ibis Melbourne Central

The "automatic" check in was problematic - declining 2 credit cards several times. Quite stressful considering the situation of trying to book in and possibly not being accepted. I then went to one of the check in staff for help. He was very cheerful and helpful, and allayed my stress and fears. [I wish I kept his name to give credit where it was due. Thank you, kind and cheerful Sir.] The card was accepted via the manual method and check-in proceeded. The room was very clean and well kept, and the bed comfortable. Breakfast (level 2) was more than could be asked for, and the friendliness of the staff again allowed for great start to the day. The hotel is in a relatively quiet location and that also allows for a good night's sleep.

Staff were fantastic helpful and friendly, location was good. The rooms are just way too small. With two people and two suitcases we were constantly tripping over each other. Plus there is no mirror in the tiny showerroom & the sink/basin is outside next to the bed. That leaves little privacy when wanting to brush teeth/hair etc. It's OK for a single person not great for a couple. One single flat pillow on each bed.

It's not worth my time to go over every negative about this hotel, but I will just share a few examples. The doors slam so the rooms are noisy. The shower fluctuates temperature between too cold and burning hot. The staff at breakfast are constantly asking to take the plate of food away while still eating (they've asked at least three times every day I've been here). There is no conditioner. Check in was ridiculous, my key wouldn't work, they acted like I was an idiot and didn't know how to use a room key, so they wanted me to show them how I was using the key. We go up to the room, they try it, and say the door is broken. They talk about calling maintenance at 11 pm and I'm exhausted. They finally give a new room. Later on my key stopped working and again they gave me a run around. I could forgive some of the flaws in the hotel, no one's perfect, but the attitude of the staff that the guests are stupid and want us to leave is just so annoying. Or the staff giving us grief for wanting to sit as a group during happy hour when almost no one else was there at the restaurant. There were other things too that drove me crazy, like the wifi, but I don't want to spend my whole day writing this. On the plus side the hotel was fairly clean and the food at breakfast was good.

My stay wasn't actually planned, my connecting flight was cancelled so the airport paid for a night's stay at Ibis. I was very happy with the room, check-in/out service, and breakfast buffet. The reason I give this three stars is because of my experience whilst trying to sleep. I only slept for 3 hours due to very late arrival after such a long and stressful day, I woke up for breakfast as it was included in the airport voucher and then decided to squeeze in 2 more hours of sleep after breakfast. I put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door because I wanted to get as much sleep as possible and it is already so hard for me to initially get to sleep. I was woken up to very loud banging on my door 30 minutes before my alarm by someone shouting "Housekeeping!!" I tried to ignore it and go back to sleep but they kept banging and yelling "Housekeeping!!!", after I said "no" three times they banged and shouted again so I got up out of bed and went to the door to say no twice, then they paused and asked if I needed a dental kit. I was so exhausted from the stress and lack of sleep from my cancelled flight, this really upset me especially after I put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door. I was not able to get back to sleep afterwards as I was shocked awake. The only minor complaints I have are that the mini fridge was only stocked with milk, I think you can call for extra things upon request but it would be nice to have a snack of some sort readily available to eat. I noticed the toiletries are more eco-friendly due to being in large bottles for everyone to use but there was no conditioner, only body wash and shampoo. Overall the room, food, and service was great but I suggest staff should be reminded to not disturb if there is a sign on the door.

Room is very clean and comfortable, have a lovely painting. Great staff with great service. However, the room is quite small, there are no chair and table to use. And the bathroom only has one fixed showerhead. Breakfast is good, have a little bit differences in every single day. Great location, walked to the tram station just in a few minutes. So many restaurants nearby the hotel.