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Tag: Accor Hotels

Balkans Trip Day 2 – Luton Airport Ibis

The Balkans were getting ever closer with my arrival at the Ibis Luton Airport, although I accept that the immediate surroundings remained stubbornly attached to Bedfordshire.

The reception area.

There’s the old room style in these rooms, but it was clean and organised. I don’t use TVs in hotel rooms, but the room isn’t exactly blessed with the latest state of the art television and they seem to have kept the old one for some sort of heritage value.

The view from the room was good for plane spotting and I liked that they had given me a room far away from the lift, as that’s usually much quieter.

It was fortunate that I wasn’t looking for a pint of anything given these slightly sub-optimal technical difficulties.

I went for a non-alcohol Becks as my welcome drink and it tasted of ditch water. I understand that this is a national hotel chain and purchasing decisions are sometimes potentially complex, but they could do much better here given how good non-alcoholic beer has become.

I thought that I’d watch some planes.

There were also police chases to watch, as Luton thoughtfully provided some ground-level transport entertainment.

I set my alarm for 03:30 as I had an early morning flight, but I woke up naturally at 02:57 and so I just went with that. It was already busy outside the Ibis with people heading to and from the airport, with the weather being cool and inoffensive.

I like this hotel, although the pricing is often a bit decadent so I opt for other locations, but it was clean, the team member were friendly and there were no noise disturbances either internally or externally. The big convenience is that it is just a ten minute walk to the airport, which was handy given that I was still a little tired and so all really rather lovely.

September 3, 2026
Lyon – Ibis Lyon Part Dieu Les Halles

Following a slightly wet walk after my long rail journey, I arrived just before 23:00 at this Accor hotel in Lyon. As an aside, this part of the city expanded rapidly in the nineteenth century due to the advent of the railway, so there were numerous accommodation options around here. More importantly, there was a particularly friendly welcome from the receptionist, it’s always positive to arrive somewhere slightly damp and for them to pretend to look pleased to see me.

Arriving at this time meant that the bar was still open and I was able to get my welcome drink which was the always reliable Grimbergen Blonde beer.

I arrived shortly after England had been knocked out of the World Cup. That might have explained the receptionist’s friendliness, perhaps he assumed I was in need of emotional support. Fortunately, I’d already reached the acceptance stage of grief by then.

The room was the old style Ibis design, but I was quite content with that. The hotel was one of the cheapest Accor options in the city, which is primarily why I had chosen it. It was also near the railway station and I had correctly judged that there was a reasonable chance that the train might be late and I didn’t want a nighttime trek across a new city.

The view from my room the following morning. It was, somewhat astonishingly, still too hot. France had remained committed to this policy throughout my visit other than when I was on a train when the temperature collapsed and it poured with rain.

The online reviews for the hotel are rather mixed, with complaints about the air conditioning, room size and the general lack of luxury. Personally, I’m perfectly happy to trade room size for a lower price, so that never really concerned me. Heat in hotel rooms is something I complain about with impressive regularity, but on this occasion the air conditioning worked perfectly well and cooled the room to a temperature that didn’t provoke a lengthy blog post about it.

I wasn’t in the hotel for long enough to offer a comprehensive review, but it quietly did everything I needed it to do. The room was clean, there were no noise disturbances either inside or outside the hotel, and every member of staff I encountered was friendly and helpful. For an inexpensive overnight stay near to the centre I thought that it was all rather lovely.

August 2, 2026
Bilbao – Ibis Budget Bilbao Arrigorriaga

Accommodation in Bilbao wasn’t the cheapest, but the Ibis Budget which was a short railway journey away was more affordable, so I stayed here for three nights. It takes around twenty minutes on the train and it’s only around £1 for a rail fare, so that was most agreeable.

The room was more functional than decadent. No-one walks into one of these hotels expecting chandeliers, velvet drapes and a butler asking whether sir would like his pillow angled towards the Guggenheim. Well, maybe my friend Richard actually, not that he’d set foot in anywhere with the word “Budget” in the hotel name.

The view from the window and this photo actually hides that it was quite pleasant with the large hill and forested area behind the factory.

