Ibis London Blackfriars

The room was spotless and well stocked, and the bed was comfortable enough that we slept well. Booking was easy, and we got a friendly, professional welcome on arrival. Local facilities, the tube, the river, and lots of interesting places were all within easy reach. I can’t think of a better place for our stay.

We were able to get into our room earlier than expected, which saved us from dragging our luggage around. Check-in and checkout were both smooth, and the reception staff were polite and helpful. The room was very clean. The bathroom felt a bit like a container, but it worked fine. Breakfast was nothing special, though it filled us up for the day. The hotel is in a convenient spot, right by a metro station and about a ten-minute walk from the bus stop for central areas. A pleasant, practical stay.

The friendly reception staff and good location were the bright spots. For the price, it’s easy to walk to the West End, Tate Modern, the RBO, and other places, with Blackfriars station, Waterloo station, and the Jubilee line nearby. Wifi worked fine. We stayed ten days, but as regular Accor Silver and ibis guests, the experience didn’t meet our expectations. The AC was switched off, yet often started clicking or making dripping sounds for 30-60 minutes at a time, usually in the evening or during the night. We didn’t hear voices from neighbors, but pipes in the wall carried regular flushing sounds. Cleaning wasn’t very good either: there was dust under the bed, so vacuuming didn’t seem thorough. The TV was poor. YouTube always crashed at the login screen. We could use an iPad over HDMI only through a clumsy workaround, switching the input after the app crashed with the remote’s center buttons. Adjusting the volume then blacked out the screen, and we had to toggle inputs to get the picture back. Our double room had no view, just a neighboring building about 1-2 metres from the window, which was okay. The bathroom was small and had no lock. The shower doors had holes for opening them, so we had to be careful not to spray water through them. The shower itself was okay and had standard Accor shower gel and shampoo. The extra hand towel was another repeated hassle. Our room didn’t come with one, so we got one from reception, but room service took it away every time they replaced our towels. We had to ask reception for it again after each cleaning.

This was my second stay here, both in peak summer, and the hotel has since been renovated. We had a great five nights. The buffet breakfast was amazing, easily the best I’ve had on either of my Europe holidays. The location is good, very close to Southwark station and Waterloo. The room is basic but clean, and the bed is comfortable. The AC is a bonus. The small bathroom reminded me of a caravan bathroom, with no fan or ventilation, though not necessarily in a bad way. The room lacks basics like a mini fridge, pens, paper, tissues, and soaps, and our hair dryer didn’t work. For five nights, and since we were only in the room to sleep, it was a great stay. I’d come back.