Ibis is a decent hotel, friendly personel and includes a parking (that may sometimes be full if you're a bit unlucky)
Overall I have been here twice and have no complaints.
I would like to see that they add a small gym on one of their balconys if I was going to recommend something, since they focus on stairs as part of "exercise" focus.
NH Hotels
StayForLong
StayForLong
Never a 4 star hotel in our opinion. Room basic and bland. More like student accommodation- however breakfast was very good and staff very helpful and pleasant. The view from breakfast room was very nice. 3 star given only on breakfast and staff
Perfect position by the port within easy walking distance of many good restaurants and city tour buses. Staff (particularly housekeeping and Bar) great and friendly. Parking outside door excellent. Area is normal Sicily being not the cleanest but never felt threatened in our walking around the town over two days,
Hotel is in need of much modernisation (which apparently has started) and, in many cases, redesign. I am thinking predominantly of the top floor. This is a total disaster in terms of comfort, layout, lighting not to mention it is only a buffet that is served. We were given a token for a free drink each but it was limited to a tiny beer or equally tiny prosecco mimosa. We were refused a white wine even which made the whole thing about tawdry!
Bedroom was scruffy, adequate size and noisy.
Wouuld not return even for its positioon.
I stayed here with two girl friends for the weekend. I was anxious reading the reviews. I’m glad to say I found it clean with friendly staff. It’s a basic hotel which comes with a budget price tag. It’s about a 30 minute walk from the train station of Palermo Centrale. The old streets are not meant for pulling along my little wheeled cabin bag, best to get a taxi. It’s about 15 minutes into the hustle and bustle of the main city.
The rooms are large but basic. Cleaned really well. The beds are firm (which is my preference). The side tables are on an angle so you quickly learn not to put on your glasses or phone as they slide off. The bathroom is well stocked, shower gel, shower caps, intimate wash (to use with the bidet I guess), towels aplenty, and shoe shiner. The shower was ok, difficult to get the right temperature. We overlooked the port, not pretty as such but fascinating watching the ferries and cruise ship. It was relatively quiet apart from the odd emergency vehicle (which seem to struggle to pass the cars, they don’t move!). The A/C is as strong as a gnats fart. It was fine in the 22c of November but I wouldn’t imagine it’d do much in the hot summer. Having said that there were renovations happening in the hotel whilst we stayed.
We had a warm welcome from all of the staff who were just lovely. Greeted by their events manager. Be aware there is a city tax to pay on checking out; I paid €6 for 3 nights (I hadn’t expected this).
The buffet breakfast had a good range of foods and good coffee. Tried my first persimmon. Great to use the balcony too.
If you’re a runner it’s worth knowing that there’s a Saturday morning parkrun a mile away at Foro Italica at 9am. A safe run as a solo female runner to and from the park.
We had a mixed experience of food and drink in Palermo, avoid the touristy restaurants. Do your homework on where to eat. We had an amazing lunch at Antica focacceria san Francesco, best Aperol spritz I’ve ever had and a wonderful swordfish pasta. Be aware that many restaurants charge a €2 for each cover. The better restaurants are generally booked up, so prebook for sure.
Dear Guests,
We very much appreciate your comments regarding your stay at the Ibis Styles Palermo
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.
Warm regards from Palermo and hope to see you soon again. for the next stay You can choose the month of March, amazing period for many reasons: no high occupancy so the best rates guaranteed, new opportunity to try the typical seasonal fruit as you like and the the wheather is perfect. Let us know if ineterested.
GM - ibis styles Palermo President
We all know what Ibis Hotels are like. Big, impressive, clean, majestic...well maybe I exaggerate a bit. The one we stayed in is located in front of Palermo harbour. It means that the view from some rooms and from the breakfast lounge was kind of spectacular.
This is the best...or the only.
It was four of us who stayed here and were given rooms 118 and 119 on the first floor but facing the back side. The rooms were spacious and quite clean with two big beds that could easily sleep 4 people. The problem was that all night long we could hear the annoying noise of the hotel machinery of the heaters or boilers or airconditioned or who knows what that made our stay a bit uncomfortable.
The area around the hotel is not exactly recommendable as it looked old and filthy.
So if you travel or have to board a cruiser, perfect; if not...
Dear Guest,
It was our pleasure to have you as a guest in our ibis Styles Palermo. We really care about guests’ satisfaction and opinion, regarding the quality of our services.
It helps us maintain and even improve our high standards, so that your next stay will be impeccable.
You will find the same excellent service at Ibis Styles Catania Acireale, our design hotel in the East Sicilian coast.
Sincerely,
We booked this based on our very positive previous stays at Ibis Styles in Glasgow and Barcelona. I can not begin to describe how disappointed we were. The location close to ferries and the cruise ships has beautiful views but is quite unsavory especially after dark with mounds of household trash (literally) stacked at the street corners.
When we checked in we were told we had booked a "classic" room not a styles (which apparently was a 20 E upgrade). The classic Room was very tiered with badly chipped furniture, torn curtains and a pool or water in the mini fridge ( which we need for medication). When we went out for a walk we returned to find they had replaced the mini fridge with a new one - but it was warm and our meds were not in cool at all -not good. The worse part was maintenance had left their keys in the lock so anyone could have just walked into our room and helped themselves. When I went down to ask to speak to the night manager I was told they don't have one.
We did enjoy the view from the balcony one evening, the bar person was attentive but the balcony cement ceiling was crumbling and the dining room ceiling showed evidence ow water damage and a broken window pane. Breakfast was OK and the ladies working the tables very helpful but stressed. Long lines for the coffee machines.
Due to the unlocked door fiasco we were "upgraded" to a "styles" room which was also in very poor repair (but everything was clean throughout housekeeping ladies do a terrific job). We ended up with our medical icepacks in the ice cream freezer in the lobby, and the front desk staff do their best. Did I mention there are only 2 tiny elevators for 6 floors - which get mobbed by tour groups all showing up for breakfast at once. The elevators don't have security featured so anyone can access them.
Overall the hotel is very poor condition, upgrading the hallways but not the rooms seems odd to me. The lack of care and upkeep was disappointing, and the location did not feel safe (and I have lived in Chicago and Latin America). I did use the laundry (not available 8pm to 8 am) at 8 euro to wash and dry seemed expensive but functional.
I would have a hard time recommending this hotel. It needs a great deal of maintenance and even then the location does not warrant the "styles" brand and the price premium associated with it.
Dear Guest,
Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experience at the Ibis Styles Palermo. I am sorry that your experience did not meet your expectations; please allow me to express my sincerest apologies.
At Ibis Styles, we strive to provide a superior service experience for every customer; therefore your feedback is very important to us. Please rest assured that we are taking the appropriate measures to address the problem and prevent future occurrence.
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.
