Our stay at Mercure was, unfortunately, one of the worst hotel experiences I have ever had, from the moment we arrived until check-out.
The hotel is extremely user-unfriendly. Right at the entrance, guests with heavy luggage are forced to climb 2–3 steps. Inside, the elevators was out of order, and after using when it is working, we still had to struggle with two heavy doors and very long corridors to reach our room.
The so-called “welcome drink” was nothing more than a coffee from the breakfast room machine — easily the worst coffee I’ve ever had.
Another serious issue was the lack of reliable and accurate information from the reception staff. My husband, son and I were attending Gamescom, while my parents (who speak neither English nor German and had no internet access) needed to travel to Cologne Hauptbahnhof. I had researched beforehand and knew there was a direct train from the nearby station Norf. However, when I asked two different receptionists, both told me this was not possible and instead recommended a bus with a transfer — which would have been impossible for my parents to manage. This created unnecessary stress for all of us. In the end, I trusted my own research and indeed, my parents were able to reach Cologne directly by train. When I asked the next day why the staff did not know this basic information, the answer was simply: “I am not from this area.” This is completely unacceptable for a hotel of the All Accor group.
Cleanliness was another major disappointment. The towels were stained with substances I do not even want to imagine, the bathroom was full of hair, and there were spider webs on the walls. I also noticed that the cleaning staff appeared to be a man — I am not sure if there are women housekerpers if this hotel but perhaps involving more experienced housekeeping staff would improve this situation. I have photos that show how dirty the hotel was.
Overall, the hotel falls far below the standards one expects from All Accor Group. And as a silver member, this experience has shaken my trust in the program. What should have been a joyful family trip turned into a very unpleasant and stressful experience. I cannot recommend this hotel under any circumstances!