Following on from my budget escapade on the National Express to and from London, we set off to have cheap accommodation whilst staying in the city too. City centre hotels in Manchester aren’t cheap - clocking in at over GBP 60 for very basic Premier Inn rooms - this weekend was designed to be done on a budget so we set out for something a little cheaper. This led us to the Ibis Budget, Salford Quay at a bargain GBP 33 per night - but at what cost?

Although the Ibis Budget is located out of the city centre, Salford Quay, or specifically Exchange Square is easily reachable on the Manchester tram system in 15 minutes or a brisk 30 minute walk - which is extremely acceptable. The cost of the journeys are reasonable too at around GBP 2.80 one way, meaning you’re not making up the difference between this and a central hotel in the city. Once off the tram, it’s around a three minute walk from the stop to the hotel passing by a small row of shops and a Shell garage before coming up to the hotel.

The outside of the hotel gives off 1960s former office block-cum-Soviet style vibes - with little effort it seems to shake this off. Walk into the reception of the hotel and you’re greeted by bright colour schemes and Ikea-esque design all around - not great, but not bad either. This part of the hotel also houses the breakfast area - which we didn’t opt for as they were not offering the usual selection of items but still wanted GBP 6.50 for it, which doesn’t seem right. There is also an area where guests can use the microwaves to heat up ready meals - I presume they’re attempting to attract a lot of workers who want a cheap room and do not want extra expenses on food.

The hallways further confirm my suspicions of being a former office block with how dark and dingy they were…

Moving into the rooms and they are very practical with no frills at all. The positives? Clean sheets with space for up to two people in the double bed and one in the bunk bed. We slept very well here and found the bed to be pretty good quality, despite being in a budget hotel. The shower maintained a steady temperature and had good pressure whilst being spotlessly clean (the design is all plastic so it is easier to maintain).

The meh? Towels are provided but are a little scratchy. WiFi is provided but isn’t super fast - I could get a 5G connection though so that wasn’t much of a problem. The Philips television looked like it was straight out of 2007 but it worked with access to most Freeview channels. Ibis Budget doesn’t seem to have invested in renovations for a while, based on the TV but also the peeling paint in some places, although there was no mould or health issues at all.

The bad? Don’t expect to be doing hours of work in this room. The provided desk isn’t particularly big, as seen by the amount of room my relatively compact laptop takes up, and has no substantial chair to sit on. What appears to be an air conditioning unit is just a fan and felt completely pointless pushing out a minute amount of air.

I’ve stayed at plenty of hotels, from upper range to budget, however Ibis Budget do really cut things down to the ultra-low budget segment whilst ensuring the experience is OK enough just to make it fine. Whilst we had a perfectly acceptable visit to this hotel and it served the purpose of giving us a place to rest our heads at night, they’re not fun or exciting - just functional. This property probably wasn’t helped by the fact the building was old and unsightly - which likely makes it more difficult to maintain. However, it does the job to a satisfactory level - and that’s all you can expect for GBP 30, nothing more, nothing less. I have stayed at the other Ibis Budget in Manchester a number of years back which was in Pollard Street closer to the centre and is in a relatively new building. Here, the basics are the same (bed, shower etc) but the building feels much nicer than Salford Quay’s Ibis Budget. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with the basics at this hotel, if you can and the price is similar opt for Ibis Budget Pollard Street for a slightly better, skimp and save getaway.