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3.5
#31 of 32 hotels in Southampton
Location
Cleanliness
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Value
The Ibis Budget Southampton is easily accessible from the M27, conveniently located in the centre of Southampton, opposite the West Quay shopping centre and close to the Cruise terminals and Mayflower Theatre. The hotel offers 124 non-smoking contemporary guest rooms with en-suite shower, air cooling, flat-screen TV with freeview channels and free Wifi throughout. Our Reception is available 24/7, offering snacks, refreshments and serving a varied and balanced continental breakfast buffet at £5.95. On-site outdoor car park is also available at £10 for 24 hours. Our team looks forward to welcoming you soon. Come and discover the Ibis Budget Southampton. Essential comfort at a budget price.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Accor Hotels.
HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Green
Languages Spoken
English
Location
3 West Quay Road Western Esplanade, Southampton SO15 1RA England
Ibis Budget Southampton Centre Hotel
1,811 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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The Ibis Budget Southampton Centre Hotel is praised for its welcoming and helpful staff, and guests have noted the high level of cleanliness, with spotless rooms often mentioned. While the location is convenient for short stays and those embarking on cruises, the vicinity to a busy road can be a noise concern for some.
Although the hotel is considered budget-friendly, opinions on value differ due to extra charges for parking and breakfast. The rooms, while clean, are critiqued for their compact layout, and the amenities, deemed sufficient, lack complimentary Wi-Fi.
Location
Convenient
Rooms
Cramped
Value
Budget-friendly
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Helpful
Amenities
Satisfactory
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Me and a group of friends reserved multiple rooms to stay here after seeing the nightlife of Southampton.
We booked the rooms via the website and it was all very easy. I had to call them after making an error on my original booking which Rose was more than happy to help me with.
On arriving at the hotel, we were promptly being checked in. (We weren’t shown to our room, but what can you expect for a budget hotel?). Once we had arrived at our hotel for the night, we were unpacking our clothes on the provided hangers.
We arrived to the room being 17.5° which was far too cold for us. We changed the thermostat to 22° which throughout a 16 hour period, it never reached and stayed at a chilly 17.5° for our stay.
The Triple has an en-suite bathroom with a frosted glass door. I would feel uncomfortable showering in front of anyone other than my partner with this revealing frosted glass door.
We left the hotel at around 22:30 where we discovered there is a complimentary tea station in the reception area (Making up for no kettle in the hotel room).
The hotel is a short walk from a nightclub called Oceania.
On arriving back to the hotel at around 03:30, there was a security guard in the hotel reception with a clipboard with a list of guests on it, I assume making sure only guests were coming into the hotel. (One slight complaint about this is that I did not feel comfortable with my personal information being available for other guests to see and I suggest this may be a breach of GDPR.)
In terms of sleeping at the hotel, the mattress is firm yet comfortable and the double bed could do with a duvet with a higher tog and more pillows.
I would rate Ibis Budget: Southampton Centre as average on the basis of it being a budget hotel at around £50/night at time of review.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ibis Budget S, Receptionist at Ibis Budget Southampton Centre Hotel
Responded 26 Jan 2020
Dear PSm1th99, Thank you very much for taking your time to leave us a review describing your stay with us. It's very useful when we can read many details to have an idea of our strengths and what needs to be improved. The temperature in the room can be difficult to change because we've got a climate control unit that adjusts itself depending on the outside temperature. Regarding the tea, we're glad to see you were able to take pleasure to our complimentary drinks. Moving to the security guard, our intention is definitely to guarantee your safety and that's why he asks for your name and the room number. Nevertheless, GDPR it's extremely important to be followed and, therefore, we'll speak to the security to be more careful about this. We're looking forward to welcoming you again in the near future. Kind regards
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The Ibis Budget has a great location for dock gate 10 and the room is ok, if very small and very basic. No tea/coffee making facilities and no hairdryer in the room. The bed was rock hard. Thankfully we only stayed for one night, on August 8. One night was more than enough.
What let the hotel down was the utter shambles that was breakfast. Like everything else in the hotel the breakfast area was very small and there was no way it would accommodate all the guests in a very full hotel if they all came at once.
It was meant to be a buffet breakfast but all that was on offer was warmed up pastries and microwave porridge sachets for which there was no microwave to cook the porridge in. I asked the two staff on breakfast duty and neither understood what I wanted so I gave up. My breakfast buffet consisted of two miniscule pastries and a cup of tea.
