ibis Bristol Centre — Hotel in Bristol

For those that like a short review: Customer service was a bit disappointing given a situation caused by external factors)

For those that like detail: I've used this hotel a few times in the past with no issues - I usually go there for work but on this occasion, I was with my wife.

We paid £190 for a double room as we were quite late booking the room but I accepted the higher price than normal because after all, we were late booking.

After we booked however, we were then informed that both the car parks nearest the hotel were unavailable due to a half marathon stopping/starting right outside the hotel! Given we were late booking, I think it's fair to assume that the hotel were already of aware of this and could have put a note/warning of it on the booking site(s) they have.

There had been no warning of the run starting outside early on the Sunday, the road or car park closures ahead of me booking on the sites etc. - I was only informed after Ibis/Accor had taken my money... In the words of the Jurassic Parc ground keeper... "Clever girl!"

I responded to the road and car parks closure email asking if we could cancel based off this and was told that I couldn't because I'd done a non-refundable booking. In all fairness, I had selected a non-refundable booking however I had done so based on the fact that I'd stayed there before and parked at the forementioned car parks and having looked at trains (replacement bus services) etc. - I knew it was going to be more difficult and would spoilt the trip, cause additional issues/costs for childcare as I couldn't get in/out as quickly and easily due to the roads and parking).

The initial customer service response was rather short/terse and while the subsequent emails were a little more nicely written, they were equally unhelpful.

I have to accept that I booked a non-refundable room (so I've raised the score from a 1 to a 3) however, I knew there was no reason we would cancel unless there was an issue with the hotel and I'd assumed that would be covered irrespective of the type of booking I was making. i.e. WE still had a trip to Bristol and didn't want to cancel, but the hotel had informed us of an issue with the booking (roads and car parks closed) but having taken

I had next to no interactions with the customer service past check-in but I've never had any other issues in the past.

So all in all, it was a bit...

We stayed as a couple at the Ibis Central in Bristol for 2 nights on the 1st till the 3rd of Jan 2023. Overall we had a great stay here's a breakdown of what we thought.

Location : Situated right by Millennium Square, the location was excellent, right on the harbourside with a choice of walks, plenty to see and a large variety of places to eat and drink. If you want to head towards Cabbots Circus shopping center it's about a 20 minute walk

Room: Our room was on the 4th floor, it's very basic but clean and tidy. There is only one socket we found which was on an extention lead to the window side of the bed so bring a long phone cable. The bathrooms are built in the room like a pod and were adequate but be aware there is a step up into the bathroom for anyone who would find that difficult. The shower provided good power and warm water.

Although there was some outside noise upon going to bed, with the window closed our room was peaceful and quiet. The biggest let down, and why we went for 4 stars instead of 5, is that the bed was like concrete. The beds are less matresses and more slightly flexible base with a mattress topper which meant a lot of the night spent re-adjusting sleep positions to stop getting numb limbs !

Food: We didn't check out the bar or breakfast so can't comment on those but with so many options right on the doorstep of the hotel you won't be limited on choice regardless.

Value: Overall its hard to knock the price of this hotel given its location. Although it isn't central to the main part of the city and the shopping areas, if you are headed in to Bristol for a few nights out and want a host of places to eat and entertain yourself you probably won't find much better, or cheaper right in the heart of the gastro action. With the market and escape rooms/bowling etc literally next door.

Overall we enjoyed our stay. Location and room wise we would come again for a night. For a longer stay the hard beds would...

I have previously stayed at this hotel on several occasions with family and was always pleased with the service received. However, on this occasion I walked into reception to find that the reception desk had been replaced with a table with laptops on. I found this off putting and a little unclear as to where to go to check in. It also made the reception area look untidy. Check in wasn't as smooth as it could have been as all of the equipment needed was no longer in one place and the guy checking us in had to leave the "reception desk" to create our key cards.

Whilst checking in I wanted to make sure that the "Half-Board" Dinner and Breakfast package I had booked was showing on my booking. It was confirmed it was. Later in the evening I came down for dinner and asked where we needed to go (the restaurant area did not look very open) as we had booked dinner. The guy that first spoke to us passed us over to a colleague who then did not know what we were talking about. We were then informed that they did not usually offer that package (despite it being online), they had no chef working that night and there was a limited bar menu as it was the reception staff who had to make the food. I did ask for a refund which was processed quickly - however being informed of this at check-in would have been helpful.

Finally at breakfast the following morning - I understood they were busy and understaffed, however the waitress' method of cleaning the tables was questionable, wiping all the mess onto the floor/chairs with such force that it landed on the seat next to me.

The rooms however are still of the same,...