ibis Surabaya City Center

Breakfast was great, with plenty of choices including local dishes like lontong balap. The hotel also has board games, a mini pool table, foosball, lobby toilets, and a PC that I’m not sure works. They let me store my luggage at reception after checkout. Staff were friendly, I could ask for an extra towel, and I could request a particular housekeeping time. Still, there’s only one access card per room even when booked for two, and the congklak game didn’t have enough seeds. The room comes with a TV, desk, three outlets, wardrobe and hangers, storage cabinet, safe, bathroom hair dryer, and electric kettle. There’s a water gallon outside the room for refills. The lights are dim, so it’s not suitable for working, the toilet tissue is low quality, and the towels weren’t the cleanest. No fridge, and cutlery costs extra. The city center location makes it easy to reach many Surabaya attractions, with an Indomaret right next door and Wisata Rasa nearby for edible souvenirs like almond crispy. I expected Tunjungan Romansa to be an easy walk, but it was farther than I thought. It’s still walkable, though it takes a while and is really only practical at night, since Surabaya gets too hot for a daytime walk.

I liked how easy it was to get around from Ibis Surabaya City Center, with shopping areas, restaurants, and major city attractions close by. The facilities were clean, comfortable, and well maintained, and the staff were friendly, professional, and ready to help. Breakfast had a delicious variety of local and international food, a nice start to the day. I appreciated the hospitality and convenience, and would recommend it to both business and leisure travelers visiting Surabaya.

We booked a non-smoking room, but it still smelled of smoke. The staff were willing to move us, but the place and its furnishings felt old and unclean, with a stale smell. The linen had a really strong human odor, which was disgusting. It seemed they hadn't changed it and were reusing old linen. I called to ask for a change, and even after they changed it, there was still a slight smell. It felt like the linen wasn't being properly cleaned.

Check-in was smooth, and the staff provided good service. The rest of the stay was stressful, though. We were assigned a room on the third floor, next to a nightclub. At around 11 pm, the bass and big speakers sounded like a machine gun, and we couldn’t sleep peacefully. Traffic lights on the other side make a constant “tot tot tot” noise all day and night, but for a family that side would still be better than the room beside the club. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel to anyone sensitive to noise while sleeping. The corridor outside our room was full of a strong fungus smell. There was black mold all over the walls and ceiling, with no air purifier or dehumidifier and poor air circulation. The room’s centralized AC also circulated air badly. The bed was unusual compared with other hotels, more like a Japanese futon laid over a regular bed. Under it, there was lots of dust and white dirty marks. Breakfast was good enough, but the chef asked us to give a five-star Traveloka review on the spot and mention his name. Was that necessary? We asked to change rooms that night, but reception told us to wait until the next day, then we still had to wait until 11 am. We had requested a connecting room weeks before check-in, but didn’t get one initially. The replacement was connecting, with two single beds, but it was a smoking room. Anyone sensitive to cigarette smoke could still smell it. The security guard was fairly helpful, but the parking was poorly organized. We asked for a larger space for our big car and got no reply. A small car ended up in a large space, while our bigger car arrived later and got a small one. Remember to unload luggage outside the hotel: there are only stairs between basement parking and the lobby, no elevator. Not every space has a roof, either, and during rainy season, lots of branches from the creeping plant fall onto cars. It’s first come, first served, so we eventually had to ask security for help. Parking took too much time and was too stressful. My child spilled potato chips in the car, and the next morning it was full of ants coming from the parking area. What a day. Maybe we won’t stay here again.