There was also no sugar for my tea although why the staff couldn't nip over to Food Warehouse on the nearby retail park and buy a bag or two of sugar out of petty cash is beyond me.
Sadly we sat in the middle of the dining area, near the hatch where the dirty crockery is dumped and by the coffee machine. That was a bad choice as I spent most of breakfast being squeezed past or unable to get out of my seat due to the volume of people trying to get past in the stampede for a lukewarm beverage.
I really can't describe how bad breakfast was. I'd have been better off getting an egg mcmuffin from the nearby McDonald's.
What attracted me to the hotel was the price. It was probably a false economy. I won't be staying here again, if I can possibly help it.
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Date of stay: August 2021
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Perfect for a night pre cruise departure, location is excellent Stayed one night on 28th February in room 325, very secure hotel as you need the key card to get to any of the floors or operate the lift. Check in very quick and efficient, room was very clean, very basic and although the bed seemed very hard I slept great/ Small TV in the corner, shower gel provided. Almost looked very clinical in the room. Asda close by, as well as a few places on the industrial estate, inc Mcs and KFC, 15 minute walk to the town, station is 5 minutes as is the cruise terminal I forgot my phone charger and boarded my cruise ship but got off to come and see if I could find it, Bruno went out of his way to help resolve the issue and obtain me a charger, cannot praise this man enough for his help and customer service skills
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Date of stay: February 2022
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ibis Budget Southampton, General Manager at Ibis Budget Southampton Centre Hotel
Responded 3 Sept 2022
Hi TheCount69, We very much appreciate your comments regarding your stay at the ibis budget Southampton Centre. It is always a pleasure to receive positive feedback. I will share your comments with our team. I am sure that this feedback will serve as an encouragement to all of our staff as we strive to continuously improve the quality of our services. We are also very glad that our staff was helpful and efficient! I am very happy to announce that all our mattresses were changed for better and softer ones! Thank you again for sharing your experience, and we hope your next visit will be as pleasant as the previous one. Kind Regards, Samuel Viegas Front Office Team Leader
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So, immediately when me and my partner arrived at the hotel, we weren’t immediately impressed. Granted we weren’t expecting too much based on the budget title, however there were many amenities which were poor or not even present which we felt was disgraceful given the above-budget price, £300+ for 4 nights.
The room immediately had a nice smell, however on further inspection of the bathroom we saw fecal matter along certain areas of the room, along the skirting of the bathroom floor and even on the bedroom wall by the door. Also, we noticed some yellow substance which appeared to be leaking from the smoke detector above the bed. So, already not off to the greatest start.
The shower, it must be said, was very nice, and strangely was also the lighting in the room, with dual lights above the headboard of the bed, the main wall lamps, as well as the mid level lining wraparound LED. The bed was also very comfortable, albeit with just 2 pillows, one a side. The mirror however, was smudge marked on arrival. There was also some dirt on the floor, along with a considerable amount of dust on both the floor and most of the walls.
Room aside, there were other issues. Namely, the lift was out of order for the entirety of our 4 night stay. So given we were on the top floor, at the end of the corridor, carrying 2 full large suitcases each, we were suitably shattered after carrying those the full way.
The breakfasts also looked fairly poor for the asking price of circa £5 a serving. Which even on arrival, the receptionist had told us wasn’t the best, and even advised us to go to the regular Ibis across the way to get more variety! Which is hardly a reassuring comment to get before you’ve even seen your room.
The customer service also, wasn’t too great. One glaring example for us was when we went at night to get a drink from the refrigerated vending machine, however it was locked and I was told by the receptionist who was outside smoking that it was closed at night, which immediately confused me, given the “24/7” sign above said fridge!
Although this is, again, a budget hotel, many areas are very lacklustre. If you were looking for a place to stay a night, for a one off emergency or for work, then this is probably very good. But anything else, then I’d have to say look elsewhere first and look back here. Many marks, have been missed.
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Date of stay: August 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We booked this last minute for a stay as a room elsewhere had been cancelled due to an issue with the room. We booked in and didn't expect to be treated so well based on the reviews here, but we were not left with a lot of options. I think after seeing what the staff were having to put up with from the blatantly disgustingly entitled and rude guests, every single one of them should be given an award.
