ibis budget Vélizy

There’s nowhere to leave your bags, and the hotel doesn’t really have a lobby, just a breakfast room that isn’t set up for hanging out. You’ll also need to go elsewhere for shops or restaurants. There are vending machines, though one only takes coins, and Westfield Vélizy2, with places to eat, is about a 15-minute walk away. For a night or two, it was a decent stay and handy for the conference venue. My double room was clean, quiet, and comfortable. The staff were friendly and tried their best, though not everyone spoke English. Translation apps helped. The bathroom was clean too, but the toilet door didn’t shut properly. That wasn’t a problem for me since I was travelling alone.

I never made it to the hotel. My event moved to another part of Paris, so the booking was no longer usable for me. I told the staff more than six months ahead that I couldn’t stay. I knew the booking officially wasn’t refundable, but it felt awful that the room would simply sit empty and the hotel wouldn’t try to help. Booking.com’s staff were fine. They asked the hotel to make an exception and were even willing to waive their fee. The hotel staff showed no interest in helping. They also ignored my messages for months, even after several attempts to reach them. I asked whether I could find someone else who needed a room there and at least change the name on the booking, but never got an answer. Even a reply saying company policy meant they couldn’t help would have been better. This was the most disappointing booking experience I’ve had. Maybe I’d have enjoyed the hotel if my event had stayed in its original location, but after this, I wouldn’t want to deal with the place again. Be careful, the staff won’t help you.

The people next door kept a party going until 3 AM, and the walls were thin enough that we could hear the whole thing. Then, from 8:45 to 9:32 in the morning, the cleaning lady chatted in the hallway with another guest. We ended up having little choice but to wake up. Quite the memorable stay, thanks for the experience.

The room was in very poor shape, as was the rest of the hotel. There was a strong urine smell in the corridor and in our room’s toilet, and the window safety lock was broken. With young children on the third floor, a large window that could be opened was frightening because they might fall out. I asked for housekeeping three days in a row, but nobody cleaned the room. I had to go to the desk for towels, toilet paper, a garbage bag, and supplies so I could clean it myself. One receptionist was extremely unfriendly. The website says staff speak English, but nobody we encountered could. One man was pleasant and tried to translate and sort out the hot chocolate issue, which I appreciated. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel at all.