ibis budget Bishops Stortford London Stansted Airport

The hotel is currently being used to house immigrants under the government’s migrant support plans.

The staff were really friendly and helpful, and the location is handy for the airport. It was quiet enough before the planes started flying. The place looks like an old people’s home that’s been converted, and our room was bland with no air conditioning. There aren’t any real facilities, just pizza and chips. Also, one of our family members developed either bites or a rash during our one night there.

We had nowhere nearby to go, so we ended up sleeping in the foyer. The only answer I got was to contact Booking.com. They said it was nobody’s fault. Never book with them, they’re unprofessional and incompetent. I’d booked one night through Booking.com because the hotel was close to Stansted airport. A few days before check-in, I asked to cancel because of the new COVID restrictions, but after I spoke with the hotel, the booking was still in place. Then, at 5pm on check-in day, the hotel abruptly cancelled it. When I called to check, they denied cancelling and assured me the booking was still active. We arrived at 10.45pm and were told it had been cancelled at my request a few days earlier.

Four days before I was due to travel, they cancelled my booking without giving a reason. I had a mad scramble to find a room somewhere else. The cancellation came from a no-reply site, so they didn’t even want me to ask why. I suspect they’d got a better offer from another guest. Just be careful, as they may cancel a short booking without explanation.