I was checked in by Dean who was absolutely brilliant. Hilarious in fact. He's not afraid to treat you like a human instead of a cash cow. And that makes the experience so much better. He directed us to our rooms and told us about the lift being broken and apologised about multiple times, he clearly explained that it was recently visited by maintenance and they were waiting on a part to fix it, and he was sorry we would have to walk to the 4th floor. He even cracked a joke about our fitness levels in an effort to workout what our response was going to be before we said anything about it. He is very switched on and in tune to hospitality in our opinion. My husband still laughs about it now. He offered to take cases despite him being "old and fat now with a back that gives him more pain than joy" - we declined of course, we booked a hotel not a lift. And it's really not that big an issue. How people can be so vile to the staff in general over something like this is beyond us. We also had the pleasure of meeting Benjamin who is, much like Dean, very hospitality oriented, but with a different (still very pleasant) vibe. Another absolute credit to the team and both of whom should be noticed. We will be writing in. We thought our trip to the ibis budget was going to be a one off based on the reviews we read. But that's not the case. With staff like those, doing everything they can to make your stay enjoyable, knowing that the "no frills" thing might upset some people who can't be bothered to read what they're booking before they book, it will absolutely be our hotel of choice in the future.
Breakfast is continental which was fine for me, but my greedy husband wanted full English, which they do not offer. So Dean arranged us an upgrade at the Ibis over the road and it was spot on.
Car parking was a bit of a surprise to us we didn't notice that there was a fee when booking. But that's our fault for not reading everything. Not theirs. And £10 for 24 hours was actually more reasonable than where we usually park when we stay, so we got a bargain there too.
We'll definitely be back in October as we visit our son here often. And we genuinely are looking forward to seeing Benjamin, Dean and of course meeting some of the other staff.
Side note for anyone reading this - if you book the ibis budget expecting the Hilton, that's most definitely a you problem. If you want a good nights sleep in a clean comfortable (basic) room, with great staff who are eager to ensure you have a good stay. Then go for it.
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Date of stay: August 2021
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Car park side is quieter, there is a 24 hour McDonalds at the back. You can never guarantee quiet...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed here as part of a peppa pig world break. It was clean and and staff friendly. The only downsides were the rooms are very warm and no actual bathroom (the sink and shower are within the room itself) which made it difficult to do anything once the children were asleep. Due to the location, next to a busy road it wasn’t possible to have the window open at nighttime due to the noise. There appears to be an air conditioner unit but it didn’t work. The room is very cramped for two adults, two children and a cot and lacks hooks (as most rooms do) and storage space but if travelling with fewer people then it’s more than adequate for a brief stay. The bed was small but comfortable. We had breakfast in the main ibis across the road, paying the additional cost of £3.50 per adult with children eating for free and that was great! Staff there too were brilliant. We’d probably not stay again as a family due to the above issues but would consider it for just us adults if priced right.
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Bring extension cables. Lack of power sockets
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Having stayed at other budget hotels this one is in a class of its own. Booked in to be told I need to pay another £20 (£10 per night) for car parking Then another £5 if I want a kettle/Tea/coffee facility in my room per night Then another £6 a day for a so called breakfast,which had nothing hot, orange juice like water. No very disappointed and its back to the 'Holiday in Express' even though its a bit extra
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Date of stay: March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ibis Budget S, Manager at Ibis Budget Southampton Centre Hotel
Responded 10 Mar 2020
Dear Mr Newby, Thank you for taking the time to give us feedback about your stay. We do feel short for not corresponding to your expectations and would like to take this opportunity to apologise for any inconvenience caused. Regarding our parking charges, we would like to inform you that these are mentioned on booking.com, as well as stated at the bottom of your booking confirmation. We do believe that for a city centre hotel, we are well priced. We are very sorry to read that you were not satisfied with our continental breakfast options, neither with our in-room tea and coffee tray prices. We would like to inform you that tea and coffee facilities are not a standard of the ibis budget brands. Our guests satisfaction is very important to us. For this reason, we offer free tea and coffee facilities at Reception or in-room tea and coffee making facilities for only £5 per night. We hope we can have the opportunity to better serve you in the future and restore your faith in our hotel. If you decide to return to the ibis Budget Southampton, please do not hesitate to contact me and we will ensure you are well looked after. Kind regards, Josué Poeira Assistant General Manager
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Ideal location for drop off overnight for Cruise departure. In a cluster of Novotel, Ibis and Ibis Budget. Located at the rear of a TGI Fridays and McDonald's with a nearby shopping outlet.
