Ibis Styles Saint Etienne Gare Châteaucreux

I came on business trip from the UK and needed to be meeting a company 5 minutes away from the IBIS hotel. I stayed here without much choice and was concerned about my impending stay after seeing many negative reviews on TA and can confirm that they are correct. I will write the good and the bad. The bed room is very small, so is the bathroom. Bathroom has no bath but a good shower. Bedroom and bathroom both were very clean. Wall décor is old fashioned. No electric points at all other than one for the TV so you must unplug your TV if you wish to charge up your mobile. Check-in lady was very helpful. Location is excellent, can’t be more central. The hotel is directly opposite the entrance the St Etienne train station. I was given Room 404 which stank of smoke. I asked to be changed and the lady immediately offered Room 303 which is a non-smoking room. The heater was not working, basically just missing one of the two switches. The lady on reception came to my room with a pair of scissors and pushed up the knob. Heating was then full blast and I woke up the next morning feeling dehydrated. In short, it is ok for a one night stay but not much more. Definitely not for holidaymakers. I would describe this hotel as a no frills hotel.

Room was small but clean, very quiet even though directly across from the train station. Convenient location. Breakfast options were ok, the bread, fruit, and cereal selections were good. Cheese options were limited, the scrambled eggs were dried out and not edible.

Stayed here for one night for a football game and the hotel served our needs really well. Easy to access by tram and the train station across the street. Great restaurant on site. Friendly staff that were able to accommodate our needs. The beds were great, air conditioning worked really well, and the place was incredibly clean. Standout for us was the friendly staff including the reception and the custodial team.

Lovely staff gave me early check-in, looked after bags after I checked out. Super convenient for the train station. Quiet. Easy walk to the centre of town. Nothing to complain about

Stayed here for 3 nights during the Rugby World Cup to see Fiji v. Australia. Came in by train - so VERY handy as just across the road. Also handy for the Fan Village and Stadium - 25 minutes walk. Now rebranded as an Ibis "Styles" Hotel since the last review (TRIPADVISOR - take note of the name) and presumably smartened up a bit. We found it clean and friendly - rooms were OK and bathroom a just about decent size. Beds were comfortable and soft pillows supplied when requested. And the Air Conditioning worked! A bonus as the weather was gorgeous and still quite hot. Nice breakfast supplied in a funky downstairs area. BIG bonus was being attached to the Maire Kanter restaurant and bar on the ground floor - great atmosphere on the outside tables with all the rugby folks coming and going. Ate in the restaurant once - pretty good. Saint-Etienne is a very nice town to walk around - lots of wide boulevards with squares and cafes to while away a lunch, and some interesting sites to visit (we didn't make it to the Mining Museum unfortunately). We probably won't get back to Saint-Etienne but if we did - then yes, we would stay at the Ibis again.