ibis Styles London Southwark — Hotel in London

What a spectacular experience we had this past weekend at the Ibis Styles London Southwark! We usually stay in a different area of the city when in London, but wanted to try something new...and we are so glad we did! We didn't know what to expect for our stay at the Ibis Styles, but were beyond pleased with our entire experience and cannot wait to stay there again on our next trip to London. Right from the moment we walked into the lobby, the warm environment and adorable décor caught our attention. The staff welcomed us warmly, and even recognized that we were the family arriving who had wanted to surprise our daughter with a bit of a fun welcome for her birthday weekend. Imagine our surprise when we walked into our room to find an incredible setup of balloons (including a pair of helium numbered balloons, a 1 and 6 to commemorate her Sweet 16) , a personalised birthday card, and a lovely sweet treat. She was so surprised and excited to see the amazing setup and it really set our special weekend off on a fantastic start. As for the hotel in general, we were so impressed. We have stayed in many hotels in all price ranges and levels of stars, and I will say that in terms of service, I have rarely experienced anything quite like the Ibis Styles London Southwark. Every single person we interacted with from check-in to check out was warm, friendly, and personable. They wanted to know how our stay was going, how we were liking everything, and if our daughter was having a good birthday weekend. Whether we were ordering a drink at the bar area, enjoying the breakfast, or having some of the free popcorn, everyone was always there with a smile. The staff at the reception and at breakfast were delightful, especially the woman who runs the breakfast room, who greeted us like a friend each morning as she found us a table and sat us. This kind of service is not common and it definitely makes this hotel stand out from the crowd. As for the hotel in general, the lobby and common areas are fun and full of character, and we loved the theatre theme! Common areas and hotel rooms are clean and well maintained, and each day our room was made up with care. The breakfast was free, plentiful, and delicious - so many things to choose from, and it offered just the right amount of options for many different tastes (breads/croissants, yogurts, cereals, hard-cooked eggs, meats, cheeses, fruit and veg, cakes, juices, teas and coffees, and even vegan and gluten free options!). Finally, the location - it was great! Less than a 10-minute walk to multiple tube stations, lots of bus stops nearby, and walkable to SO MANY sights and activities. We rarely needed to use public transport because we found that walking was so convenient. And it is fantastic having places like Borough Market, The Tate Modern, The Globe Theatre, and St. Paul's Cathedral all within a 5-15 minute walk. Big Ben/Parliament is about a 35 minute walk, and the Tower of London is maybe 25 minutes (the opposite way) along the Thames. This location can't be beat for anyone who wants to be close to the center of everything! My family and I had such a wonderful stay at the Ibis Styles London Bridge and we highly recommend it. We will definitely be returning on our next trip to London! Thank you to everyone for such an experience and for making our daughter's Sweet 16...

Friendly welcome and super quick check-in as I'd already done the online check-in so just needed to collect be key. Room was ready at 12:30pm which was fab. The lobby is quirky and stylish and even had free popcorn 🍿👍🏼 Room on the 1st floor was clean and even had a great view of The Shard Air conditioning takes a while to kick in and I imagine on a v hot day would not be strong enough. Had a great night sleep though and didn't hear any noise which was fantastic. Not even the cleaners that you can sometimes here rustling about in the mornings. So 10/10 for quiet room. Shower had good pressure and temperature. Only had 1 towel per person so would be nice to have an extra towel for ladies to dry their hair Breakfast was disappointing. Served from 07:30 - 11:30 on a Sunday I believe. We arrived just before 10:30 and most bits were empty. Staff didn't seem to have much urgency at refilling or clearing tables. Cold continental buffet of boiled eggs, ham, salami and a couple of cheeses. Cucumber and tomato. Cereal : cocoa pops, special k and muesli. Also had banana chips, dates and sultanas. Yogurt in glass cups with some kind of fruit sauce? And a jug of milk which of course was quickly emptied. Muesli was empty. The fruit stand was empty. Seemed to be some good pastries. I didn't see and gluten free options. Forget the coffee machine, the cappuccino was mostly milky water. The percolated coffee was quite good but again emptied quickly as more people came. No clean cutlery, had to ask for this. Couple of juice options. All in all I would stay here again as only a stone throw from Borough Market and would go there for...

Very convenient location, the lobby is nicely decorated and the man who checked us in seemed very nice.

…However, I'm sure you can only imagine our shock when after a long day at a festival we arrive at our hotel to check in, go up to our room and tap the (admittedly quite stylish) wooden keycard onto the door, and are subsequently greeted by the screams of an incredibly alarmed woman clamouring around the end of the bed. Fortunately for her, we're not terribly interested in ambushing and we were equally alarmed and, amidst some flustered apologies, simply screamed back before heading back to the lobby to try and acquire a room that was not occupied. The Pleasant Man at Reception was understandably confused - "There was someone in there? There shouldn't be..

Cue a brief moment of panic as it became apparent to us that not only was there a mystery woman in our room, but allegedly it was the only free room in the hotel. Or at least it would have been if it were not for Mystery Woman.

Fortunately for us, the Pleasant Man at Reception liaised with the good folk at the Novotel next door and we were ushered in and given a perfectly good room there instead. Unfortunately, this did mean that we didn't get to cash in the breakfast we had included in the room rate at the Ibis. Having said this, after all the excitement of accidentally putting Mystery Woman through the mental trauma of what I can only assume felt like a failed heist, we slept in past 10am anyway. All-in-all, our stay was a literal non-event and we now have unlocked a new life-long fear of being greeted by screams when entering...