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4.5
#3 of 13 small hotels in Reykjavik
Location
Rooms
Value
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Service
Sleep Quality
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
If you're planning a romantic getaway to Reykjavik, the ION City Hotel is an excellent choice. Nestled on Laugavegur Street, this charming hotel offers easy access to popular landmarks and attractions. The rooms are well-appointed, featuring a minibar, a comfortable sofa, and complimentary Wi-Fi to keep you connected. While staying at the hotel, you’ll have plenty of dining options nearby. Don’t miss out on local favorites like Sumac Restaurant, Restaurant BON, and Grillmarket, all renowned for their delicious dishes. Moreover, the friendly staff at ION City Hotel is eager to assist you in exploring the city's rich offerings, ensuring a memorable experience. Enjoy your stay and all that Reykjavik has to offer!
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Trendy
Boutique
Languages Spoken
English, Icelandic
Location
Laugavegur 28, Reykjavik 101 Iceland
Ion City Hotel
194 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
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.
My husband and I sprung for a more expensive room that had a sauna on the deck, which was awesome. The room price included lots of nice amenities such as a free mini-bar that was re-stocked nightly (although we had to ask a few times) and a Nespresso machine, which was used extensively. The bathroom had the coolest night light I've ever seen: a virtual "flame" at the top of a long black iron bar against a black lava wall. Very Game of Thrones! That was probably the most amazing bathroom fixture I've ever seen. The negative comments here are correct. There was construction noise from early morning and the noise from the whiskey bar next door was loud and continued on to early morning. I ended up playing soft music on my I-pad so we could get some (interrupted) sleep. So, why the 5 stars? The front desk staff was very kind and helpful and the location of the hotel was excellent, within walking distance of everywhere we needed to be, including an excellent public pool. And I LOVED the room. The design was so stylish and modern, yet really captured the essence of Iceland. I love a good night's sleep as much as anyone but I would truly stay here again. Plus, the sauna was heavenly. It was definitely a splurge but it was an amazing stay in a beautiful and fascinating country.
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Date of stay: October 2021
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:The sauna rooms are pretty amazing and worth the price, IMO.
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 adored our stay here and will ABSOLUTELY come back the second that we are in Reykjavik again! The rooms were very nice, spacious, and well appointed. We loved the huge shower with very hot water and great pressure, especially since almost everywhere else we stayed in Iceland had just about the opposite. (I even joked with my husband that it was our last night before leaving Iceland after 12 nights, and it was my first great shower of the trip!) lol. The bed was super comfy and warm. We also loved that the room wasn’t TOO warm (another theme we’d come across).
The star of the show was Virginia at reception! She made us feel like long lost friends and went out of her way to make us feel welcomed and give us suggestions for dinner and things to do. When our flight was cancelled the next day due to weather, she went FAR above and beyond to make sure that we had a place to stay. Honestly, we would come back to see Virginia even if we couldn’t get a room, she was THAT awesome!
I don’t have a single complaint about this place. Thoroughly enjoyed our stay!
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Date of stay: January 2023Trip 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.
First time in Iceland and glad we stayed here! Location is right in middle of town. Clubs are nearby so if you are a light sleeper ask for a room not facing the main street on the weekend. Ying Ying, Bart, and Virginia, the 3 front staff who one was always at the front desk would greet us warmly and had fantastic recommendations where to eat. The shower is great and hot water is almost immediate when you turn the handle. Really enjoyed my stay and would highly recommend hotel
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Date of stay: December 2022
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Ask for a room not facing main street if you are a light sleeper
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.
blue sky, little cloud... well greeted and our luggages were well attended by the taxi driver, a comfortable 45min ride into town. started off fabulous at KEF.
upon arrival at the hotel, "was that a warm welcome? where was the smile? at least it is centrally located and easy access to smoothie, vietnamese noodles, fondue and famous lamb shank." and as for late night noise, we were assured of the closure of the bar next door. we were in and out in the afternoon, but i didn't recall a smile on his face. 4 nights total on this FIRST LEG of the trip in city centre.
second checked in happened 7 days later, a warm welcome by a young lady made me comfortable. a little bit of a drama during check in, this young lady reminded us that it is better not to have any expectation of a room changed. sure enough, to stay without ANY expectation, afterall, we had our best two nights at blue lagoon and a night at south coast.
we were greeted by this nice young lady again in the afternoon the following day. our response to her "how was your stay so far?" was CASUALLY brought up "the music was loud last night and it continued on past midnight." absolutely beyond their hands, definitely.
there were a few times in life that i had to vent and give comments, if it was not for one reply i came across in the emails regarding mainly invoice payment amount, our gentle complaint of the noise, i would have just let it go or simply not write a review at all. 566 ISK (or $4) is a teeny weeny amount but it is enough and able to see whether a person is willing to go an extra mile and uncover the myth of two different charges on the invoice/bank statement.
my dear Pere, were you aware of your reply to Monika was sent to us as well?? "This guy has been so intense cause he want back 566 IKS coming from the difference between the invoice and his bank statement. Same guy complained about noise last weekend, that's why he is focused in bothering us so much until getting his 4 dollars Pere"
"After investigating of what happened, the Accommodation Tax has been charged twice, therefore there was a difference" Thanks Monika for clearing the mystery and i sincerely hope the bug is removed in your system! as you mentioned ION is a memeber of Design Hotels, only participating in Marriott Bonvoy program, i apologized for the discomfiture caused.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Location
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.
