IBIS STYLES HEATHROW

-The ibis STYLES Heathrow is fairly "new". However, it is a refurbished building rather than a newly purpose built hotel. I don't know if it was a hotel or not before, but something tells me it may have been an office building before. The corridors are narrow and small, while the rooms are larger. 2 people meeting with luggage in the hallway won't have much space to pass eachother. The hotel is made up of 2 seperate buildings linked by a enclosed walkway on the first floor. When I visited a few months ago, the main building was still undergoing rennovations and had scaffolding around it, as I think they were adding another floor on top of the main building.

-If you are staying in the second nearby annex building you have to walk past the "smoker's bench" and enter through what looks like a emergency exit door, and then take a small lift. A sign on the door said after a certain hour at night you would have to use the walkway on the 1st floor of the 1st building.

-The room I had was decent in size (for an ibis) with a huge photo of an astronaut and speech bubble above the bed.

-Windows could NOT be opened.

-Breakfast is included in the rate, but it really was the cheapest and poorest selection for a "budget" hotel that I have come across. Despite it being an ibis, rates at this styles hotel are not that cheap, and you will get better prices at the normal ibis further down Bath road. If you are considering staying at the styles heathrow cause of the free breakfast - think again.

-The hotel does not have room service but you can take food from the bar to the room on a tray.

-Both on my arrival and on my departure, I had bad experience with the staff. On arrival I was kept waiting for several minutes while 2 members of staff were "busy". One on the phone and the other one was doing paperwork. There were no other guests in the lobby. Neither staff member even looked at me. When I finally did get to check in, I got no welcome, no smile, no thank you for your membership, nothing. Also on departure it was more or less the same, except I didn't have to wait.

-During my stay, a staff member called me with a message that was for another guest. When I told he she had the wrong number, she just hung up, rather than apologise.

-Based on the higher prices, poor breakfast, small corridors, and unfriendly staff, I won't be going back to the styles, and when I use accor at heathrow airport, I stay at the other standard ibis.