I recently stayed at ibis Manchester Salford Quays and, unfortunately, I was quite surprised—and not in a good way—by the level of budgeting here, especially when comparing it to my recent stay at ibis Crewe.
The room felt extremely basic. There were no standard amenities that I’ve come to expect from ibis hotels—no tea or coffee tray, no kettle (you had to buy one, which was a first for me), and not much else besides the towels. The room itself was also smaller than other ibis branches, making it feel cramped and underwhelming.
That said, I do want to mention that the staff were genuinely lovely and very helpful—they were the highlight of the stay and made the experience feel a bit more pleasant.
Overall, while I understand this is a budget hotel, the cutbacks here went too far. I expected more consistency across ibis locations, and this one didn’t live up to that expectation.