ibis budget Antwerpen Centraal Station — Hotel in Antwerp

October 14, 2025 – A Disappointing Experience at Ibis Centraal Hotel, Antwerp

Around 11:00 PM on October 14, 2025, my spouse, our 20-month-old baby, and I made a reservation to stay at Ibis Centraal Hotel, which is located very close to Antwerp Train Station.

Why we chose this hotel: We had originally planned to travel to Eindhoven and stay with a friend. However, our daughter was sick, we were extremely tired, and the train from Antwerp to Eindhoven was going via Rotterdam, which meant we would arrive very late. Since Ibis Centraal Hotel is right next to the train station, we decided to stay there instead.

Previous experience: Just one night before, we had stayed at the same hotel around the same time. It was decent in terms of price/performance. However, the elderly man at the reception scolded us when we handed over all three passports, saying our baby’s passport wasn’t necessary. As a family who runs a hotel business in our own country, I would never hire someone like him. Guests should be treated like visitors to your home—with warmth and respect. Sadly, I suspect this rude man treats his own guests the same way. For comparison, flight attendants are a great example of how hospitality should be delivered.

The incident: Before leaving the train station, we made a reservation via Booking.com and walked to Ibis Centraal Hotel. The young man at the reception told us there was no reservation under our name. We had mistakenly booked Ibis Port Hotel instead. The reservation had been made just five minutes earlier, and we wanted to cancel it—but Booking.com said it was non-refundable. We asked the young receptionist if he could call the other hotel to help us cancel. He said he was very busy and asked us to wait. It was a long and exhausting wait—our baby was sick, and it was late at night. He was likely preparing handover documents for the shift change.

While waiting, the same rude elderly man from the previous night arrived to take over the shift. Time was passing, and we were growing increasingly frustrated. I tried to explain the situation to the elderly man, but he said it wasn’t his concern since he had just arrived. The young man was still busy with paperwork. A queue of guests was forming behind us. I told them we had waited long enough and needed help.

Towards the end: The elderly man said our reservation wasn’t for this hotel and that it wasn’t his problem. The young man also refused to help. I was furious. It was very late, we were exhausted, our baby was sick, and we had missed the last train to Eindhoven. The hotel we had mistakenly booked was 7–8 km away in a remote area. Realizing we wouldn’t get any help, we left the reception.

Arrival at the other hotel: It was late and cold. A taxi quoted €40 to take us from the train station to Ibis Port Hotel. Since our room cost €53, this felt too expensive. We walked to the tram stop, took the tram to the last station, and walked another 1.7 km through dark, deserted streets to reach Ibis Port Hotel. We explained the situation to the receptionist there. He listened and said that if Ibis Centraal Hotel had called, he could have canceled our reservation. This made us even more upset. We went to our room, didn’t even use the shower, just slept, and left the hotel at 7:00 AM the next morning.

Conclusion: The staff at Ibis Centraal Hotel could have shown empathy, considered our exhaustion and our sick baby, and simply called the other hotel to ask about canceling the mistaken reservation. If they had done that, we would have stayed at Ibis Centraal Hotel. Instead, they made us wait and ultimately refused to help. We missed our train, felt deeply upset, and became even more exhausted. I thank God nothing worse happened while walking through those dark streets at night.

You can be sure—I would never employ such people at my own hotel.

I hope this long review helps future guests be cautious when booking at Ibis...

I stayed at this budget hotel with my boyfriend who had a meeting in Antwerpen. The location of hotel is just nearby the the central station of Antwerpen but it's more in the back alley. It's not dangerous and it's just next to the Aldi (grocery store) so it's convenient for those who want to buy snacks or breakfast. However, I don't really commend you to walk alone late at night, it's just for safety even though it's looks safe but you never know if you are going to roam around the area in middle of the night just like any other places. Besides, it's nearby the diamond shops for those who are looking for wedding/engagement rings and walking distance to different kind of shops and restaurants as well.

The receptionist has welcomed us with very warm (he had this huge muscles) and check-in was very easy and so as check-out. However, it made us feel uneasy during checkout since the receptionist didn't say any closure just like "thank you for staying with us and have a nice day" so we ended up waiting for them thinking checkout was not done (you just need to hand out the key and that's it :) the receptionist which we had didn't say anything and continue with conversation with her coworker).

The room was modern, nice and clean. the room was painted in green and white which gave us a refreshing feeling. The room had a corner with a hangers where you can place your jacket, small table with two chairs, heater, tv, sink, towels and shower. We were in third floor and toilet was just next to our room (toilet is shared). The internet connection from the room was fantastic too! Even though I didn't use it that much. I realize that a lot of hotel's guests were from the Netherlands and United Kingdom in a group (probably they have booked through travelling agency).

The hotel provides bus shuttle to the airport with extra fee and pets are allowed as well. The receptionist is open for 24 hours but it's possible to check-in online as well. there are elevator and upon request, you can also get breakfast and drinks (there is small menu card in your room with price list).

Overall, I am happy with my stay. Just like the hotel's name, this place is budget so it's ideal for those people who want to do all the activities in Antwerpen by walking or bus.

I would recommend following place to visit during your stay: *Central station of Antwerpen: it's known as most beautiful station in Belgium *Zoo of Antwerpen or Aquatopia for those who adores animals *De Keyserlei street: for those who seeks for amazing restaurants and place to look for your engagement/wedding rings UGC cinema's for those who wants to watch movie *Meir street: famous to shop til you drop down *Barbomonument & old cityhall Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal Antwerpen: many Japanese tourists want to take a look at this one participial painting, The Descent from the Cross (Rubens). Visit to the church used to be free but now you need to pay 6 euro (-12 years are free) and of course there are tons...

We recently stayed at the Ibis Budget in Antwerp, and I must say we were highly disappointed with our experience.

The room we were given was far from clean; every corner was dirty and dusty. It seems like they rely solely on a cleaning robot, which clearly doesn't do a thorough job. Another highlight was the water stream in the shower which was consistently too low, making it extremely challenging to take a proper shower. To make matters worse, the tiny shower had no shower gel, which was quite inconvenient. The lack of air conditioning in the room was unbearable, especially considering we visited during a period when the average temperature was around 30 degrees Celsius. Three people in such a cramped space was simply not feasible; there was barely enough room for anything. This added to the discomfort and inconvenience I experienced during my visit.

With no air conditioning, you're left with no choice but to open the window for some ventilation. However, this led to another problem – the room quickly became infested with mosquitos. There were no mosquito curtains or any means to keep these pesky insects out.

The breakfast is also worth to mention.. While we expected a basic breakfast from this budget hotel, the quality was far below expectations. The cooked egg provided was stone hard, cold, and the inside was white. The juices served were clearly artificial in taste.

What could be seen as a security hazard, the evacuation plan on the door didn’t match the location of the room. It could be misleading in case of emergency and cause much harm. You can see the problem in a video attached.

Considering that Ibis is a well-known hotel chain, this was a big letdown. It's evident that there are several fundamental problems with this hotel, and I strongly advise against choosing Ibis Budget in Antwerp for your accommodation. It was a frustrating and unpleasant experience, and I won't...