With the memory of the IBIS Chesterfield barely cold in my mind, it was with a comfortable heart and no fear of what lay ahead as I trundled up the A46 towards Lincoln, because all these outlets are clones of one another, aren't they?
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WHO ARE THEY?
IBIS are part of the French hotel chain Accor hotels, who are also responsible for bringing us Sofitel, Novotel, and Formula 1. IBIS stands
one step ahead of Formula 1, and their 46 outlets
in the UK are branded by the AA as Budget Hotels.
Following my pleasant stay at Chesterfield, they were on the verge of becoming my preferred hotel for travelling to dog shows when a return journey in a day wasn't feasible, primarily because of their pet friendly policy at no extra charge.
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BOOKING
This can be done on-line at www.ibishotel.com; the process is quick and simple, you identify what city you want to stay in, the date of the stay and hey presto you will be provided with available options. If there are no IBIS outlets in the vicinity of where you want to go, the site will give you the option to search for outlets from their other chains within the region.
You will generally be provided with two options for your room, a flexible rate that allows you to cancel up to 6pm on-line and 7pm directly with the hotel on the day of arrival, and a 'budget' rate which does not permit cancellation at any time. Despite the £10 price difference (on this occasion I paid £48) I tend to opt for the flexible rate because I am never quite sure what might get in the way of travelling.
Once you have selected your room (you can book a maximum of 2 rooms on their site at any one time) you will be asked for your name, e-mail address and
credit card details. If you are staying at one of their outlets and paying cash or cheque, you will be required to produce a passport or
driving licence as proof of identity, I am guessing this is to prevent fraud and money laundering.
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LOCATION
Conveniently situated on an industrial estate just off the A46 Newark to Lincoln road, you could be forgiven for missing the hotel as it is not particularly visible from the main road, and it is not well signposted. There is ample parking in front of the hotel, when I stayed it was only a ¼ full.
The hotel offers a
small range of bar meals, but for the more adventurous, the Pride of Lincoln pub and Frankie & Benny's restaurant within 2 minutes walk.
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RECEPTION
Other than the fact that reception was on the right at Lincoln, there was minimal difference between the reception desk here and the one at Chesterfield. There is a small comfortable seating area adjacent to reception where you can sit and read the daily papers, and to the rear, there is a small bar and dining area.
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CHECK-IN
This is where the similarities between Chesterfield and Lincoln abruptly ended. I gave my name and asked for a smoking room with
wireless internet access. After searching for about 10 minutes, I was informed that the whole hotel was non-smoking as from 1st January 2007.
While I appreciate (although am not necessarily happy about) the prevention of smoking in public areas, I am staggered to discover that in
Ireland, Scotland and California which all have smoking bans in place you have the choice of smoking and non-smoking rooms, yet in certain English counties where the ban has not yet come into force, you can't even smoke in the privacy of your hotel room. The whole purpose of the smoking ban is to reduce / remove the risks to staff and the general public associated with passive smoking, but in all my hotel travels, I can't remember yet sharing my room with the porter or receptionist.
Needless to say, as the IBIS website made no mention of this new rule, and I was not particularly happy. The receptionist proceeded to ring around other local hotels and found me a smoking room, but told me I couldn't take the dog!!! 250 miles from home, am not quite sure what they expected me to do with her, so really I had no alternative but to stay there.
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THE ROOM
Needless to say, after 6 hours of travelling, I had no option but to stay here - after establishing that
Premier Travel Inns, while they do offer smoking rooms, do not allow pets. My first room was on the ground floor, I enquired about security windows and was advised yes the rooms did have security windows, another black mark, they didn'
t. I find
hotel rooms so excessively hot I need to keep the window open to avoid irritating my eczema.
The second room I was allocated on the first floor was too secure with two sets of glazing and no fresh air whatsoever. Eventually the receptionist checked all available rules until she found me a room where the windows would open - unfortunately the window wouldn't close even partially. Now being an hour after arrival, I couldn't be bothered to complain again and had to make the best of a bad job. Every floor in the IBIS has large posters claiming to resolve all customer complaints within 15 minutes 24 hours a day, or have the stay on them - WRONG!
