ibis Douai Centre

Jessie, thanks for the lovely glass of wine at the hotel bar.

The beds were very comfortable, and the rooms stayed quiet, so this worked well for an overnight stop. The team were friendly and keen to help, including making us a dinner reservation. Parking right outside was handy, and the neighbourhood was quiet. Breakfast was good, with excellent coffee. There’s also a small lift. The hotel occupies a 17th-century stone building beside the old cannon foundry, which closed in 1867. The foundry garden, dating from 1990, is pleasant and easy to reach. Not much of the hotel’s original character remains, though its age shows in the oddly placed windows. The newer secondary glazing is good quality, but the old wooden frames look scruffy and are difficult to maintain. Each room has its own electric heater, but there’s no air conditioning, so I wouldn’t choose to stay here in hot weather. The bathroom was the smallest I’ve come across outside a cross-channel ferry. It worked fine, though the usual Ibis towels felt a bit small and thin. Unless you need to be in Douai, I’d consider Arras, Amiens or Lens instead. The town feels rather rundown and has little for visitors beyond its spectacular belfry.

The building looked fantastic and the staff were friendly. The parking area is tiny, but I managed to leave my 3.5 ton van in a spot off the street, outside the car park, until 8am. It felt perfectly safe there.

The room got really hot, and there was no air conditioning. I also had to sleep without a pillow because the feather filling set off my allergies. Hypoallergenic pillows would have helped. The location in town is good, and the staff were friendly. Otherwise, it was a nice hotel. I didn’t stay for breakfast.