ibis Aalst Centrum

The rooms were very clean and comfortable, and there’s a cosy bar that’s open pretty much day and night for drinks or snacks. Breakfast was good, but beyond that the hotel mostly has microwaved pizza. The location is a bit far from the city. Buses run every 30 minutes, or hourly on Saturdays and Sundays. An Uber costs up to 13€ each way, and walking takes about 15 minutes at a fast pace. My main complaint was how noisy the cleaning ladies were. They took a whole day to clean a few rooms along the same corridor, and I had to stop some Zoom meetings and continue somewhere else.

Both rooms we booked smelled awful and were so noisy that it was almost impossible to breathe or sleep. We asked to change rooms, but the receptionist said the hotel was full. When we decided to check out early the next morning, even though we’d booked two nights, staff suddenly asked why we hadn’t changed rooms for the second night. It seemed obvious they’d lied to us from the start. We asked for a refund for the second night because we couldn’t face another night of this, but they refused, saying the booking was non-refundable. That clause should apply when guests cancel for personal reasons, not when room conditions are so terrible they’re unfit to stay in. We’re extremely angry and disappointed. The way staff handled this was completely unacceptable. I hope this warns other travelers to think twice before booking. I’ll never stay at this property or any hotel in this chain again. Never!

The beds were uncomfortable and unfortunately not clean. It wasn’t a proper double bed either, just two singles pushed together that kept separating. The room smelled really bad, and the heating didn’t work properly. We stayed for two nights, but the experience was disappointing. I don’t recommend this hotel at all.

Cleanliness left a lot to be desired, and the evening bar staff were unfriendly, inflexible, and showed no interest in service. The rooms are old and worn, with just one power outlet in the whole room. A very disappointing stay, definitely not recommended.