ibis budget Swindon

The price is the only thing that seems above budget standard. At the entrance, the button you’re meant to press to open the main door is hard to see, and self check-in didn’t work. Once inside, there wasn’t much of a warm welcome either. The pillows were awful, much too soft, and there weren’t enough of them. After such a bad stay, I didn’t even have the energy to try breakfast. One star.

The reception person was polite, friendly, and gave good service. The room was clean and basic. It faced a brick wall, but I was only staying one night and hadn’t checked the location properly, so the view didn’t matter much. It’s well placed for the train station and nearby things. I wanted somewhere cheap and clean, which it was, so it was generally good. Just avoid a Saturday night if you’ll be in bed early: at 2:17 am I could still hear noise from the bars and clubs.

The street outside isn’t the nicest at night, but the receptionist/night porter made the whole stay feel perfect. I’m sorry if I’ve got your title wrong, but she was welcoming and extremely professional even though it was past midnight. I travel for work and stay in hotels a lot, and service like hers really stood out from the abrupt night service and falling standards I’ve often encountered elsewhere. She’s a credit to the company.

Run! My room was cold, the blanket made me itchy, and a very strong smell gave me a headache. For the first time in my life, I had to find another hotel even though I’d already paid for this one.