ibis Mendoza Hotel

The location is handy for vineyard and adventure tours, and taxis make it easy to reach the city or the more rural areas. Breakfast was standard, with medialunas, toast, eggs, cheese, ham, yogurt, juice, and coffee. The room was surprisingly quiet, but small, with creaky laminate flooring instead of the more usual tile in Argentina. There was a thermostat, though it didn't adjust the temperature or fan speed. No mini fridge for the wine we bought on a vineyard outing, and no safe either. After many trips to Mendoza, this was the first time I felt I really needed one. We stayed in plenty of good 3 star hotels in Mendoza over the years, but choosing the Ibis was a mistake. At check-in, the price was higher than our reservation through Despegar, and they first tried to give us a different room type. The room we had booked suddenly became available after that. They also wouldn't remove VAT, even though other hotels have honored that for us. We were under pressure because we hadn't booked far ahead for a holiday and hadn't read the reviews. We should have read them. There's a clear pattern. Another couple was given the same line about the confirmed reservation price while we were there. The staff seemed annoyed all the time, and instead of arguing customers into the ground, they should fix the issue. We insisted and got them to correct it. The bathroom was disgusting, not just moldy but marked with suspicious looking grime on the shower walls. The shower head was in the ceiling, centered over a small stall, and once you managed to set the temperature between freezing and scalding, the water only dribbled out. With the poor condition of the towels and bathroom, we wondered whether the duvet was washed regularly. It was the only bedding, and too warm with the poorly working air conditioning, though the mattress itself was surprisingly decent. The elevator still wasn't working. If you stay more than one night, have them check your key card when you get back from an outing, before climbing the stairs to your room. It seems they deactivate cards each day or something. That happened to us, and we saw it happen to others at the front desk too.

There was a secured entrance gate for cars, which addressed security. The hotel offers good quality for the price. It's outside Mendoza, but restaurants and activities in the city were only a 5-10 minute drive away.

At breakfast, the staff were all very attentive. But my room had a strong sewage smell, and check-in was frustrating. Vero wouldn't honor the amount in pesos shown on my reservation and was firm about it without offering any solution. They did resolve the same issue for me at my Ibis reservation in Buenos Aires.

The rooms are okay, but there was no working air conditioning, refrigerator, door locks, or safe. The location was awful for sleeping: there's a soccer field right next to the hotel, and if your room faces that side, forget about getting proper rest. It's almost 1 AM and people are still shouting all around.