Hôtel Mercure Paris Sud Les Ulis Courtaboeuf — Hotel in Palaiseau

Our recent trip to Mercure Sud Les Ulis, intended for a mix of business and leisure, unfortunately turned out to be a source of displeasure altogether. Upon arrival, the hotel's exterior appeared dated and in need of refurbishment. This initial impression continued to the check-in process.

Check-in Frustrations: Despite having separate reservations (confirmed on Booking.com and AmexGBT), locating one of the bookings took a frustrating 20+ minutes. Additionally, the malfunctioning contactless payment system caused further inconvenience for pre-authorisations, especially considering it's 2024. When requesting a manual authorization, the receptionist was initially hesitant, even though we offered to prepay the entire stay. This created an unnecessary delay and left us feeling unwelcome. To top it off, upon reaching our rooms, we discovered the key cards didn't work. This resulted in an immediate trip back down to reception for reprogramming, setting the tone for the rest of the stay. Disappointingly, this issue repeated itself on the second night, requiring another visit to reception.

Room Issues: The rooms themselves were a far cry from what one would expect from a 4-star hotel, especially considering the price point (150-200 euros per night). Their small size and lack of amenities were immediately apparent. Even basic features like an iron and ironing board were missing. Unfortunately, the in-room phone wasn't working either, so I had to make the trek down to reception to request the ironing board. To my further disappointment, the staff member simply handed it to me without offering to bring it up, leaving me to carry the bulk back to the room myself. Making matters worse, the bathroom situation was deplorable. The faucet wasn't simply leaking, it was literally falling apart. This, coupled with a broken handle, non-functional mirror lights, and the presence of black mold, painted a grim picture of the overall room maintenance. At this price point, an in-room espresso machine and a functioning fridge are not unreasonable expectations, but unfortunately mine wasn't working either. To add to the discomfort, the air conditioning wasn't working properly either, only blowing lukewarm air and failing to cool the room down.

Unenthusiastic Staff: Throughout our stay, interactions with staff at the reception and bar were characterized by a complete unwillingness to assist. The staff seemed utterly uninterested in their jobs, and their body language conveyed a sense of simply wanting to pass the time. Simple requests, like obtaining an iron or a glass of wine, turned into laborious tasks. Staff members would take an agonizingly long time to complete even the most basic transactions, often prioritizing personal conversations or tasks unrelated to guests. Even getting a drink at the bar was an ordeal, taking a full 15 minutes to be served. The only exception to this lackluster service was the staff member I encountered during check-out. When I mentioned the numerous problems we had experienced throughout our stay, she was the only person who seemed more interested. However, her response of "mm, okay" provided little consolation and did not address the overall disappointment with the service.

Overall: Mercure Sud Les Ulis falls far short of a true 4-star experience. For a more welcoming and better-equipped stay, guests might consider the Hilton Garden inn nearby, which offers lower rates and significantly superior service.

Definitely would not...

A place to avoid, totally run down, mismanaged and overpriced.

We stayed in this hotel for one night on a stop-over from Sunday to Monday. This was the first issue: hotel restaurant is closed on Sundays. The convenient location next to the motorway is compromised by the dodgy, empty streets in the industrial area inhabited by rabbits?! According to reception not many food options around, so we started walking to one of the two that was suggested - which was closed on a Sunday (should they not know this?). So, 10 minutes back to the hotel, got the car, ended up in KFC.

Service: besides the food issue, the staff seemed to be totally overwhelmed and not trained. Basically, there is no service. Neither bar now cleaning staff. The girl at the reception seemed to have ran the entire place on her own. Our double room had only 1 shower towel. When we asked for a second towel, reception went off to search one and promised to put it into our room. Apparently the search was not successful - we ended up with one shower towel and one bathrobe... Same for pool towels: apparently the hotel had ran out of big towels. So we received two tiny hand towels for the pool.

Rooms: Mould. In the bathroom, shower, windows - everywhere. Room is big and modern, but the bathroom is at the verge of being disgusting. Needs an urgent renovation. Bedside lamps not working. Carpet in the hallway very stained. Lightbulb directly over our room door broken, it was blinking - for the horror movie effect?

Pool area: all in all a very run down look. Full ashtrays, bins overfilled. Pool is small but OK.

One star for the friendly girl at the reception who tried her best and...

3 star hotel, used as stopover. Conveniently located close to highway. As with most hotels in France this one has not a real airco. I am aware of this and traveling in spring on a hot day I knew that night temps outdoor are low and you can sleep comfortably with the windows open. However I forgot the nearby airport where flights only stop between 11 and 6 in the weekend. So be prepared to either wake up at 6 on Sunday morning or wake up earlier in a pool of sweat on such a hot day. So I recommend this hotel only during winter times. You never know if a day in spring or autumn turns out hot. Dining out turns out to be an issue as well, the Italian restaurant we chose based upon google stars was in the nearby neighborhood. I was pretty sure my car with foreign license plate was not safe to park here. In the end we chose another restaurant located at a safer place.

All in all still 2 stars as it might be a convenient hotel in winter to stay at if you need to...