Ibis Grenoble Gare

The rooms were fine, the view was nice and it was generally perfectly adequate for the price. The walls are rather thin though. Not the hotel's fault but the area itself was not as chic as Grenoble might sound; there seemed to be lots of broken (car window) glass on the pavements next to the rows of parked cars outside the hotel, as if they were broken from the inside outwards. The potentially lovely riverside green areas running along the river were messy and full of graffiti and full of debris unfortunately. But by far the most surprising development to our stay was that, while the younger staff were all extremely pleasant, courteous and helpful, there were two older gentlemen (I would say well into their 70s) who were rather surly and unfriendly and who appeared clearly to be staff as they were always there behaving like they owned the place, eating, reading and smoking indoors. Yes, I said smoking indoors. One of them was smoking cigars, quite literally, MOST of the time we were there in the dining room/bar/reception area. The interior frequently smelt of cigar smoke. While on the one hand this constant activity seemed most unprofessional, possibly illegal, and ... without wishing to be unkind, you got the impression he wouldn't have been terribly pleasant if you had asked him to put it out! ... however, I must say it certainly amused me and I got quite used to it by the end of my stay ... it's an acquired taste, cigar smoke...

Good location for the city centre. Small parking but good to have. Good place to lay your head for a night or two. Nothing special. Very friendly staff. Bed was good. Shower was good. I would return if it was just for a layover but would look elsewhere if it was a special occasion