Ibis Budget Karlsruhe

Breakfast was nice, and the self check-in machine worked fine even though the place isn't staffed around the clock. It's also 2 km from the highway, which is handy if you're passing through. But this felt like somewhere to sleep during a quick layover, nothing more. It's priced too high to call budget, and of the seven Ibis hotels I've stayed at in Europe, this was the worst. It was the only budget one, but nowhere near the cheapest. The shower is in the bedroom rather than a bathroom and overflowed after three minutes. The air conditioning didn't blow cold air. The snack machine was missing snacks and drinks, accepted only EUR coins, and kept the change.

Our room was clean and the hotel was fine for a one-night stop. The rough part was the male receptionist. Five of us arrived on motorbikes after riding through torrential rain and thunderstorms, and he was rude, almost hostile. He could really use a customer relations course.

We booked two rooms for three adults and two children. The hotel is in a good spot near the highway, with a grocery store and gas station about 200-300 meters away. At first we were charged 50% of the adult breakfast fee for the children, aged 2 and 5. An employee checked with the manager, and we got that money back.

The hotel itself was fine: basic for the price, but the rooms were clean enough and the location is handy if you're traveling onward. Still, I wouldn't stay here again because of how the man at check-in treated me. I was there for one night on Thursday 26th June, on my way to my grandma's funeral. He said room 503 was on the 4th floor, so I asked whether he'd said the 4th or 5th, since rooms numbered 500 are usually on the 5th floor. He answered, “typical women - always contradicting you.” I was shocked, apologized, and explained I was only checking what I'd heard. Then he asked, “are we married?” When I said no, he asked why I was arguing with him as if we were. I hadn't been rude or argued with him at all. I was stunned that anyone thought it was acceptable to speak to a woman that way in 2025. I stopped talking and let my sister handle the rest. I've seen other reviews complaining about a male receptionist and assume it's the same person. I definitely won't use this hotel again.