ibis Guimaraes Centro Hotel 2 stars

Everything run with no problems

Accor app failed miserably by cancelling reservation without customer knowledge, but hotel staff provided for alternative solution and compatible tariff.

Prebooking went well as there was a cancellation and I informed the hotel that I'd like to stay. They called me to report a cancellation so I took the room. Covid protocol at check-in wasn't 100% clear and one of the receptionist wasn't great at communicating effectively but after all that and getting checked in, we found that the room was a standard Ibis room. No frills, no fuss, but we're 100% used to that from the brand. It was clean and much to our surprise the bed was really, really comfortable. The welcome drink for Accor ALL members is a bit laughable as we were offered Sagres mini bottles. The internet was fine. We didn't have breakfast or anything else from the restaurant so I can't comment much there. One of the best things about the hotel for us is its proximity to the bus station and Guimaraes Shopping. It was very easy in and out of the city for us by bus for this business trip.

Pre-booking was pretty good as I received a call that there was a cancellation. Checking in is where things broke down a bit. I was checking in with a young lady showed my "old" negative covid tests that had been taken prior to arriving at the hotel because I didn't know I need to do the testing in front of someone. This wasn't explained anywhere. It also wasn't a problem, we had several more test kits with us. But instead of saying something simple like, "Sir, we're required to have you submit a negative test that you take at the hotel. We had a dedicated space for you to take the test right over here. Sorry for the inconvenience.", another guy (receptionist) launched himself into the conversation condescendingly explaining how the test works. Look, I'm just trying to check-in. My objective is to check in as quickly as possible. Your objective is to get me checked in as quick as possible and now as safe as possible. I get that. But I don't need to have something explained to me that I already know as I've been traveling the country for the last 75 days. I just need to know that I need to do the test in the hotel and the appropriate spot to do it. Please train your receptionist this or at minimum have them ask a few questions to show compassion. I 100% recognize that the receptionists aren't native English speakers, but at the same time, asking questions and listening goes a long way in terms of guest experience. After the test was complete and negative, there wasn't any real recognition of Accor status. No acknowledgement of the benefits of being with Accor and staying at the Ibis. I did however get a welcome drink voucher which is a part of the benefits, however, when I went to use it, it was another poor interaction with the same guy that butted in at check-in. I'm not sure if this guy was having a bad day or what, but my feedback there is he was very abrupt with his answers. Regarding the room, it was as to be expected from Ibis, however, the bed was different. It was amazing! One of the nicest feeling beds we've stayed in at an Ibis. It had a very quality feel to it. We really enjoyed the location of the hotel too as we were there for work on a quick overnight stay from Braga. Tiago, the guy that actually completed my check-in and helped our departure from the hotel was very nice and personable. Also, the ladies that I left our bags with after we checked out but before we left Guimaraes were pleasant.

Everything was fine, no complaints, a nice IBIS within a short walk to the old part of town.