Mercure Hotel Heilbronn — Hotel in Heilbronn

I wish I could give zero stars because what I experienced at this Premier Inn was absolutely unacceptable and downright shocking. If you’re a person of color, I would seriously think twice before booking here—because clearly, guests here aren’t treated as equals but rather as second-class citizens.

After a long journey from Barcelona, I arrived late at night, expecting a smooth check-in since my girlfriend had already checked in earlier that afternoon. Instead of being asked for my details or offered any assistance, I was immediately racially profiled by the receptionist on duty. His first question? “Are you a food delivery guy?”

No “Welcome,” no “How can I help you?”—just an unfounded assumption based entirely on my appearance. Even after I explained that my girlfriend had already checked in, he refused to believe me. I wasn’t allowed to proceed until my girlfriend came down to “prove” that I was, in fact, a guest. Does Premier Inn have an unwritten rule that Brown men must automatically be delivery drivers and not paying guests?

To make matters worse, a colleague of the receptionist later tried to justify this blatant discrimination by pointing out that I was carrying an orange bag—as if my clothing somehow dictates whether I deserve respect or not. And even if I were a delivery person, does Premier Inn train its staff to treat such individuals as less than human from the start?

The worst part? No apology. The receptionist remained arrogant, dismissive, and completely unapologetic. The hotel management promised an investigation and a response from the manager by Monday. Well, that deadline came and went—and I heard nothing. So, not only does the staff openly engage in racial profiling, but it seems Premier Inn doesn’t even care when their guests are humiliated.

This experience was degrading, insulting, and unacceptable on every level. If being treated with basic respect matters to you, I suggest you stay far away from this hotel. I’ll also be sharing this experience on other platforms like Booking.com so that other travelers—especially people of color—know what to expect from this hotel.

Update: After management reached out, I had hoped for a more constructive response. Unfortunately, they chose to defend their staff’s actions rather than acknowledging the clear racial profiling I experienced. Their solution? Pointing out how many nationalities they employ—because apparently, that cancels out discrimination. Still no apology from the staff member involved, and no intention to change their approach. Safe to say, I won’t...

I wish I could give zero stars because what I experienced at this Premier Inn was absolutely unacceptable and downright shocking. If you’re a person of color, I would seriously think twice before booking here—because clearly, guests here aren’t treated as equals but rather as second-class citizens.||After a long journey from Barcelona, I arrived late at night, expecting a smooth check-in since my girlfriend had already checked in earlier that afternoon. Instead of being asked for my details or offered any assistance, I was immediately racially profiled by the receptionist on duty. His first question? “Are you a food delivery guy?”||No “Welcome,” no “How can I help you?”—just an unfounded assumption based entirely on my appearance. Even after I explained that my girlfriend had already checked in, he refused to believe me. I wasn’t allowed to proceed until my girlfriend came down to “prove” that I was, in fact, a guest. Does Premier Inn have an unwritten rule that Brown men must automatically be delivery drivers and not paying guests?||To make matters worse, a colleague of the receptionist later tried to justify this blatant discrimination by pointing out that I was carrying an orange bag—as if my clothing somehow dictates whether I deserve respect or not. And even if I were a delivery person, does Premier Inn train its staff to treat such individuals as less than human from the start?||The worst part? No apology. The receptionist remained arrogant, dismissive, and completely unapologetic. The hotel management promised an investigation and a response from the manager by Monday. Well, that deadline came and went—and I heard nothing. So, not only does the staff openly engage in racial profiling, but it seems Premier Inn doesn’t even care when their guests are humiliated.||This experience was degrading, insulting, and unacceptable on every level. If being treated with basic respect matters to you, I suggest you stay far away from this hotel. I’ll also be sharing this experience on other platforms like Booking.com so that other travelers—especially people of color—know what to expect from this hotel.||Update: After management reached out, I had hoped for a more constructive response. Unfortunately, they chose to defend their staff’s actions rather than acknowledging the clear racial profiling I experienced. Their solution? Pointing out how many nationalities they employ—because apparently, that cancels out discrimination. Still no apology from the staff member involved, and no intention to change their approach. Safe to say, I won’t...

The hotel is fairly new and as is as you would expect it from the chain. It's good!

The big down-side is the service & staff. I arrived early (2hrs before official checkin time, ok my fault) but as there was absolutely no other guests in the lobby etc. I asked if I could already have room. “No, that’s not possible, only from 3 PM”. Well maybe it’s corporate policy so whatever. Then at 3PM checkin time I asked if I please can have a room away from the main street (which is probably 50%+ of the rooms). I just received a quick nod. Went up to the room…and of course it was at the side facing the main street. Went down..asked again…because well you could have at least said something, right? “Oh sorry, we’re fully booked”. Wait what? The last 2 hrs. there were 0 guests in the lobby. There is also no different more expensive room category. Also, the next morning at breakfast I would estimate the utilization at the hotel to be...