82 rooms (smoking and non smoking), a free car park, an adjoining restaurant, and has adapted rooms for people with disabilities.

Like all Ibis's, this one looks very welcoming. The entrance is well lit inside and out, the decor is bright, modern and comfortable, and the Ibis red poppy logo is cheerfully scattered about making everything look bright, fun and lovely.

I arrived at 8 o'clock in the evening and was greeted by a smiling French receptionist who dealt with me in a friendly and polite manner, and had me to my room within minutes.

I got to my room to find it was no smoking, and I am an ADDICT!! I nipped back to reception to see if I could change, and the receptionist was very apologetic as all the smoking rooms were taken. I went back to my room and had just started to unpack when she called me. She had been through every single room on the computer and managed to find me one! As I hadn't been at all stroppy - it was, after all, my fault for not specifying when I booked - she could easily have done nothing, but she took the time and trouble to accommodate my wishes.

All Ibis rooms are the same. They are all double, and are simply furnished in a very clean-looking modern style. Ditto the bathrooms, which are spotless, functional and stylish, and have both bath and shower. There are tea/coffee making facilities, a decent sized TV, plenty of hangers in the wardrobes, a phone point for your modem, plenty of plugs, a good-sized desk area, plenty of lights, a full-length mirror as
well as a smaller one, plump pillows, a very comfy firmish bed, and more than enough room to swing a cat. And I don't know what air freshener they use but the rooms always smell gorgeous.

As well as this, all Ibis's have a coffee lounge in the lobby where you can get great tea, coffee or alcohol and light snacks, and there is a vending machine on every floor with chocolate, crisps and soft drinks.

Now to the best bit. Ibis hotels serve breakfast until 2 in the afternoon! It's a huge buffet until about 11, and afterwards a continental one, but 2 in the afternoon! Also, you can check in from midday and you don't have to check out until midday when you leave.

Amazing! A hotel group that works for the customers' convenience, rather than expecting the customer to work for theirs! (How many places have you stayed at where you're told breakfast is from 7.30 until 8 and that's it? And that's a holiday?!)

And just to show how committed they are to customer service, they promise that if you have a problem and they don't solve it 100% within 15 minutes, you stay for free!

Lastly, another great bit: the prices. Prices are per room, not per person, and are for room only. (But brekkie is under a fiver)

London Greenwich: From £58 to £65 per night depending on time of year.
Birmingham Holloway: From £35 to £39.95
Leicester: From £35 to £42

There are currently Ibis's in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bradford, Preston, Manchester (several), Rotherham, Birmingham (several), Liverpool, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Lincoln, Leicester, Coventry, Cardiff, Wellingborough, Luton, Stevenage, London (several), Portsmouth, Southampton and Plymouth.

Unbelievably, most of them have a 2 star rating, which is ridiculous. They are much, much better in terms of comfort, style and most crucially SERVICE than much 'posher' ones I've stayed in.

Ibis hotels are absol
utely fantastic. If you don't believe me, visit their website at www.ibishotel.com or better still, get yourself booked into one and try it for yourself.

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