ibis Loriol Le Pouzin

The hotel is right on the cycle ViaRhona, and there are high security gates to get in and out, almost like a compound. I’m not sure why. The bikes were left outside on a rack, so I expected better bike facilities. The restaurant called “pasta & pizza” didn’t actually serve pizza, just a small menu, and they seemed understaffed. The food was okay once it finally arrived. It was simply a place to sleep.

The location was nice, and despite only staying one night and having the fire alarm go off, we had a beautiful room and an excellent breakfast. They said gluten-free options were available, as at every Ibis hotel.

The hotel has lovely rooms and a beautiful lobby and restaurant area, but the service was awful. The staff seemed inexperienced and rude, ignored guests, and got irritated when we mentioned it. We eventually left without our order, which never arrived, even though the restaurant was practically empty and the staff were busy chatting with each other.

I booked through hotels.com and received confirmation, but when I got there they said it wasn’t valid, so I had no room. I can’t tell whether ibis or hotels.com was at fault. Getting a refund was difficult too, because no one at the hotel spoke English and the agency struggled to sort things out with them.