Breakfast was only around £5 per day, which seemed worth it for the coffee and orange juice alone. It was quite a basic breakfast to be fair, that ham looked bloody awful. I am not entirely sure what journey it had been on before reaching the buffet, but I decided not to become involved. Sometimes breakfast is about knowing which items to leave alone with dignity.

The breakfast area was basic, but this is in keeping with the international Ibis Budget branding. The team members were keeping things clean and organised, with everything feeling well managed. They are trying to feed people efficiently in a clean space before everyone goes off to museums, offices, airports or, in my case, railway stations and craft beer bars.

The bread with jam was rather lovely, as were the croissants, so it was a filling start to the day. It may not be luxury, but it does at least prevent the first meal of the day from becoming a formal complaint.

The online reviews are average, mostly people who had expected more luxury than the hotel ever claimed to offer. The air cooling system worked reasonably well so I was happy with that, but there was no air conditioning. Given the heat, this was an important detail, as I was not in the mood to spend three nights gently poaching in a compact room as that would have been entirely sub-optimal.

For the money charged, which was under £50 per night including breakfast, I thought that the whole arrangement was entirely satisfactory. The team members were friendly, there were no noise issues either internally or externally, with the room being cleaned every day which doesn’t happen everywhere now. I’d certainly consider staying here again whenever I next visit the city, assuming I can once again resist the emotional pull of paying much more money to sleep closer to the centre. And that’s quite likely as I like cheap….

July 2, 2026
Warsaw – Warsaw Ibis Ostrobramska

And another short post as I’ve stayed at this hotel many times before and written about a fair number of them, so I won’t try the patience of my two loyal blog readers for long. There are limits even to my commitment to documenting budget hotel consistency, although admittedly I keep testing them.

It’s routinely the cheapest of the Accor hotels in Warsaw and it’s not hard to get to on the tram or bus, so it’s a very viable option. It’s probably not the best hotel to use as part of an airport layover, but travel should have challenges sometimes as where’s the fun in efficient?

I had arrived too late for my free welcome drink, which is never ideal, but they had given me a welcome gift of some teas and a biscuit. These little gestures are always much appreciated.

Although the hotel is located by a busy road, the view from my window was rather more pleasant.

And a rather lovely breakfast. The meat looked quite frightening, so I went for some more healthy options. And a heap of bread and pastries at the back, alongside coffee, orange juice and tea. And a big dollop of strawberry yoghurt.

With that, I had to start planning my return to the airport, which was slightly annoying as I had only been at the hotel for a few hours. But, there were no noise issues internally or externally and I was able to catch up on sleep after a warm night in Faro the previous day. It was not a long stay, but it did exactly what was required which was a clean room, quiet night, decent breakfast and a biscuit-based welcome.

June 27, 2026
Cologne – Ibis Budget Koeln Messe

My home for three nights was the Accor operated Ibis Budget which was coming in at just over £30 per night which I thought was very reasonable. It’s a short walk from the city centre of around fifteen minutes, so is conveniently located.

The little shop fridge area near the reception desk. The team member who was checking me in was friendly, although he was chewing gum quite aggressively which added to the whole experience for everyone.

There’s a bit of an effort to add character to the corridors.

The room is basic, but it’s cheap, so I’m easily pleased.

And from the other side of the room. That shower arrangement has been controversial in Ibis Budget hotels for years, but it’s being phased out now and they’re building enclosed bathrooms.

This is the photo of the city that has been placed over where the television used to be. Not that I ever turn TVs on in a hotel room, but they’ve upgraded the size of the screen.

Now this I think is brilliant. Very often in Accor hotels they will offer 100 points if you don’t have the room cleaned, which I usually take. However, hotels sometimes forget and have to be reminded and it’s all quite awkward getting the points sometimes.

Anyway, they take a different approach here, if you don’t have the room cleaned, you get a free drink from the earlier mentioned fridge. I thought this might be a faff to claim, but they pop a little card under the door which is the voucher that guests can claim their drink with. The offer includes all drinks, so I was pleased to get a couple of different beers for free.

All told, I very much liked this hotel as it felt like decent value for money. There were no noise issues internally or externally, with the team members being friendly and engaging. The online reviews are a little mixed, but they are often people expecting a rather more decadent room than is actually offered. I think the word ‘budget’ might be a clue here…

One one star review noted:

“Hardly anyone has a decent level of english…is it because Germany is self-sufficient and is thus not in need of tourists… shame on you”

Although the team members I encountered here spoke perfect English, there is a level of arrogance in thinking it’s shameful when they don’t.

