This was definitely the worst stay in an Accor hotel we have EVER had. The hotel requires urgent modernisation. The shower jumped from hot to cold, then from freezing to scalding, especially during the morning. The air conditioning didn't function; even though we set the temperature to 5ºC it kept blasting out hot air. In the end we had to turn it off and open both the windows to let the cool air - and massive traffic noise and pollution from the motorway - in. I couldn't sleep because of the noise. The towels were tiny and the allocation of two per day for two people is woefully inadequate.
This was a family reunion to celebrate my wife's birthday; I had arranged for my daughter to join us from Ireland. On our last morning - for the sake of convenience - we decided to have breakfast in the hotel; the ETAP dining room is undergoing refurbishment. We had already had a coffee at the bar at the IBIS Styles next door and found it an agreeable experience.
On Sunday evening I went town to reception to inquire about the breakfast, whether it would be a hot and cold breakfast buffet. The girl confirmed this, and that it was to be held at the IBIS Styles next door and said it would be €6'20. I paid in cash, got a receipt and was told to state my room number on arrival.
My wife went down to breakfast; I followed 15 minutes later. Following the recptionist's instructions I gave my room number to the short order girl on duty, who asked me where I was staying, the IBIS Styles or the ETAP. I replied the latter. The girl remonstrated with me, saying that under no circumstances was I to have breakfast there, and that I had to go somewhere towards the back of the hotel where the ETAP guests were. I pointed out (in French) that my wife had been sitting down here for more than 15 minutes with no problem and that I wished to join her. The girl then told me that my wife had to leave her half-eaten breakfast immediately, leave the IBIS Styles area and go to the back room and have breakfast with the other ETAP customers. This was in front of a very busy breakfast room, a very public situation, and my wife, on her birthday, had to get up from the table, leave her breakfast, and join me on 'the walk of shame' to the ETAP room. (By the way there had been no mention of two separate breakfasts being served and the signage was virtually invisible). I have NEVER been so humiliated in a hotel in all my life.
When I got to the ETAP room (a bunker at the back of the hotel) I was dismayed. There was no hot food, not even the coffee (dispensed from two machines, one as insipid as the other and in both cases was weak and lukewarm). There were no knives or teaspoons - I had to stir my coffee with a fork. There was absolutely nothing to eat other than FAKE cornflakes or chocolate flakes, mini industrial pains au chocolate or croissants and a very tired looking 'fruit salad'.
I lost no time in remonstrating with the staff on duty, whilst reiterating that this was not their fault. I was furious that my wife and I had been so humiliated. In the end I had no appetite and left; which is just as well as there was nothing worth eating. Before I left, a very kind girl of North African descent, mortified by what had happened to us and who was very apologetic, came to our table with a platter containing cooked meats and cakes, obviously taken from the buffet out front. I thanked her for her kindness but refused to eat the food on principle. When I left the room I went out front to explain to the IBIS front desk team and manager that I had been outraged by wife's public ejection from the breakfastroom and would be making a formal complaint.
The receptionist informed me that I had paid an inferior price for an inferior breakfast, and that the IBIS Styles breakfast cost €10. At NO TIME had it been made clear to me that there were two breakfasts on offer at two different prices. If I had known, and having previously decided to have breakfast at the hotel for the sake of convenience, does anyone seriously doubt for a second that I wouldn't have paid an extra €3 for a decent breakfast? (If,indeed, it was decent; having been ejected at the door I never got the chance to see it).
If I had known what was on offer, and the embarrassment we were going to experience, we would have returned to the local boulangerie and had a real coffee and an artisan pastry for just €3, as we had on the previous two mornings.
I will never, ever, stay in those hotels again, even though my son is working in Lyon this year and we will visiting at least three or four times during the coming months. Moreover, my brother-in-law and a group of friends had planned to come to the same ETAP hotel at the end of the month; I have lost no time in advising them to cancel and book elsewhere.
I have been a member of the ACCOR loyalty scheme for two decades, and although I do not travel as frequently as I once did, I always use ACCOR hotels and complete the surveys after the trip.
As a parting comment, I would ask you to envisage the scene as my wife had to get up from her table in shame, as though she had stolen something she had not been entitled to, leaving behind her breakfast, before the gazes of all the IBIS guests gathered there, and at the end of what had hitherto been a most enjoyable birthday weekend, which was completely ruined by the misselling of a product, poor signage and a VERY PUBLIC humiliation. Never again.
Dear DAVID K.,
Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experience at the ibis budget Lyon Confluence. I am sorry that your experience did not meet your expectations; please allow me to express my sincerest apologies.
At Ibis Budget, we strive to provide a superior service experience for every customer; therefore your feedback is very important to us. Rest assured that we are taking the appropriate measures to address the problem and prevent future occurrence.
Please note that this problem was an exception to our normal practices, therefore a credit refund in the amount of €59.75 will be issued to your account. Would you be pleased to send me yout bank account details or credit card number, in order to process to the refund.
We appreciate your sharing your concerns, and it is our hope that you will give us the opportunity to better serve you in the near future.
Sincerely,
Bertrand FURET - General Manager
Complexe hôtelier Ibis STYLES & Ibis BUDGET Lyon Confluence - AUGUSTE Le Bistrot
24 – 26 Quai Perrache - 69002 LYON
Tél : +33 (0)4 78 37 16 64 Fax : +33 (0)4 78 37 69 13
