Stay Report: ibis Zurich City West (Zurich, May 2015)

Stay Report: ibis Zurich City West
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There are many hotels in Zurich so when looking for a place to stay, there are many options to choose from.  I was going to be staying in Zurich for 3 days and I was traveling with a group so we needed either 2 rooms or one big room.  I was also looking for a place that was close to the city and close to transportation as well as to restaurants and sights.  Most of the places I was finding were too expensive or could not accommodate more than 2 people to a room, except for the ibis Zurich City West.  The hotel has a ‘family room’ which includes one double bed and a twin bed.  While a bit outside the city, the hotel was close to transportation so I decided to book this hotel.

Prior to this, I had not stayed an ibis (or any Accorhotel properties so I was not sure what to expect).  The pictures and research of the hotel detailed a hotel that was at a lower price, and for that lower price you got a hotel that provided a decent room, free wifi, and limited amenities.  This was not going to be a full service hotel so I went in prepared for that.

The hotel does not provide a shuttle to/from the airport.  I had arranged my own transportation since I was travelling in a group and we had luggage.  The hotel is located near a technopark/business park and from the outside looks more like an office building.  There are three Accorhotel brands all in one building – Novote, ibis, and ibis budget – and each has their own entrance. 

We entered into the ibis lobby which had the check-in desks on left and directly across were the elevators.  Further into the lobby was the restaurant and bar where you breakfast was available (for purchase).  There was a small sitting area and a ‘business center’ with computers and a printer in the lobby before the check-in desks.  We were checked in, received our key, and took the small elevators to our room.

As I said earlier, we had booked a family room which is supposed to a larger room with one double bed and one twin bed.  As you entered the room, the first thing you noticed was the spaciousness, the room definitely had a lot of space.  As you entered, on left side, against the wall, was the twin bed with a small night stand next to it.  While the twin bed was small, it was an adult twin bed so it was big enough for an adult.  The bedding was decent and comfortable, and it provided a decent sleep. 

Across from the bed, on the right side, was the entrance to the bathroom.  Given at how spacious the room was, the bathroom was tiny.  The bathroom contained a small sink, with little counter space; a toilet; and a stand-up shower.  It was tiny but had the basic amenities.  Towels were provided, but the towel quality was definitely poor and it was not a nice towel to use.  Another limited amenity was the shampoo and soap; ibis provides a bottle next to the sink and in the shower that is a combo of soap/shampoo/bath gel.  While it smells nice, it was interesting to have one gel for everything so I brought my own amenities.

As you progressed further into the room, on the right hand side was the double bed with nightstands on either side.  Again, the bed was a decent size and provided a decent night’s sleep; it wasn’t spectacular but it was comfortable and decent.  There was a window alongside the main wall and in front of the window was a desk and a shelf.  On the left hand side of the wall, near the twin bed, was the open closet and shelves.  Ibis’ have an open closet concept in which they have a place to hand your clothes and shelves, but there is no door to close/hide your stuff.  As this room was a family room, they had more shelves in the room so there was a lot of storage available in the room.  In between the twin bed and the closet was the TV stand with a TV on stop and a small shelf underneath.

There are not many facilities at the ibis.  Usually there are no fitness centers nor pools, and this hotel did not have them either (you could potentially use the amenities at the Novotel).  The hotel did provide free and fast wifi.  The wifi service was extremely fast and had good reception all over the hotel (and the number of devices is not limited).  There is also a restaurant available where you breakfast, lunch, and dinner are available at an extra costs; some ibis include complimentary breakfast, this one did not.

Overall, it was a decent stay at the ibis Zurich City West.  The hotel provided a decent room that had lots of storage, had good customer service, and was walking distance (5-10mins) to transportation.  While the hotel does not provide the amenities a full-service hotel would, if you know what you expecting and prepare for that, then it can be a really nice and comfortable stay at ibis.