ibis budget Canberra - Watson, ACT

James H.

The room was surprisingly comfortable! It came with a cozy mattress, hot shower, and a heater that worked perfectly during the chilly season.

There were also thoughtful touches like complimentary coffee, tea, and sugar, plus a small fridge, clean sink, and a fully functioning toilet. The towel and blanket were fresh and warm, and the water heater for boiling water worked well.

I also appreciated the ample car parking and plenty of power outlets for charging devices. For the price, it exceeded our expectations, definitely recommend!

PjRB S.

I had to unfortunately change the dates of my trip but i had planned to extend my stay and even offered to shift my booking dates, but the hotel refused to refund a two-night booking despite giving over a week's notice. This inflexible and profit-first attitude shows a complete disregard for customer service. I was ready to spend more, not less, but clearly, loyalty and communication mean nothing here. I won't be returning and wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone who values fairness or flexibility.

Laurence L.

Exactly what you would expect for budget friendly accommodation. Good on Ibis for upgrading their service and being pet friendly.

Saw multiple dogs during our stay, didn't hear any barking or see any dog excréments left outside. However, can't say the same about kids screaming at 11 pm in the hallway.

Room was pretty small with only a bed and a tiny stool. Perfect for a late stop if all you need is a bed.

290grantn

An overnight stay before heading to the airport next morning. It's a budget accommodation and does look that way. Can't fault the staff though - they're excellent and we met a young lady on reception from New Zealand who was very helpful. The room is adequate - but I'm 6ft4in and 120kg so the facilities were a real struggle - very similar to an airplane in being cramped. For that alone I downgraded the rating - bed was comfortable - but the shower (i had to contort myself). However, for convenience the hotel is fine

Leah B.

"Budget" is a correct description. I would recommend it for people travelling who need an affordable place to stay overnight and then leave for their next destination.
The fridge froze everything. The shower was not the best. There were unidentified sounds...?
There wasn't heaps of space but we could bring the dogs.
There is an extra cost for the dogs but I thought it was worth it.
There's plenty of walking tracks close by and great restaurants in Dickson not far from the hotel.

Andreas V. A.

It's exactly what I wanted from a budget experience. The crew was friendly and helpful. The room I booked was cozy, with a kettle if you really wanted to make coffee or tea. There was only cow milk available, though. For a budget experience, it was great. I would give it 5 stars as a budget place if they allowed for some kind of plant milk alternative to make coffee in the rooms. I would've enjoyed making a coffee with soy milk or something.

Ashlee J.

I stayed at the Ibis Budget Hotel in Canberra in April 2025 after filming a Survivor season nearby at Mount Majura. We checked in around 5pm and were greeted by a lovely man at reception who made the process really easy. He helped us organise our key cards (you can request two if you’re sharing a room) and gave us all the info we needed about parking and breakfast.

There was plenty of parking out the front, including a space to pull up and drop off near the entrance, which is handy if you’re arriving by Uber or taxi. There’s also a communal area by reception with tables and chairs where you can relax. The hotel has three floors and no lift, so if you’re carrying heavy luggage, it’s worth requesting a ground floor room.

We stayed in room 309 on the third floor, which had a double bed with a single bunk overhead. It was a little cramped with three of us, but for $132 a night, it was great value. The room included a small desk, a mini fridge, a kettle with tea and coffee, and a wall mounted TV. The bathroom was compact with a shower and toilet, while the sink and mirror were located in the main room. We had a small window with a view of the mountains and the road outside, although it didn’t have the same protective screen that other rooms seemed to have, which was a bit odd for the third floor.

The hotel’s location was ideal for us, especially after a long weekend of filming. It was close to our shoot location and had everything we needed for a quick and simple stay. If you’re planning to spend most of your time exploring Canberra and just need a clean, budget friendly place to sleep, this is a great option. The rooms also came stocked with shower gel, which was a nice touch.

Some of our friends checked in later that night and were able to collect their key cards from envelopes left for them with instructions. Just make sure to check your texts, as the hotel sends out room numbers that way for after hours check in.

Overall, I’d recommend this spot if you’re after a budget friendly hotel that’s more private than a hostel but still affordable. While the rooms are basic and a little dated, they’re clean, functional, and ideal for short stays in Canberra.

Andi S.

Hi, we just wanted to give some feedback about our booking at your hotel, we arrived very late last night and finally managed to get a response regarding our late arrival after repeated attempts to contact you via email and messages about 8.30 pm before we arrived so thankfully a key was left. When we arrived around after a long flight and then a 4hr drive we walked into an icy cold room at close to midnight, multiple attempts to get the archaic heater going failed so we ended up huddling under the one very thin blanket in our jackets to try and stay warm. The units are beyond dated and honestly the only plug in the room being inches above the bathroom sink (which was in the bedroom) honestly seemed dangerous, the shower was unusable as the shower head was mid chest height and was more likely to flood the whole bathroom if not the unit itself. At that stage after the thought of another freezing cold sleepless night we decided to pull the pin as we just couldn’t do it. We’ve been Ibis Budget guests many times at many locations around the world & have no problem at all with the basic minimalist aspect but this was a joke to be honest, this morning we spoke to the reception and got a shrug and “sorry I can’t do anything I’ll tell the manager”. Very disappointed to be honest as it ended up being a not so budget 9hr hotel stay and an additional cost for another hotel tonight and as expected no word from the “manager” referred to which you might expect in the service industry. I never imagined I’d be that person that would leave somewhere mid booking as I’m very much in the “as long as it’s clean I’m happy” bracket but being freezing, tired and unable to charge my phone and wash my hands at the same time for fear of electrocution just tipped over the edge unfortunately.