Stay Report: ibis Geneve Centre Nations (Geneva, May 2015)

Stay Report: ibis Geneve Centre Nations
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I was going to be in Geneva for one night and so I was looking for a hotel that was centrally located, within walking distance to many sights, and that was affordable.  In trying to find a hotel that met these criteria, the ibis Geneve Centre Nations was coming up.  I was traveling from Zurich where I had stayed the ibis there, so I was somewhat familiar with the brand.  For a base price, you get a room with a bathroom in it plus free wifi (strong wifi as well).  Everything else, including breakfast and other amenities, requires additional costs. 

The hotel does not provide complimentary airport or train transportation, so you have to make your own way to the hotel (note: there are two ibis’ in the city, one that is centrally located and one that is not – make sure you do not confuse them as they are very far away from each other).  For a first-timer in the city, it was somewhat difficult to find the hotel as it is located off of the main street and about a 10-15 minute walk from transportation.

From the outside, the hotel does not look that impressive but looks like a standard building.  As you enter into the lobby, there are luggage carts available to help transport your stuff.  Straight ahead is the check-in desk while the elevators are to the right.  On the left hand side is a sitting area plus the restaurant/bar.  The ‘business center’ was also located in the lobby, it was two computers connected to the check-in desks counter; you could check-in to your flight and print boarding passes for free.

I was traveling with others so I had booked a family room which comes with one double bed and one twin bed.  When I went to check-in, I was told that this type of room was not available so instead I received two rooms for the price of one.  Despite the lack of room type available, check-in was quick and the staff were very friendly.

Even though we had two rooms, they were somewhat connected.  From the main hallway, there was one main door that led into hallway.  As you entered the hallway, on the left hand side was the door to the first room while straight ahead was the entrance to the second room.  The rooms could act as two separate rooms, or you could close the main hallway door and the two rooms would be somewhat connected.

The rooms themselves were standard ibis rooms.  As you entered into the room, on the left hand side was a desk and immediately next to the desk was the bed and then a window.  In between the window and the bed was very little room, just barely room to get to the other side.  On each side of the bed were two small night stands, each of which had a light above it and plugs next to the bed (there were multiple plug outlets in the room).  The bed quality was decent and provided a decent night’s sleep.

The TV stand was located in front of the bed, and to the left of the TV stand was the open closet with a place to hang your clothes as well as shelves.  The bathroom was located to the right of the TV stand, at an adjacent angle, near the door.  As with most ibis’, the bathroom was compact but this one had more room that some of the others I have experienced.  The bathroom had a toilet, a sink, and a stand-up shower.  Bathroom amenities included a towel, which was poor quality, as well a shampoo/body wash/face wash combo (I would recommend to bring your own bathroom toiletries).

In the end, it was a decent night’s stay at the ibis Geneve Centre Nations.  For ibis, I always say if you know what you are expecting and prepare for that, then it can be a decent and comfortable stay.  If you are looking for a fancy hotel with all the amenities, this is not the hotel for you.  Generally the hotels have good customer service, free and fast wifi, and are usually centrally located or within walking distance to transportation and amenities.  This is what I was looking for and this is what the hotel provided, along with a decent night’s sleep.