ibis budget Sheffield Arena

Hi, We regularly stay at the Ibis Sheffield Arena as we frequently visit family and relatives in Sheffield. Unfortunately, during our recent stay from 8th to 11th August, we experienced several issues that left us extremely disappointed and questioning whether we would stay at this hotel again. Firstly, the parking arrangements have changed, with a significant number of spaces outside the hotel now apparently allocated to Ibis staff and contractors. Throughout our three-day stay, these spaces were largely empty. Despite having a valid disabled Blue Badge, we were still charged almost £9 per day for parking. Given the circumstances, this felt unreasonable and excessive, particularly for guests with disabilities. Secondly, we were particularly disappointed by the way my elderly parents, both over 80, were treated. As there are no eating or drinking facilities in the bedrooms, I brought breakfast for my parents to eat in the hotel’s dining area at around 10:40am on 9th August. There was nobody using the area at the time, and we did not need to use the hotel’s cutlery, heating facilities or any other equipment. We simply wanted my elderly parents to be able to sit comfortably and eat their breakfast rather than having to eat in their bedroom. However, the receptionist, ***, refused to allow them to eat in the dining area and asked them to leave, referring to health and safety reasons. I found the way this was handled extremely disappointing and lacking in consideration, especially given my parents’ age and mobility. A little understanding and courtesy would have made a huge difference. We also had repeated problems with our room key cards. Throughout the stay, both our room key and my parents’ room key repeatedly stopped working, meaning we had to go up and down to reception to have them reactivated. This happened numerous times and was particularly inconvenient and distressing for my elderly parents, who should not have been left waiting outside their room. We repeatedly explained the problem to staff and were simply told not to keep the keys near credit cards, phones or other cards. However, we had already taken care to keep the keys safely away from these items, and the problem continued throughout our stay. This clearly needs to be investigated rather than repeatedly placing the blame on guests. Overall, this was a very disappointing experience, particularly because we have stayed at Ibis Sheffield Arena regularly and have previously chosen this hotel because of its convenient location when visiting family. I strongly feel that hotel management needs to look into the parking charges, the repeated room-key failures and, most importantly, the way guests are treated by staff. Charging almost £9 per day for parking when guests have a disabled Blue Badge, combined with the lack of consideration shown towards elderly guests, is extremely disappointing. We regularly visit Sheffield and would normally consider staying at this hotel again. However, after this experience, we are seriously reconsidering whether we should return. I hope management will take these concerns seriously and review what happened during our stay, particularly the treatment of my elderly parents.

Good

Good

Small room. I was charged for car parking even when we had a blue badge . No hot breakfast