“This hotel is right next to another ibis and the staff isn’t trained to guide customers to the right ibis”

There is a subtle clue that one hotel has an enormous “Ibis” sign and the other one has “Ibis Budget”. It’s not clear how staff are really meant to help customers who go wrong other than point them towards the correct hotel…..

Anyway, I’d stay here again, although it’s clear that the prices are ramped up considerably when there are trade shows on in the neighbouring buildings and I would be displeased to pay a lot of money to stay here. But when it’s keenly priced, all feels well.

April 14, 2026
Gothenburg Trip – Day 0 (Ibis Styles Heathrow)

I’ve written about the Ibis Styles Heathrow before, so I shall just briefly mention the highlights for my two loyal blog readers. We had arrived in style in Richard’s decadent Uber, an unusual way for me to get here.

I had a view of the runway from my room and I was pleased to discover that they had shoved Richard at the back of the hotel looking at the car park.

The room interior.

All very nice for £40 a night. I was pleased to also discover that Richard had been given a smaller room as I’m petty like that.

The welcome drink beer selection.

It took me a while to find a politician I wanted on the TV behind and there’s Richard in a relaxed mood. It took me an hour to drink that beer, it didn’t surprise and delight.

In the morning there was Watergate when Richard realised I had an extra water bottle than him. He decided against complaining to the hotel management, although that would have made for an interesting watch.

Back to the hotel though, the team members were friendly, the location was clean and there were no noise disturbances either internally or externally. It’s only a five minute bus journey to the airport, so it’s a convenient place to stay. I’m not keen on windows that can’t be opened, I would have liked the noise of the city, but the air conditioning worked so it wasn’t too stuffy.

All in, I’d merrily stay here again, especially after Watergate.

March 6, 2026
Burton upon Trent – Ibis Styles

Back to mid-January, when Richard and I decided that we needed a little adventure and we opted for Burton upon Trent and the Ibis Styles there.

The corridor arrangement is clever, as if someone stains it then it’s not really evident. I’m fairly confident that this was the actual reason for this design as I can’t see anyone picking this by choice.

Richard was very excited that the room he had booked came with a kitchenette. I was pleased that mine did too, but solely as I didn’t want him having a better room than me (I’m not petty). As an aside, I personally don’t like these kitchens in rooms, they’re a nightmare to clean properly for the staff and require substantial maintenance for something that many guests aren’t going to want. Keeping a microwave and every piece of cutlery and crockery clean isn’t an easy thing to do, I can’t really see why they want to burden themselves with this.

Someone rather unkindly used AI to put a bottle of wine in the fridge and pretended that it was a welcome gift. Actually, on that point, there was no welcome gift, but I won’t labour that matter. Anyway, Richard was stomping about the place as he didn’t get a gift of wine but luckily I was able to reassure him before the manager was called. It would be helpful for Richard’s stress levels if people didn’t do this, but at least I calmed the matter down before there was a diplomatic incident. It was a good job that I was there to be honest.

There was a modern looking bar area, all rather comfortable.

It’s quite a clever mix of retro and modern, although it hadn’t exactly inspired hundreds of people to come in.

I would have preferred a wider range of beers, but in fairness, they have Pedigree which is an important beer locally so at least they’ve made an effort to have a local option.

As for the hotel in general, it was all clean, welcoming and well maintained. Richard didn’t end up having an argument with the manager and there were no noise issues either internally or externally. It’s a relatively new hotel and it faces competition from an IHG hotel literally next door, but it all seemed well managed.

February 27, 2026
Timișoara – Ibis Hotel

I try and stay loyal to Accor Hotels and they handily had this Ibis in Timișoara where I stayed for two nights.

These rooms are fine for me on my own, but they are getting a little too small now for those couples who might want to spend a few days here. I liked that the large picture by the bed was actually just a painted wall with a frame around it. They don’t have any larger rooms for upgrades, but I was given my preferred top floor room.

The view from my window.

