Hôtel Mercure Bordeaux Château Chartrons — Hotel in Bordeaux

I do NOT recommend this hotel. Please do NOT waste your money. I am shocked by how low the level of hospitality is at the Mercure hotel chain.

The taxi arranged by the hotel was a rip-off. It cost €30 for a ride of barely 2 km, while the return trip was only €9. Since the taxi was arranged by the hotel on behalf of travelers who don’t speak French, they should ensure that such things don’t happen. Or at the very least, they should warn the travelers.

When I told the staff member who had arranged the taxi about what had happened, she simply snapped back in a harsh tone, saying, “It’s not my fault; it’s a service provided by another company, so I can’t know. I don’t know if €30 is reasonable or not, but anyways it's not my fault.”

When I asked, “This taxi didn’t even have a meter—why did you call such a taxi?” she only argued back in a strong tone, repeating, “That’s not my fault. There’s nothing I can do.”

Just like with the taxi, I felt that the hotel staff themselves had the attitude that travelers are naturally expected to be ripped off.

I chose to stay at a four-star hotel for a safe and reliable travel experience, but I was deeply disappointed.

It was only a matter of a few dozen euros, but both when I realized the taxi had ripped me off and when the hotel staff argued back at me in a harsh tone, I felt extremely unpleasant—especially on what was supposed to be an enjoyable trip. Since I travel by taking time out of my very busy schedule and spending the money I work so hard to earn, the last thing I want is to be treated this way by a...

I’m a bit perplexed by this hotel. It’s supposedly 4-star but seems to fall short. For me anyway!

Location is good - in the Chatron district close to public transport and the lovely Rue Notre Dame.

It’s big - there multiple conferences/business events over the time we were here. It’s a bit old and tired. The room design in particular needs a rethink. It’s almost impossible to read in the room due to the absence of overhead lighting or a simple bedside lamp. Not helped by the fact that the decor is dark. Very dark.

Having said that, the room was large and comfortable otherwise. The wifi was good. It was hot. They’d apparently turned the A/C the previous week when it got cold. It was hot when we were there - they didn’t turn it back on. We got a fan. The common areas however air-conditioned 🤷🏼‍♂️

The included buffet breakfast was very ordinary. Inedible scrambled eggs - options to cook your own boiled egg or fried egg (but not always). No fresh fruit. There was fruit available, but it all seemed to come from a can. No vegetables available (tomato or cucumber would have been appreciated). There were 5 different processed meats, and 4 cheeses. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Pastries were fine as was the bread - so it was reduced to a petit dejeuner as we play lotto with the five sometimes functioning coffee machines. It was 4-star in size, but 2-star in quality.

We had a good time in Bordeaux, not influenced by the hotel. But it...

Check in was a bit hazardous. There was a meeting of French Eye Specialists going on and they were everywhere in the lobby and public areas doing their thing with no regard for the fact that there were incoming guests trying to get to checkin or elevator. Not the hotels fault buy better control of this would have been helpful. Room was decent size but dated. It was also very hot in the room as the sun was beating down on the windows. We tried and tried and could not get the air condition to work in any meaningful way. Not enough air moving and the air was not cool enough. After the sun went down, we just opened the large window and went out for dinner. When we can back it was better but still about 22 degrees. We had to shut the window to reduce noise but slept poorly because of the warmth. Other than this, location in OK but a bit of a walk to the old town. Not a lot in the way of restaurants within 2-3 blocks. usually 2-3 tour busses outside much of the time. We chose this hotel because it was reasonably central to Cite de Vin and old town and as we like to walk that was fine. Also we wanted secure parking for our car and their private garage worked fine. They also had ebikes for rent, very convenient for us and we took 2 out to ride the city for 3 hours at a reasonable rate of...