During my trips abroad, I also came across hotels of the IBIS chain that I only saw from the outside, usually near airports and train stations. I was recently invited to stay at the Abyss Styles Hotel in Jerusalem, and here is my impression:
The hotel is housed in an ancient building that was recently renovated, and has 104 rooms. Its biggest advantage is its excellent location. The hotel is at the beginning of Ben Yehuda pedestrian street, adjacent to Zion Square. Close to the main attractions of Jerusalem, and you can easily reach almost anywhere on foot. On the one hand, it is close to the “Mahanioda Market” with its multitude of sights and smells, and on the other hand, less than a 10-minute walk to the old city wall. Can’t get more central than that. An ideal starting point for most of the tours that Jerusalem has to offer its visitors.
But there is also a small drawback – there is no parking in the city center and on the pedestrian street. Guests arriving by car should find parking at the entrance to the city, and reach the hotel by light rail or taxi. On the other side of Jaffa Street is another Ibis hotel, next to which are about ten parking spaces. The receptionist at Ibis Styles called the other hotel and arranged for a parking space to be reserved for me. But don’t count on it.
When you enter the hotel, you come to a modest reception desk, next to which is a small lobby that evokes a feeling of crowding. But this feeling changes when you enter the room. The room I stayed in was very comfortable, elegantly and modernly designed.
In the room I found all the amenities that are accepted in luxury hotels, such as an electric kettle for making coffee, a flat screen TV hanging on the wall, free internet access, and a tray of sweet dried fruits. Everything is very clean and well maintained. Formicas are shiny tulips, and soft and pleasant curtains. Sweet Bed by ibis mattresses from the creator of the global ibis brand are placed on the bed. I collapsed on the bed and realized that the mattresses are indeed very comfortable, but not in an amazing way that justifies the media noise they made about them.
The biggest advantage of the room I got was… outside the room. This is the balcony above the pedestrian street. A gorgeous and immersive look. I sat down privately on one of the chairs on the balcony, slowly sipped a strong coffee, and looked at the passers-by on the pedestrian street and the guitar and violin players standing in the corners playing pleasant music and soliciting donations.
The views from the balcony are of the real Jerusalem. Young people sitting and chatting loudly, ultra-Orthodox people walking one by one on the sidewalk, boys wearing knitted caps sitting on the floor under my window, talking about exams while sitting, with tassels dangling from their shirts. Tourists also walk around the pedestrian street, as you can understand from the English and Spanish heard on the street. Older women go into the clothes and souvenir shops on the pedestrian street, and the young people frequent the fast food shops and pizzerias on the street. In the night of people and voices this commotion was pleasant to me, and it lasted until after midnight. A Jerusalem atmosphere, which cannot be found in hotels in Tel Aviv or Eilat or the Dead Sea. Something else. A different experience.
After about two hours of relaxing on the nice balcony, we entered the room to unload the small trolley suitcase. Only then did we notice that there was no luggage space in the room. We opened the trolley on the bed, and took out the clothes, then we realized that there was no closet in the room either. We hung the clothes on hangers by the front door. It wasn’t until the next day that I noticed that a rod was sticking out of one of the shelves on which to hang clothes, which is probably supposed to be a “closet” for hanging clothes. I thought they were bookshelves, but then I realized it was a wardrobe without doors.
My room was cozy but very small. I thought it was not suitable for a couple with two suitcases, as my wife and I take with us to hotels abroad. But after all, most of the guests are Israelis who come to travel in Jerusalem for two or three days, and do not need heavy suitcases. For us, this is absolutely enough.
On the wall in the lobby behind the reception desk is a large board with prices starting at NIS 795 per couple per night for a standard room, and starting at NIS 990 for a “superior” room. I asked the receptionist what a superior was, and he explained that they were family rooms larger than the room I was assigned. I asked to see and photograph such a room as well, but the receptionist said that all the rooms in the hotel are occupied today, and he is not allowed to open a room for me where guests live. No wonder they are doing well at the Ibis Styles hotel.
In the evening we went to dine at one of the nearby restaurants. When we returned to the hotel, I noticed that the hallway also had a pleasant smell from the new carpets. The lighting in the corridor is young and vibrant with changing colors that remind a bit of the hippie era.
The hotel also has a Shabbat elevator. Last time to check out is 11 am. Even guests who come for Shabbat are required to vacate their rooms on Saturday morning by this time. Those who want to stay until midnight are required to notify in advance and pay an extra charge.
The next morning I got ready for the Vetikin prayer, and went to the Western Wall. The way on foot lasted about fifteen minutes, maybe less. The mountain air was clear as wine, as the poem says. I breathed deeply the fresh and chilled air as I walked along the promenade at the foot of the old city wall. The market street was quiet and deserted as I had never seen it before. All the shops are closed, and there are no travelers and shoppers blocking the way. That’s why it took very quickly. And the prayer at the Western Wall… Well, you don’t need to write about that.
I returned for breakfast at the hotel. The dining room is on the eighth floor, and there another surprise awaited me. The place is very large and spacious, with windows overlooking a panoramic view of the old city and the nearby new city houses. The buffet was abundant with many and varied types of cheeses, breads, fish, vegetables and fruits and much more.
I was surprised because this maximalist opulence is in inverse proportion to the minimalist modesty of the hotel rooms. Like a 5-star resort abroad. A kosher certificate from the Jerusalem rabbinate hangs in the dining room.
On one of the walls in the lobby threads are woven on which hang pages on which guests have written words of thanks and blessings. I have read some of them, and I will also add some things to the conclusion: the Ibis Styles hotel is very suitable for couples and individuals who want to stay in Jerusalem for one or more nights, or who come for a weekend in the city. The place is very elegantly decorated, and very clean. The service is excellent. Although I stayed for free to share this experience with you, I would give the same praise to the hotel even if I paid full price. On the way home from Jerusalem, my wife and I decided that the next time we stay in Jerusalem again, we will only do so at the Ibis Styles hotel. And this time for a fee.
