Ibis Lille Centre Grand Palais in Lille

In the booking made direct with the hotel (not through a third party app) I requested a parking space. On arriving we were rudely and condescendingly told that this was not possible and that we should have called earlier in the morning to see if one of the six (6) parking spaces were available, which would have been impossible as we were travelling from northern Germany. If I’d known about the very little parking available (it doesn’t say how many spaces there are on their website) I would have booked somewhere else. The receptionist looked and dressed like a student doing a weekend job. It’s not about looking casual it about being professional. She offered a small discount in a nearby car park, which turned out to be full 🫤. She didn’t offer any other option, as she just gave an address to put in my satnav. After driving around for 30 mins I parked on the street about 10 min walk away.

The room was a typical ibis room, but looked a little tatty. There were marks on the walls and in the bathroom. The supplied towel were grey and far too small. Although the room was a double there was only a single extra pillow. The view from the window looked directly into flats across a dirty flat roof, with no view of the sky. Half of the tv channels didn’t work. The air con, although not on, continuously made a mechanical noise until the early hours. About the only decent thing was that the speed of the free wifi was OK.

I expected a lot from breakfast, as unlike the budget or styles versions of ibis, you pay a lot. The choice was poor. Bread was pre cut so only the plain white sliced bread fitted in the toaster. I have never had this happen in any hotel I have stayed in and shows how small the are is, that there is not enough room to put out a bread board with a knife. The madeleines and pain au chocolate were stale and hard, and not fresh that day!. The preserves were tasteless. There was a selection of ‘local honey’, which seemed to a thing, but if you are not into honey it does not make up for the lack of choice. The ‘viennoiserie du moment’ was just cheap plain brioche that you get from a budget shop. The cereal (3) were cheap generic versions and lacked substance, and tasted like dust. The fresh fruit was either past its best or not ripe. There was no decaffeinated coffee. The juice tasted watered down. This was by far the worst breakfast we have ever had at an ibis (even the free ones at cheaper brands) and I’ve stayed at many across Europe and the other brands associated with ibis.

The photos posted as part of this review show the whole of the breakfast offer. I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether this good value for money.

The room that you eat breakfast in was far too small for the number of guests (there are 5 floors of rooms) and there was no room between the chairs and table. Some guests were forced to sit at low tables in the small bar area. I got the feeling that other guests were also disappointed and saw two other people complaining.

If you are staying in Lille then stay somewhere else. There’s plenty of choice, even another ibis. Hopefully they have different management.

The response by management that it is better I stay somewhere else next time is typical of how this hotel is run. Once you’ve paid it’s not as if you can go anywhere else. This poor review is not just about the parking. It’s about the hotel, which needs better management. Grey towels are a sign that quality is poor. Marks on the walls of the bedroom and bathroom show that standards are poor and question what else isn’t being done. The poor breakfast is cost cutting and a disrespect of the customer. The attitude of the staff are an extension of the way in which there is no respect for the customer by management.