ibis Laon

It was utter chaos on Boxing Night, with just two staff for a coachload of people. One was the chef, while the other handled reception, the bar and food service. The food came out stone cold, and our dessert was yoghurt for breakfast. It was meant to be a set menu. Both men were mortified, but nobody from management was available, even with the driver demanding to speak to someone. Very disappointing, especially at Christmas, and the hotel made no effort.

We stopped here on the way south from Calais after a late ferry from England. The car park was spacious and secure, and the rooms were nice and had air conditioning. Breakfast was great. The restaurant looked and smelled good for dinner, but we took a taxi into Laon instead. It's a beautiful little town and we'll definitely visit again. A really good quality ibis hotel.

The hotel was full for my stay, with friendly fellow car enthusiasts there for the June '25 Classic Car event. Staff were friendly and spoke English, which saved me the embarrassment of my schoolboy French. I keep choosing the Ibis for this event because it meets our needs: decent, basic rooms, secure parking, a bar and a restaurant with good food at reasonable prices. There's a wider choice of restaurants in the old town, but you'd need to add a 20 Euro taxi fare each way. I've no hesitation recommending it, though my room, 243, had no tea or coffee facilities and the air conditioning wasn't working. There are better hotels, but they're more expensive.

The restaurant food was excellent and reasonably priced, and there's a petrol station and supermarket about five minutes away. Parking was available, and the staff were very friendly and helpful, going out of their way to make our stay enjoyable. Fantastic hotel.