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TRIP REPORT: Back to Innovation, Back to Hamburg – Into Germany, IBIS Budget Saint Pauli

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Into Germany, IBIS Budget Saint Pauli
To Aircraft Interiors Expo with British Airways 

a collage of food and a bed

In this trip report:

Into Germany

Getting off the plane was a slow walk for me to the German Border as my legs got moving again.

a man and woman walking down a long hallway

a plane on the runway
Thank you A320.

As usual, it was a case of following the signs to the border.

a sign above a staircase
Down we go…

a group of people walking in a hallway
Approaching the German Border.

As usual, there was a query about why I was there. With the agent happy about why I was here and with a stamp of my passport, I was back in wonderful Germany.

The next step was to get my luggage back that I entrusted to BA earlier.

a screenshot of a phone
The joy of AirTags. I know where you hide, Bag of Mine. 

Which took the best part of 30 minutes. Not fast, but not awful, but I heard that Hamburg Airport had a lot more problems that night with luggage not arriving – something that some attendees at the trade show had trouble with.

With my good self now in Germany, I needed to get around.

Thankfully, like most European cities, Hamburg has a solid transport network.

And today, I would be using that.

a display case with a red sculpture and a red statue
It’s art. 

There are times when it doesn’t work – the best example is when it’s very early in the morning and I’m not firing on one thruster, let alone many. That’s where the taxi network comes in.

Ridesharing isn’t so much of a thing in Germany, with Uber pulling out of Hamburg many moons ago. Thankfully FreeNow gives you options to hail taxis and deal with paying by card.

And if anyone asks me to get on an E-Scooter… no. Just… no. My leg is dicey enough as it is. Considering the amount of junk I need to carry on a day of doing press work, I won’t risk my neck on that.

And if you’ve ever been stuck walking behind me in a show hall, you’ll know why I don’t ride a bike.

a woman in a black dress and a backpack walking on a train platform a person pulling a luggage bag next to a train

Heading down to the train station, HVV’s app has improved a lot when using it, so I would rely on it for tickets. There’s also a 7% discount for using the app, so that’s always a good thing when you don’t have to have to use paper for some reason.

I also decided to try a new route to the hotel – and changed a lot earlier on route at Barmbek, rather than going through to the Hauptbahnhof and making a change for U3 there and going around the elevated section near Landungsbruecken.

a train on the tracks

And amazingly, it is quicker. Even if it means skipping going through the Hauptbahnhof and skipping the river to start with.

I was dropped off at St Pauli station by the U-Bahn and headed upstairs.

From there, it was time to enjoy the sun and walk towards my digs for the next few days, the Ibis Budget St Pauli.

a street with a sign on it
Nope. Not that Ibis…

a street with a sign on the side of a building
That ibis. 

IBIS Budget, Saint Pauli

Arriving at the hotel, a receptionist was waiting for me. I was welcomed, and after confirming who I was with a check of my passport, I was asked to fill in a registration form.

Ahh. Paperwork.

a man walking in a hotel lobby

It was pretty generic – one way to cut costs is to make guests fill out paperwork that can be photocopied.

On the ground floor of the hotel, there’s not a lot, with the breakfast section, a few loose seats, vending machines, as well as an internet kiosk and toilets.

a table and chairs in a room a two doors in a room a computer on a desk in a room

With that done, a room key was issued. Interestingly, this was a wood-effect key, with a RFID chip embedded in it.  I headed upstairs as my body was fast exhausted from the journey and had minimal sleep.

I requested a room on a high floor, facing the street. So what did I get?

Correct, a 4th-floor room, facing the residential courtyard.

Hmm.

a window with a view of a building
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Going into the room, the air conditioner was trying to push air through… loudly. And I mean loud. Not the kind of wooshing sound, but a rattling noise style that you wouldn’t get much rest even if you tried.

a bed in a room

So that was turned off, and I relied on the joy of an open window for the next few days.

Not perfect (and at some points, I ended up in the shower or the floor to cool off adequately), but not entirely unexpected.

a bunk bed with a ladder

a man standing in front of a mirror

The joy of German Hotels.

And don’t ask about an ironing board. That’s been a long-lost cause at a German hotel as far as I’m concerned.

At least the TV had been upgraded in the room, with a 42” panel installed. Perfect to watch Sky News International and be depressed by the world.

a bed in a room

As for the bed, there are upgrades too, with a mattress topper installed. Wonderful in theory- and added a softness to a quite nice firm bed,  in practice, it insulated heat – which for a hot German summer… is sub-optimal.

In terms of amenities, anything single-use had been removed, which is good to see.

a person taking a picture of a bathroom sink  a toilet in a bathroom

At least the internet access at the free tier at this hotel was excellent – I’m not even remotely joking, with Speedtests hitting beyond 80 MB each time.

a screenshot of a computer

Makes a change when you’re used to 3 Mb or so in a hotel – it means things like uploading images, viewing video content and such aren’t a struggle – you can just get on with the joy of work.

Or watching Linus destroy hardware.

With Internet access being core to most lives (be it through a laptop, a phone, tablet or whatever), having reliable and cheap/free at-the-point access is welcome.

And yes, it cost this much for four nights.

a screenshot of a web page

I didn’t partake of the breakfast service offered – to be honest, for a European Breakfast, it was overpriced at €10 a night. It looked the same as previous years – so again, nothing too special

That and my ability to wake up in time for breakfast is a completely different matter.

Although on the last morning I was staying at this IBIS Budget, the hotel gave us a free 6:50 am fire alarm, with three appliances heading out to greet us – which meant a full evacuation of the hotel. Whilst I’m not a fan of being disturbed, when it is a real reason, you get out of the hotel as fast as possible and get going to the point of safety.

The alarm was much ado about nothing, with the fire service silencing the alarm.

With four nights done at this hotel, checking out was as simple as saying “Tuss” when I left the hotel and dropping off the key.

Overall:

Apart from the little blip at the end, with the fire alarm going off to make my life entertaining (and who doesn’t enjoy a free 6:50 in the morning alarm?), the Ibis Budget delivered on providing bedding, shower space, a small room and internet to get stuff done.

Which when its trade show week, is all that matters.

I wish the price was a lot lower – as trade show week pricing is… a rip-off. I guess that’s the price for convenience…

Next:

Where the hell has that charging cable gone? No, not the one around my neck… the other charging cable?

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