ibis budget Belfast City Centre

A truly terrible stay. The corridors smelled, the atmosphere felt sketchy, and I believe housekeeping stole from me. I left a brand new Apple iPhone 16 charger, bought at the Apple Store just days earlier, with a brown bear accessory in my room. The hotel sent a photo of the accessory, but it had been pulled off my original cable and attached to a cheap, random black one. To me, that was undeniable proof of tampering and theft by their team. They also charge for everything: water, toothbrushes, adapters and even luggage storage. The hotel felt unprofessional, and I didn’t feel my belongings were safe. Don’t trust them. Stay away!

The room was about the size of a large cupboard, and we only got one pillow each. When we asked for more, we were told the hotel was full and there were no others. That was a first for a hotel, lol. It had the feel of run-down student halls, with marked walls and skirtings badly needing paint, and the bins didn’t even have liners. Outside was a noisy building site and what looked like a swamp after heavy rain. Luckily we weren’t on the Filthy McNastys side. The window only opened a tiny crack, supposedly for guests’ ‘safety’. The shower was fairly hot and powerful, though paying for a shower cap was another first. We’d just come back from a three-night trip. From the moment you pull up, you know what to expect: a hostel. I know it’s meant to be a budget stay, but it wasn’t even cheap and didn’t feel like value for money. The location is decent, but Belfast city centre is so compact and walkable that it doesn’t matter much. There are plenty of better hotels for similar prices closer to City Hall. We booked last minute because this was what had availability. Fine for cheap and nasty stag dos, and nothing else.

The bed was very comfortable, the location handy, and the staff were pleasant and helpful. It was okay for one night. The room was generally clean but small, though someone’s toenail and what looked like a pink fake nail were on top of the duvet. The toilet door doesn’t lock and has a gap underneath rather than going all the way to the floor. The motion-sensor light switched off after five seconds, so you had to keep waving your arms to turn it back on.

There was shouting and banging in the hallways late at night, and it didn’t seem the staff could keep the noisy guests under control. On top of that, my room was in noticeably poor shape. The window didn’t close properly, so street noise came straight in and light poured through all night, making it nearly impossible to sleep. Other parts of the room also felt neglected, like basic maintenance wasn’t a priority. The price may look tempting, but it wasn’t worth it. Between the noise, poor upkeep and uncomfortable atmosphere, this was one of the worst stays I’ve had. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.