Hotel Ibis Styles Aix-les-Bains Domaine de Marlioz

After a 700 km drive, we arrived around 6 PM hoping for a welcoming check-in, but the young woman at reception was unfriendly throughout. She couldn't find my Gold Member status in the system, so there was no acknowledgment or offer of an upgrade, which I usually expect from the program. She also insisted on a credit card even though one isn't mandatory. The room service side was disappointing too. When we asked for an extra towel, we were told none were available, and there wasn't enough liquid soap in the bathroom. On top of that, she tried to charge more than the correct total. It was frustrating and time-consuming, and seemed to come from either not being able or not wanting to review the information on her computer properly. This fell far short of the brand's usual hospitality. I hope management addresses these problems so guests get better service in the future.

The hotel is clean, very nice, quiet, and in a beautiful location. The outdoor pool is lovely, and breakfast had plenty of choices and was great. We did have issues with both rooms: the air conditioning didn't work in the first one, so they moved us, but the bathroom in the next room had a leak. They were willing to deal with the problems.

We felt fully relaxed after using some of the procedures included with our stay at the nearby SPA Nexus, which is an extra. We stayed in a studio with a small kitchenette, including a microwave and utensils. Breakfast was more than enough, and the hotel welcomed us with tea and croissants. A good place to stay.

The room was clean when we arrived, with comfortable beds and pillows. The pool was another disappointment: before booking, we called and were told it was kept at 28 degrees, but it wasn't heated, or was kept at 24 degrees. Traffic from the busy highway right beside the pool was constant. The hotel is in a suburb, about a 20-minute walk from town. The service was the worst we've had at an Ibis. Nobody came to clean the room, and when we asked, reception said they don't clean rooms or make beds as a matter of policy, but could give us a couple of towels. We asked about buses to the lake and were told there were very few on Sunday. In fact there were plenty, so they simply didn't know or didn't want to help. Most of the staff were awful, though one person on the Night Shift knew when weekend breakfast ended, and someone lent me an electric converter after I forgot mine. Breakfast itself was good. In short, terrible service all around, this isn't a service-oriented hotel.