ibis Compiègne

I was here on a business trip to UTC. It felt like an oasis in the middle of nowhere, though my client said the neighborhood wasn’t too safe. The hotel is modern, and the people were friendly and hospitable even though I couldn’t speak French. It’s close to UTC and the bus stations, with a big supermarket and a backers nearby, which was a definite plus. The room was cosy, but an irregular low vibration from the heater or pipe could really bother a light sleeper. I’m a deep sleeper and still had to run white noise all night to fall asleep. The bathroom felt a bit cheap, with plastic-ish panels around the bathtub and a dark patch on part of the floor, probably mold since water splashed that way during a shower. But it had a bathtub, so I have nothing to complain about. The biggest drawback was no elevator. Carrying my 14kg tool case up and down three flights of stairs was no fun. The food wasn’t bad and was arranged artistically, but the fish had a strong ammonia taste. I’m also not sure the kind of plate they used was a good idea, since it made the food cool down quickly. The fries were a bit soggy, though I happened to like them that way.

The room had no facilities at all. We couldn’t even get a cup of water without paying €3.50, and the place was heated like Hades’ loft in high summer. Maybe they could afford a few basic niceties, like making a drink in the room, if they turned the heat down. The hotel is old and very tired; the mattress was awful, the pillow even worse, and the shower mostly sprayed sideways instead of onto me. We paid a reduced rate of €66. I could overlook these problems at a standard price of €30, but I’ve stayed in €30 rooms that were better. I’ll definitely avoid it on future business trips.

Of the three Ibis hotels we stayed in on our French road trip, this one was the best for comfort, convenience, and value. It also had a good breakfast, and left us with only a four hour final drive to Calais.

The Ibis has a great “music house” atmosphere, with so much attention to detail. And the people here are simply top class. Calling the service nice doesn’t really cover it.