The room was quite spacious and almost a replica of the one at Chesterfield. It had open wardrobes (and a number of hangers), a
corner unit for your suitcase, a workbench area, offering a
tea/coffee tray,
remote controlcoloured TV with the 5 standard channels, BBC News 24, and a handful of foreign language channels, a
round table with chair and a
small double bed - fine for one, but not overly generous for two - bedding at the two IBIS outlets I've used have been white, if travelling with pets, you've been warned. The room also has a hairdryer and
telephone and offers ample
plug sockets. There was no overhead lighting, and I did find the room rather dark.
The en-suite was small a large power shower unit, sink area and toilet. Toiletries are in fixed units on the wall, and 2 'midget' towels are provided.
Wireless
internet access at 750K was available from Orange
France (!) at 20 Euros for 24 hours. Unlike the Chesterfield IBIS which only offers it in limited rooms, it is available throughout the Lincoln outlet.
Iron &
Ironing boards are available from reception.
Even if you are staying here alone, I would advise getting two room keys, and the key is also used in the slot provided to control the electricity in the room.
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FOOD & DRINK
IBIS claims to serve food 24 hours a day, although their main course menu is limited to Kashmiri Chicken, soup, pizza and kebab - room service is DIY, so you must collect the food yourself to take to the room. I had a main course (normal price £6.95) with a treacle sponge with custard (£2.95) on offer at £8.50. Firstly the bar man tried to overcharge me, and then he 'forgot' the custard because "some customers don't like it". The Kashmiri
chicken and rice was extremely tasty to be fair, although could have been a little hotter (temperature wise), the treacle sponge and custard was virtually unpalatable by the time I came to eat it, although I would like to think that they would serve it after the meal if eating in the restaurant.
Breakfast was the standard £5.25 chilled 'eat as much as you can' buffet, consisting of a range of bread rolls and pastries, bread for toast, juice, yogurts, cold meats & cheeses, hard boiled eggs, cereals, fresh fruit and I have to say was very palatable, and is quickly becoming a firm favourite of mine over and above the buffet 'hot' breakfast more traditionally associated with hotels.
Drinks were reasonably priced at £1.25 for half a Carling, £3 for bottled
beers, and £6.10 for a double Gordon's and Tonic and a tub of hot nuts.
On the website, this outlet shows the bar to be open 24 hours; this is true in part, although you will find only a limited choice on offer after midnight.
MEETING ROOMS
There are four pre-bookable meeting rooms at the IBIS Lincoln all with wireless internet access (for an extra charge)
OTHER INFO
The hotel is close to an LA Fitness centre Gymnasium and there is a health check form at reception for customers wishing to use the facility, although I am unaware if any discounts are offered to IBIS customers.
If you are travelling with a dog, there is a grassy area at the rear of the hotel, although I understand from the night security watchperson (this does not instil confidence) this is partially covered by
cameras which talk to you and threaten to call the police if you don't leave!!! I didn't encounter this problem!.
The front doors of the hotel are locked from 11pm, but guests can access the hotel using their room key.
MY VERDICT
As far as hotels go, the IBIS chain generally seems to be functional with common 'appearance' standards, and their Lincoln outlet was no exception. However, on a personal note I cannot give it more than three stars because of the difficulties I faced on arrival and the way they were handled. If you don't smoke, then chances are you would have little to grumble about.
Once we had got over my initial arrival problems and room allocation, the staff were fine and very pleasant.
Would I use IBIS again? If travelling with the dog(s), more than likely yes, although I will be sure to check the smoking policy of the individual outlet next time before booking.
RECOMMENDED FOR NON-SMOKERS, AND THOSE WHO DON'T MIND FREEZING THEIR BITS OFF OUTSIDE !!
COST: £48 for the room (1 or 2 guests) (10% discount for IBIS loyalty
card holders) and £5.25 for breakfast.
IBIS Lincoln, Runcorn Road A46 Off Whisby Road - LN6 3QZ - LINCOLN
Tel : 01522 698333
www.ibishotel.com/ibis/fichehotel/gb/ibi/3161/fiche_hotel.shtml
On a 15 minute promise! 
