IBIS CITY CENTRE in Bengaluru - Hotel Review with Photos

India › Bengaluru Hotels › Ibis City Centre Review
Updated: March 16, 2022
By Santorini Dave

Essentials
• Location: On Rajaram Mohan Roy Road, near ITC Gardenia Hotel.
• Hotel website: all.accor.com
• Hotel phone: +91 (0)80 4254 8000
• Check prices for Ibis City Centre

Review of Ibis Bengaluru City Centre Hotel in India.

The affordable Ibis City Centre hotel offers luxurious rooms.

Ibis City Centre – Funky and functional, it offers five-star rooms without the five-star rates and amenities.

One in an international chain of compact boutique hotels, this exudes personality from the moment guests enter the lobby. The bathrooms are undersized but the rooms are otherwise very comfortable. The décor is chic, yet the walls feature photos of old Bangalore (as the city was known before). The wide desk faces a half-sized window from where views of the stadium and gardens are particularly appealing. No pool, spa, or mini-bar, but guests who don’t need these can enjoy the substantially lower rates. The Ibis faces a main road, but rooms are adequately soundproofed, and uniquely, it’s alongside a fascinating residential area resembling a village – yet within the city center.

Ibis City Centre – The Location

Address: 30 Rajaram Mohan Roy Road. One-way heading west, away from the ITC Gardenia hotel, which serves as a useful landmark.
Area: Within an inner-city business district. To the back of the hotel is a fascinating and reasonably affluent residential area that resembles a village.
How to Get There: From the airport (35 km), take a metered taxi or arrange a pick-up with Uber or Ola (see below). Just as quick, and far cheaper, are the comfortable blue express buses (24 hours) that stop at the major junction, Richmond Circle, about 500m from the hotel. About 3.5 km from the Bengaluru City (Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna) railway terminal and adjoining Majestic (Kempegowda) bus station.

Ibis City Centre – The Basics

Guests: Mostly tourists from India and abroad who don’t need the extras expected at a higher-rated and more expensive hotel.
Views: Some rooms overlook the stadium and gardens, while others face a construction site for a high-rise, so these views will be blocked in the future.
Private Pools/Jacuzzis: Not expected or provided at this sort of inner-city boutique hotel.
 Extras: Daily newspaper delivered to each room.
How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
Phone: +91 (0)80 4254 8000
Email: h6454-re@accor.com
Website: all.accor.com

Ibis City Centre – Amenities

Pool & Spa: Not expected or provided at this sort of inner-city boutique hotel.
Fitness Center: On the top floor and fairly large for a hotel this small.
Other Facilities: Free computer use. Money-changing.

Ibis City Centre – Food and Drink

Restaurant & Bar: Spice It – Buffets at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as a la carte all day. Affordable menu, hearty serves, and open-plan kitchen. Nice little outdoor area, too. • The Hub – Attached to the restaurant, this colorful bar/lounge serves a wide range of drinks.
Breakfast: May be included, but this depends on the room and how it was booked. Available from 4 am to mid-day.
Room Service: Not available.

Ibis City Centre – Rooms

Room Types: Only 1 category – Standard Rooms (queen or twin beds). Some offer ‘Extra Benefits’ (e.g. they face the street in front, and guests receive some free laundry and drinks).
Smoking Rooms: Smoking possible in some rooms.
Best Room: All rooms are the same. Best are those on a higher floor for distance from the road, while those facing the front provide superior views.
For Families: Not really set up for families. No space in the rooms for an extra single and none have connecting doors, but the lower rates make booking 2 adjoining rooms affordable.

Ibis City Centre – Local Transport

Walking: With sidewalks, shade, and less traffic than other roads, walking is comparatively pleasant. Uniquely, the Ibis backs onto a residential area, almost like a village. Explore the lanes for a genuine slice of middle-class Indian city life.
Public Transport: The Namma (Bengaluru) Metro has limited services but does go to the main bus and train stations. The nearest station – Cubbon Park – is 2 km from the hotel.
Taxis & Auto-rickshaws: Very few taxis along the main road, so one is best arranged through reception. Otherwise, Uber and Ola are very common. For most trips around the city, auto-rickshaws are good enough, but drivers won’t use meters, so bargain hard.

Ibis City Centre – What’s Nearby?

Best Nearby Restaurants & Bars

ITC Gardenia – 5-star mega-hotel virtually opposite the Ibis offering: Cubbon Pavilion (buffets and popular Sunday brunches), Lotus Pavilion (garden courtyard for tapas and cocktails), and Edo (award-winning Japanese cuisine).
Parika Multicuisine Restaurant +91 99001 09637 – About 200m towards the junction. Old-style Indian restaurant with attentive service and long menu.
Kudla Restaurant – In the same building as Parika. Traditional meals focusing on seafood, and family-friendly.
New Udupi Upahar +91 99451 78288 – Hugely popular cafeteria, with no-fuss furniture and tasty Indian food at very low prices. At Richmond Circle, about 500m down the road.
Mahesh Lunch Home – Intimate and well-priced, it focuses on seafood, but other meals are also available. Just before The Chancery Pavilion hotel.
The Good Grain – Just behind Mahesh. For all sorts of healthy food and drinks, mostly with organic ingredients. (600m).
The Chancery Pavilion – Worth the 700m walk via Richmond Circle, this classy hotel offers: ITHACA (likable café with all-day dining), Alchemy (fantastic bistro/bar on the rooftop), and Amnesia (fashionable bar/lounge with hip DJs).
Firewood Biryani – Popular for mouth-watering kebabs and biryanis (rice-based dishes). On the other side of the road from the hotel. Use the pedestrian overpass. (800m).