Pay 300+ a night and front desk man refuses to provide me with a complimentary sparkling water and tells me to go drink tap water.
Location is the ONLY perk to this place. Very disappointing experience and not worth the money.
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Date of stay: January 2023Trip type: Travelled solo
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 (with another couple) stayed at this absolutely not an inexpensive hotel for four days. Here is what we got it:
Positive: It is almost in the center of the old town and conveniently accessible to many restaurants and sightseeing spots. The front-desk clerks are all very friendly and helpful (we only see one staff at a time during our entire stay, no other staff was in the hotel).
Negative: Overall, I am not sure it should be called a hotel or a small motel (but nice one). The later appears more appropriate to me. There are many elements as a hotel are missing there such as: no breakfast available, no microwave, basic amenities are there but no tissue box unless you ask for; we were on the third floor, you have to keep the blinds down or the residential neighbors could see you in the room, their windows are only less than 30 feet away; the hallway are absolutely dark no natural lights in and the air is stuffy and kind of smelly; the shower water when in use is always leaking thru the shower door (I think a design issue) and you have to use the bath towels to stop it spreading which you are provided only two at a time. No breakfast available at all. I had the Marriott customer services to call them for vouchers since I have the “privilege“ of free breakfast and they promised at the time of booking. But it was denied at check-in; there is no front entrance door on the street, the entrance is in a unnoticeable ally on the side of the building. From the street you don’t even see there is such a hotel out there. And don’t know why the hotel sigh is so small printed on the corner of the glass wall that you will never see it without asking around for. Sidebar - One advice, if you really want to stay at this hotel, please take a taxi for the airport transfer, do not use the Gray Line Bus which is listed in the hotel website links and you will not regret paying extra for the taxi, just trust me! Have fun in Reykjavik!
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip 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.
It is 4:15am and the next door music venue is STILL blaring club music. We were told it happens in the summertime & use provided ear plugs. Ear plugs were not provided. I didn't ask them because I can't sleep with ear plugs anyways. On top of this, to cool the room down in summer, you have to open the window (common in Iceland). The noise that comes from the street is pretty unbearable. Very unfortunate as the staff is incredibly kind and rooms are great. If you are simply wanting good location, this is a great hotel. If you are actually wanting to sleep, choose another hotel. Noise isn't going to change as the hotel has no control over it. You can, however, control where you stay.
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Date of stay: July 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.
With the hotel being smaller with a more intimate staff, they remembered us every time we walked through the front door. It also allowed to us to get familiar with each friendly face, especially when they helped us make arrangements around the city. When the roads out of Reykjavik closed in mid-Dec 2022, we extended our stay and ended up enjoying three different room types! The rooms we had were very clean, modern, spacious, and luxurious. The Junior Suite with the outdoor sauna was a great value and incredibly comfy. The Panorama Suite and City Suite made us feel like celebrities with private saunas, separate living spaces, and amazing views of the church. It was a short walk to one of the best bakeries for breakfast and had a central location in the city. We also stayed at the Retreat at the Blue Lagoon during our trip, but we cannot stop thinking about the wonderful people at Ion City treating us like family during our stay in these beautiful rooms. Hands down the best hotel experience we've ever had, and we can't wait to go back! We were anxious and nervous with this being our first trip outside of North America, so a big special thanks to Yingying, Virginia, and the rest of the staff for making us feel at home :)
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Date of stay: December 2022
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.
The location is very central and one can walk to almost anywhere in the city centre, with plenty of nearby restaurants and shops to choose from. However, the hotel is very hard to spot from the street - maybe I am just blind but I walked past the place a couple of times before I found it.
The rooms are well appointed, clean, and comfortable.
One major downside of the location is the noise at night. Not the fault of the hotel, but of course all it takes is one or two morons shouting on the street at hourly intervals to totally ruin one's sleep.
Recommend highly - just don't open the windows.
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Date of stay: May 2022
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
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.
When I booked this hotel for my visit to Iceland I contacted them to get some travel information. Youssef, the manager was so helpful in my planning the trip before I arrived. He made all our reservations and tour trips for us. The hotel was so sleek, modern and clean. There are only 14 rooms so each room was special. The beds and linens were so comfort it was hard to get out of bed. If you are looking for a small hotel in Reykjavik, I suggest the Ion, centrally located and fabulous. Don't forget to ask for my friend Youssef ! He’ll take good care of you.
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Date of stay: May 2021Trip type: Travelled on business
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.
There are more places to choose from in the Reykjavik area.
PRICE RANGE
HK$1,773 - HK$2,317 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
IcelandCapital RegionReykjavikMiðborg
NUMBER OF ROOMS
18
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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Are there any historical sites close to Ion City Hotel?
Many travellers enjoy visiting The Einar Jonsson Sculpture Museum (Listasafn Einars Jonssonar) (0.4 km), Videy Island (4.2 km), and Cemetery Holavallagardur (1.5 km).