Some of the cold options and at the rear dish in the middle of the photo is ajvar, something which I’m overly obsessed by. The meat quality here wasn’t great, so I ignored that. The breakfast room was also really odd, it simply wasn’t large enough despite all of the space that they have here, it’s poorly laid out. I managed to come down at times that there were tables free, but many guests were struggling to find a space to sit.

The breads and apple pies.

A big dollop of ajvar. Those sausages were odd, they looked delicious but were chewy and lacking in any depth of flavour.

I suspect the hotel staff were wondering where one of their dips kept going.

The welcome drink of Timișoreana lager which tasted mostly of metal and disappointment. The croissant was mine, but there was a welcome gift of chocolates from the hotel.

The online reviews of the hotel are very positive, so they’re clearly surprising and delighting lots of people. I rather liked this hotel, although their restaurant and bar area was frequently dominated by private groups. On the first night, they had closed the restaurant for a private group and although I had no intentions of eating there, it’s a little sub-optimal for guests. Anyway, if I’m back in the city, I’d likely stay here again.

February 19, 2026
Warsaw – Novotel Warszawa Centrum

I would show a photo of the clear exterior of the Novotel, but it was too foggy to see it, but it is to the right hand side of the photo.

I’ve written about this hotel numerous times before, it’s one of my favourites. It’s a towering great affair near to the Palace of Science and Culture and a short walk away from the railway station.

One downside about the incredible growth of Poland’s economy is that hotel prices are routinely much higher than they were, so it’s rare that this hotel is an affordable option now. Luckily, Sunday rates are much lower and there was a friendly welcome at the front desk and they’d kindly upgraded me. They also mentioned it was a while since I’d visited, so I was secretly pleased that their computer hadn’t entirely forgotten about me.

My welcome gifts, local apple juice and chocolate biscuit things.

I arrived at the hotel just five minutes before the bar closed, which had the advantage that I was able to get my welcome drink. Żywiec Porter is always a favourite of mine, malty and rich, certainly good to eat the welcome chocolates with.

The view from the window over Warsaw and the Palace of Science and Culture is sort of visible on the right. I find watching the trams going through the roundabout quite peaceful and relaxing, I always get Sim City vibes sitting up here.

This might not have been the longest of stays, but the room was clean and there were no internal noise issues. I like traffic noise so I opened the window and the sounds of the city didn’t disappoint, Warsaw always feels like a vibrant place. And I use vibrant here in the positive sense, I sometimes refer to pubs as vibrant, by which I mean I feel that they’re close to having a riot.

I had initially intended to stay in Warsaw for a few days, but I accidentally booked a return flight to Madeira. This meant that my intended relaxing stay in the Novotel was rather cut short as I had to leave the hotel at 08:00 to get the train back to the airport. It was foggy, slightly cold and nicely refreshing.

December 19, 2025
Venice – Novotel Venezia Mestre Castellana

Another day, another Accor hotel…. This one is the Novotel, around a thirty minute walk from Venice Mestre railway station.

I was pleased to get an upgrade to an executive room, so I felt like a proper business professional….. Or something like that.

I hate connecting rooms, but fortunately, there were no issues with noise or light on this one. The hotel had themselves put a little barricade up, which saved me doing it.

There were some free drinks in the fridge, along with a Nespresso machine.

The view from the window. The old city is off to the left in the distance.

It took 11 minutes to be served at the bar, which felt a little sub-optimal, although I was collecting a free welcome drink so it’s hard to be too annoyed. There was a very large group in the restaurant that was taking up the staff’s time, but they probably could have been more aware of the customers starting to queue at the bar. The team members were all friendly and helpful, just heavily overworked when I was there.

This was an anti-climax, a small glass of Peroni, which tasted chemical, metallic and bland. It felt a slight shame that the hotel didn’t have something similar to the nearby Mercure hotel.

The restaurant in the back might have been at capacity, but the bar wasn’t….. Here we are after the team members had served the customers at the bar.

The old part of Venice was visible by zooming in…..

Anyway, I liked this hotel as the team members were friendly, the room was clean, I got an upgrade and there were no noise issues. The hotel was dealing with a very large group of customers when I was there and that impacts service somewhat, but I was happy with my room at the end of the corridor on the top floor, away from all that frivolity. If they could just upgrade their bar options though, that would be lovely.

December 16, 2025