Nearby Shops

A few interesting shops (for Indians, not foreign tourists) along the road, and plenty more within the village-style residential area just behind the hotel. The huge and impressive UB City mall is packed with boutiques and bistros. Head north up Vittal Mallya Road, past the ITC Gardenia hotel, for about 1 km.

Ibis City Centre – The Hotel

The Ibis is part of a chain of inexpensive and comfortable boutique hotels.

The Ibis City Centre is one among an international chain of comfortable, functional, and inexpensive boutique hotels.

The appealing lobby sets the tone for the rest of the hotel.

The lobby is instantly appealing and sets the tone for the hotel throughout.

A dedicated area offers free access to computers for guests.

Guests can get free access to computers at a dedicated area at the lobby.

The guest lounge has plenty of funky furniture.

The guest lounge at the lobby is packed with the sort of likably funky furniture seen throughout the hotel.

The gym is fairly large for the small number of guests.

No pool or spa, but the fitness center is substantial considering the hotel is reasonably small.

Spice It is the hotel's only restaurant.

Spice It is the only place to eat at the hotel.

The Spice It restaurant provides substantial and varied buffets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Part of Spice It is a pleasant outdoor area (primarily for smokers).

The Hub bar and lounge is alongside Spice It.

Attached to Spice It is The Hub bar and lounge.

The corridors in the hotel are very colorful.

Colorful corridors lead to the rooms.

Rooms are compact and bathrooms are small.

Rooms are compact but not small. However, the bathroom is undersized.

The chic design and decor contrasts with the photos of old Bangalore in all the rooms.

Although the overall design of the hotel and the décor in the rooms are chic, rooms also feature photos of old Bangalore (as the city was previously known).

The half-windows let in plenty of light and air.

Rooms only offer half-sized windows, but are still light and airy.

Some rooms look out over the cricket stadium across the road.

Some rooms provide interesting views of the cricket stadium across the road.

The overall room views are quite pleasant.

Generally, the street views from all rooms are appealing.

The one-way road in front of the hotel is not too busy or noisy.

The hotel faces a one-way road, which isn’t quite as noisy and busy as others in the area.

The residential area at the back features a temple.

The Ibis backs onto a residential area, which has a temple along the main road.

The neighborhood facilities are interesting but more for locals.

Facilities around the area are designed for locals but are still interesting to wander around.

The affluent residential area behind the hotel is pleasant.

The residential area behind the hotel is comparatively affluent and worth exploring.

The neighborhood shops are more for Indian tourists.

Shops along the main road near the hotel are designed more for Indians, not foreign tourists.

The few restaurants in the area also offer Indian sweets.

There are few restaurants in the vicinity of the hotel, but some do offer sweet Indian delicacies.

Parika restaurant close by is old-fashioned and focuses on service.

The closest restaurant to the hotel is Parika, an old-fashioned restaurant with a focus on service.

Kudla restaurant in the same building specializes in seafood.

In the same building as Parika, about 200m from the hotel, Kudla specializes in seafood.

Cubbon Pavilion at the ITC Gardenia hotel is a terrific restaurant.

Opposite the Ibis hotel, the imposing ITC Gardenia hotel offers several terrific places to eat and drink, such as Cubbon Pavilion.

Lotus Pavilion bistro and bar at the ITC Gardenia has a garden setting.

In the garden courtyard at the ITC Gardenia is the Lotus Pavilion bistro and bar.

Edo at the ITC Gardenia offers a Japanese menu.

Also at the ITC Gardenia hotel is the Edo Japanese restaurant.

ITHACA restaurant at The Chancery Pavilion is worth the short walk.

Worth a 700m walk from the Ibis is the ITHACA restaurant at The Chancery Pavilion hotel.

The Alchemy bistro and bar on the rooftop is a great place to enjoy a drink.

Even better is the Alchemy bistro/bar on the rooftop of The Chancery Pavilion.

Mahesh Lunch Home next door specializes in seafood.

Next to The Chancery hotel, about 700m from the Ibis, Mahesh Lunch Home specializes in seafood.

The Good Grain serves healthy drinks and meals.

Along a lane behind Mahesh, The Good Grain is the place for healthy drinks and meals.

New Udupi Restaurant nearby serves authentic South Indian fare and street food.

At Richmond Circle, about 500m from the Ibis, this simple eatery is a perfect place to try street food.

Several auto-rickshaws hang outside the hotel gates.

There are always plenty of auto-rickshaws outside the gates of the Ibis. Check rates and availability: Ibis City Centre

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About Santorini Dave

I'm Santorini Dave. I started this site in 2011 with a short article on tips for visiting Santorini with kids. We're now a small team of writers and researchers dedicated to providing the best travel content on the internet. We focus on Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, and Greece, offering recommendations for top hotels, neighborhoods, and family-friendly hotels worldwide. I can be contacted at dave@santorinidave.com.

Ibis City Centre Hotel in Bengaluru, India

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