Ibis Lyon Centre

I’ve stayed at lots of Ibis branded hotels all of Europe - and this probably ranks somewhere in the middle of them. The hotel’s easy to get to - a few minutes’ walk from Jean Macé Metro station (itself a few stops down from the city’s main rail terminus) - but in a slightly rough area of Lyon (we arrived a few days after anti-government protests and the local streets were full of graffiti and smashed bus shelters; other areas of Lyon on our trip were untouched). On arrival, we were checked in promptly and the rooms seemed to have been recently renovated: the furniture and decor were in a good condition and the bathroom was nicely tiled. However, like so many Ibis properties, they’ve decided not to lose the pebble dash-style interior walls and simply painted them grey - which feels a bit naff. The receptionist we dealt with had a slightly odd attitude - including with left luggage - and warned us about strikes on the Metro that weren’t happening, meaning we slightly panicked unnecessarily about a connecting train on our departure. We didn’t eat breakfast at the Ibis either as it was too expensive. All in all though, our room was clean, quiet, comfortable and in a better state than others in the chain.

This was not one of my favorite Ibis hotel stays. Staff was gracious and room was clean. I chose this because of the price category and location. Location is walking distance to many lovely restaurants and historic sites. The room was small--a bit more so than I'm accustomed to. Breakfast was a dismal spread. I suggest you skip it and buy a roll and coffee nearby.