Ibis Hotels

Ibis and Ibis Budget

Having now stayed at most of the airport hotels in Sydney, I had to try a budget version. In fact, I tried 2 of them, both under the same umbrella. 

There are 2 Ibis hotels at Sydney airport (plus 2 in Brisbane Airport) and it's important to know the difference. The Ibis Budget Sydney as it's called is actually located closest to Kingsford Smith. It's also located next to McDonanalds, KFC and Krispy Kreme restaurants. 

However, there is another Ibis located nearby which has the better offering. It's exactly the same price and the lowest price of all airport hotels, coming in at just AU$139 for a single night stay. 

However, having now stayed in both Ibis and Ibis Budget, the difference in offering is quite substantial. I stayed at Ibis Sydney Airport and the Ibis Budget at Brisbane Airport. I know which I prefer. 

IBIS

A mere 15 minute walk from Sydney's domestic terminal you'll find the other Ibis...in fact, it's located right next door to the 5 star Pullman Hotel, which ironically is owned by the same parent company as Ibis but it is almost double the price. 

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this hotel for the price. For just another AU$15, I enjoyed a full buffet breakfast, which I note isn't offered at the other Ibis Budget. And it was quite a good spread, an all-you-can-eat buffet with some fresh fruit but most of it was tinned, sugary yoghurt and cereal plus a good offering of hot food including bacon, scrambled eggs, fried mushrooms, chicken sausages and hash browns.

The bed isn't bad. Pretty comfortable actually for a budget hotel. The bathroom, while small was clean with good water pressure and plenty of hot water. But it was the extra things like the opening windows, blackout blinds and bedside USB ports that make this budget hotel stand out from the others. 

Bedside USB ports

Amazingly, most airport hotels only have AC outlets so it's refreshing to find a hotel that actually offers 2 USB charging points next to the bed. 

Blackout Blinds

Again, most hotels only have blackout curtains, which still let the light shine through in places. Ibis actually have blackout blinds, which turn the room pitch black. 

Additionally, the windows open a fraction allowing fresh air to enter the room, something usually not offered in other, more expensive hotels. 

Clean & Compact

The bathrooms are kind of weird. They're like these little plastic pods which are installed into the room, I guess making it a cheaper to install than constructing a fully tiled bathroom. 

But I'm not complaining. They were well lit, clean with good water pressure and plenty of hot water. 

IBIS BUDGET

Here is the more budget version of this hotel chain. The one I stayed in was located just outside Brisbane Airport (a taxi or Uber ride as opposed to a nice walk). 

This Ibis Budget hotel was actually more expensive than the quality Ibis hotel I stayed in at Sydney Airport but it was crap in comparison. The bed was hard and the shower was awful....no water pressure at all...a dribble. 

The bed linen was clean but not overly comfortable. A drab looking blanket was also provided but it really didn't do much to keep me warm throughout the cold evening.The blackout blind was a nice feature but aside from that the rest was pretty awful. 

The fridge was noisy so I switched it off. There was only 1 room light which was not accessible from the main double bed, meaning I had to get out of bed to switch it off. No mood lighting here. 

Complimentary body wash was the only redeeming feature of this bathroom.


The only food on offer was a couple of vending machines, which were mostly empty anyway. It served a variety of microwaveable foods, mostly overpriced meat pies, a few icecreams, crisps and chocolate bars. No buffet breakfast here. And as for the coffee, International Dust as I call it plus a few sachets of sugar and UHT milk. 


So in summary, if I ever stay in an Ibis hotel again, I know which one to opt for....and it's certainly not the budget version.