West Quay shopping centre within walking distance, as is IKEA.
Parking is £10 per night (if not included in room rate) - breakfast is also additional cost if not in room rate.
Rooms are basic (as Budget would suggest). Small TV, sink, blind over windows, separate WC in room and built-in shower closet. AC unit with dial control and cups for water. Plenty of electrical sockets and lights above the bed etc.
Could do with a lick of paint and a redecorate here and there, but all in all serves an overnight purpose what with location to the docks.
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Date of stay: May 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Parking is additional cost of £10 per night if not included in room rate. Payment on arrival.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ibis Budget Southampton, General Manager at Ibis Budget Southampton Centre Hotel
Responded 3 Sept 2022
Hi JollyVacay, We very much appreciate your comments regarding your stay at the ibis budget Southampton Centre. It is always a pleasure to receive positive feedback. I will share your comments with our team. I am sure that this feedback will serve as an encouragement to all of our staff as we strive to continuously improve the quality of our services. We really appreciate your review and that the location was suited for you! Thank you again for sharing your experience, and we hope your next visit will be as pleasant as the previous one. Kind Regards, Samuel Viegas Front Office Team Leader
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On arrival I was greeted effectiently at check-in, having checked in online I was somewhat surprised at a £10 early check in fee. When I arrived at my room it was spotless and I went out to enjoy my stay. The next morning I feel I probably took £5 worth of pastries considering other chains charge £8 for continental breakfast. I did find the room too hot and the bed quite uncomfortable, I think a £10 deposit for a kettle was too expensive, although I don’t often use it. The en-suite facilities had an interesting layout but it worked. Working in hospitality myself I can’t really fault the staff ,I have to admire the long hours they work . The external noise was appalling coming from the 24h drive through right behind my room , although there are plenty of signs about the noise so McDonalds are obviously aware of the issue. £83 was a little expensive for the price paid especially on the ALL rate . Usually there’s a charger by the bed , but I didn’t find it that important.
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Very close to railway station,
A lot of noise behind the hotel
Breakfast selection OK
Close to...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ibis Budget Southampton, General Manager at Ibis Budget Southampton Centre Hotel
Responded 3 Sept 2022
Hi craigm361, We very much appreciate your comments regarding your stay at the ibis budget Southampton Centre. It is always a pleasure to receive positive feedback. I will share your comments with our team. I am sure that this feedback will serve as an encouragement to all of our staff as we strive to continuously improve the quality of our services. If you wish to return we are more than happy to accommodate you in a room opposite to the MacDonald's side. We also are very happy that our staff was helpful and friendly during your stay! Thank you again for sharing your experience, and we hope your next visit will be as pleasant as the previous one. Kind Regards, Samuel Viegas Front Office Team Leader
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This is an economy hotel, but as the saying goes: "Location is everything." So the word budget here is used loosely, as it is more dear than its quality would suggest because of its easy access to the cruise terminal. That said, despite it being an economy hotel the room was clean and comfy. I had an accessible room and therefore had a fair amount of floor space and a large wet room. The wet room had body wash in a dispenser, as many places do these days. The TV in the room only seemed to get BBC1, and snack and drinks were available in the lobby from vending machines. The room was quiet, and the sleep quality was good. As far as accessibility, the room itself checked the basic boxes (size, wet room, etc), but getting to it was a little problematic with it being on the fourth floor via a left that was barely large enough for the wheelchair for me and my wife as attendant. Getting into the hotel from the disabled parking (car park in £10 a night) required negotiating a slight incline to the front doors and a small lip at the entry. All-in-all it was an okay stay for a single night.
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hailsham, United Kingdom190 contributions181 helpful votes
cannot confirm-quite normal for site to retain keys.please note fittings in bedroom very basic and were not amused-wooden slats on bed for starters..best of luck
There are more places to choose from in the Southampton area.
PRICE RANGE
HK$435 - HK$815 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
etap southampton
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Etap Hotel Southampton Centre
LOCATION
United KingdomEnglandHampshireSouthampton
NUMBER OF ROOMS
124
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Is Ibis Budget Southampton Centre Hotel accessible?
Yes, it offers wheelchair access, reduced mobility rooms, and facilities for disabled guests. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.
