A funky and affordable new address in Adelaide

There is a new hotel option in downtown Adelaide - a very smart Ibis with comfortable rooms, excellent facilities and very professional staff at a budget price. 

The new-build Ibis, open just a couple of weeks, cost $70 million and is the largest Ibis in the country. Room prices start from under $120 per night online. 

The new hotel is on the funky side of the ledger with artwork from street graffiti artist Ghostpatrol and modern technology throughout. 

I arrived after 9.30pm on a Sunday night and the staff cheerfully kept the restaurant open, although I could also have opted for a reduced 24-hour menu. The chilli squid and spicy meatballs were both very tasty.

"The hotel represents an exciting new phase of economy hotels in Australia making the experience both fun and unexpected,” says GM Nathan Frost. 

There are still teething problems. The check-out queue was longer than acceptable and even though the room omnibus (accessed via the smart TV) points to vending machines on the 16th and 2nd floors, those machines were sadly lacking in food and beverages.

Given those issues will doubtless be addressed, the centrally-situated Ibis offers great value. Its interiors are modelled on the new Ibis global design aesthetic created by Parisian design firm Atelier Archange; think futuristic LED lit multi-coloured staircase through the floor to ceiling two-storey glass street frontage.

Overall, the feel is funky but welcoming and the restaurant dishes offer good value; including a hearty buffet breakfast. 

To the side of the lobby is a chill out zone where guests can catch up on emails using free wi-fi (although wi-fi is not free in the rooms). 

 The 311 guest rooms are similarly pared back but withe excellent bathrooms and plenty of power points. 

The Samsung Smarthub 690 Series TV in every room allows access to restaurant menus and in-room entertainment, while rooms also have a compact desk area with a Phillips LED desk lamp with USB ports and adjustable office chair.

Throw in comfortable beds and an on-site indoor/outdoor gym and you have everything you'd need for a city stay. 

An opening special bed and breakfast package for two starts at $122 per night.

Ibis Adelaide, 122 Grenfell Street, Adelaide. (08) 8159 5588. www.accorhotels.com.au. 

# The writer was a guest of Ibis Adelaide.