ibis Saint Dizier

The room was clean, spacious enough, and had a comfortable bed. There’s a large car park with EV charging stations, and the hotel sits right on one of the main roads into town. We were travelling from Switzerland to Brussels and stopped here for the night in France. Our mobile internet signal was poor, so we checked in at the hotel instead of online. It was quite chaotic, but we got through it. We hadn’t booked breakfast in advance, so we added it on the spot and paid the extra by card. In the morning we showed our room key card to an employee and had breakfast. After collecting our bags, we left the key cards in the box at reception and walked across the car park to our car. Then the receptionist rushed over shouting that we hadn’t paid for breakfast. I told her we had paid during check-in the night before, but she shouted back, “No you didn’t.” People nearby turned to look. To sort things out, I opened my bank account on my phone to show the transaction. The statement clearly showed the amount and “Ibis,” but she said, “That’s not us.” I was taken aback and trying to stay calm. In the end, she asked to photograph the statement, and I agreed. I travel a lot and have never been treated so unprofessionally by a staff member. If there’s a problem with a payment or booking, ask the guest to come back inside and deal with it quietly at reception or in an office. I understand that things can go wrong, but shouting at guests like that is unheard of. If she’d asked me normally, the whole situation would have been completely different. This was my first and last stay at this particular Ibis.

The hotel itself is decent for the price, but the restaurant is the main reason we’d hesitate to come back. A beef steak cooked correctly still wasn’t okay because the meat was tough, with lots of chewy cartilaginous strips. The child’s burger wasn’t satisfactory either, to put it mildly. Someone near us was served blackened skewers and had to send them back. I asked for the chef’s Thai sauce, which was forgotten at first; when I asked again, I got about 20 grams. There were other issues too. You can’t make a phone reservation without giving card details over the phone. I asked them to email a payment link, but they didn’t or couldn’t, and sent a general information email instead. The WC is fitted unusually high, making it hard for children to use, even in the “family” room. There’s no glass, wall, or curtain separating the shower, so the whole bathroom floor gets wet after one person showers. Reception was often empty, and we had to look around the hotel to find someone. The hotel is okay, but if the food isn’t, it’s hard to want to return.

The staff were very helpful, and we could open the window in the morning for some fresh air. Our room was clean, spacious, and comfortable, and we slept well. The linen was spotless too.

We got in during the early hours on our way from the Calais Euro tunnel to Switzerland. It was easy to find, and the place was clean, with a friendly and very helpful reception open 24/7. There are good recycling facilities and a decent green space outside where our Labrador could get some exercise before we set off. We left before breakfast, so I can’t comment on it. I’d recommend the hotel and stay here again.