This is a typical Two Star Ibis Hotel. Do not expect 'character' or 'ambience'. What they give you is a clean and adequately sized room. We spent several one, two, and three night stays in different Ibis Hotels located in various parts of France. They are all similiar, within a range. Our one night stay in Chartres was very good: this Ibis provides an easy bag drop-off; very secure underground parking (extra fee); friendly staff; the usual, very good and worthwhile, buffet breakfast (extra fee); and to top it off. our non-smoking room had a wonderful view of the Cathedral (even better at night with the lighting). The Cathedral is about a ten to fifteen minute uphill walk from the hotel and there is a vast number of restaurants in that area, most opening at the usual 7:30 PM. There is a nice walking path along the river, and a park just across the bridge from the hotel. Once again at this Ibis, and we were staying in them from the middle to the end of May, the air conditioning was not 'on', 'activated', or 'working'. I am not sure what the Ibis chain's rules are for its various hotels regarding the use of air conditioning, but by the middle of May (and probably until the middle of October) in France, air conditioning is almost a requirement for this type of hotel room; ie. one window. Anyone booking an Ibis Hotel in the summer months should check on the status of that location's air conditioning. Another thing about Chartres: while we were having dinner, at least four separate groups of police passed the restaurant (three on motorcycles, two in a car, one in a car, two on foot). Their presence became noticable (at this point, we had been in France, this trip, for three weeks and had never seen so many police in what would be the 'tourist area'). There were also large numbers of people hanging out on the terraces to the north of the Cathedral, many of them drinking. We felt uncomfortable, something that has not happened any other time we have been in France. It was just a feeling; 'be careful'. That being said, Chartres has a lot to offer to the tourist, and this Ibis Hotel makes a good base to see the city and the area. It probably would not be that difficult for Ibis to upgrade this location to a Three Star; in many ways it is there already.

Pretty much your standard hotel chain room, it was very clean, reasonably sized and with a clean bathroom having the quirky half shower door we found often in France. We picked this as being reasonable close to the old part of town and indeed it was, it is within a couple of blocks of the narrow medieval streets section of town and a pleasant 10 minute walk to the cathedral. It’s a bit of a hike to the train station, about 20 minutes, along a main road with sidewalks. The buffet breakfast in the hotel dining area was definitely worth it as you could get seconds on anything, including coffee, which is a rarity in France.

The winter rates are very good, and hotel is in a great location for walking to the cathedral and old part of the city. The wide walking path starts across from the hotel and is away from the traffic and passes some memorials and monuments, and a series of fascinating buildings -we enjoyed every minute of our stay. The hotel staff were very helpful and also printed us mappy directions to Quimper and CDG. The breakfast was excellent value, but the dinner very disappointing-there are many restaurants nearby so this really isn't a problem. We requested a room with a tub and it was in the old section, there was a great view of the cathedral from the window. Like some other travellers we used the hotel underground parking at extra cost. Even in the winter the free parking section was getting crowded. I highly recommend this hotel-it is clean, and with simple but adequate rooms -they do have somewhat "quirky" interior design . We enjoyed the Chartres area and the hotel so much we stopped off for an extra day on our return trip to CDG.

This was our second stay at this Ibis hotel - it is conveniently situated for the city, about 5/10 minutes (uphill) walk to the Cathedral & centre. The decor is just the same as all other Ibis hotels - clean and functional. No complaints whatsoever about the restaurant - above average service by very attentive staff. The reception staff were first class - we amended our booking whilst there and everything was taken care of and confirmed in writing within a few minutes by a very polite and efficient receptionist. The (payable) secure underground parking is excellent and spacious - I had no qualms about leaving my car and its contents there. Altogether a good hotel for travellers, business & pleasure alike - full marks to all the staff and management for the efficiency with which the hotel is run.