Mercure Kota Kinabalu City Centre — Hotel in Borneo

A place for a peaceful night's sleep - NOPE this is not the place!

The one good thing about this hotel is the location.

The list of what should/must be provided in a hotel room where you pay more than RM 400 is not limitless. For example - providing dustbins in the bathroom is something no one thinks about - nope there was none here. providing face towels for guests, at least 1 - nope there was none provided. providing guests with laundry bags for their used clothes is the norm these days and not something rocket science like - nope none provided. We didnt bother to ask as we brought laundry bags salvaged from other hotels we stayed in. bedroom slippers in plastic wrap is not a luxury but a standard item in most hotels even 2* ..nope not here at Mercure - the slippers were opened and who knows if it was from previous guest. So all in all, not sure if housekeeping senior staff are not doing their job in checking the rooms or all above are policies of Mercure KK.

As other reviewers have mentioned, the shower set up is a bit weird but nonetheless it is tolerable but the shower cubicle i had, the water would not drain properly...the first day it drained slowly but by the time we had our shower when we were checking out, the water was stagnant or very very slowly draining away...you have to step out of soapy water onto the measly floor towel to ensure your feet are at least clean. Mentioned this to reception on way out but not sure if anything will be done about it. (1 Star ratings for SERVICE as housekeeping services provided before we checked in was not up to par and we did not avail of any other service other than check in & check out)

The worst thing was the noise level - hotels usually have double glazing windows/glass doors. This hotel had normal household or even worse kind of glass work. The noise level - motorbikes/cars is quite loud and as if it is right outside your balcony and you may expect this to be the case if you have a room on one of the lower floors - but I was on the 19th floor and it felt as the motorbikes/cars were just outside the windows. I am used to traffic noise as previously being from KL/PJ...but this was a different level as if the sound was amplified into the room. And the location of the safe – you need to be Ethan Hunt to be able to access/open this – remember the scene in the 1st Mission Impossible movie where Ethan/Tom Cruise enters the vault from the ceiling and is held up by a steel cable – well to use the safe in the room assigned, you need to be on your stomach on the floor to use it..No thanks!. Joined the Accor Loyalty & Marriot Loyalty programme as I was going to be travelling to Kuching/Kota Kinabalu a few times. The difference in quality between Sheraton Kuching – stayed in a deluxe room and in Mercure KK – staying in a suite is as so vast. (An example – we requested extra water in Kuching at the reception on the Ground Floor and before we even reached our room on the 7th floor, the water had been delivered). So there you go...

Stayed 8 nights at Mercure KK (1 Bedroom Suites) recently but was largely disappointed by our experience.

Location:

Location is good as it is next to Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal, where most people would go to for island hopping/scuba diving etc.. It is also next to Suria Sabah shopping mall (a pretty good mall) and a short walking distance to Lorong Dewan (where the cafes are) and Gaya Street Night Market, as well as other popular food places.

Reception:

Check-in and check-out was fast and hassle free. However, the service standard of the staff left much to be desired. The staff that processed our check-in was not welcoming at all (bordering on nonchalance) and provided no recognition for our Accor status, nor advise us on the hotel facilities or where we can get our welcome drinks. There was a day where we requested for bath towels and it took 4 hours and another call before the towels were finally delivered. In general, service was hit and miss as some of the staff were great (friendly and helpful) but others were not (cold and transactional).

Room:

The room we booked appeared better in pictures than it actually was. There was no TV in the bedroom (in the pictures there was), there were no table and chairs in the balcony (in the pictures there was), and there was supposed to be a King size bed (which the hotel staff advised does not exist). The supposed King size bed is just moving both single beds together. The cleanliness of the room was subpar. We could see visible layers of dust upon first entering the room, and there was dirt/hair on the floor. Daily cleaning was also subpar other than one day where we were actually in the room and watching the staff clean. The state of the room itself was pretty dated and poorly maintained and you could clearly see stains on the wall/floor, and the shower glass panel was leaking. The room door does not close unless you consciously use some force to close it when you leave - this meant we heard our neighbours slamming their doors to close it properly and some people left their room without realising their doors are fully closed. Soundproofing in the room was terrible as well, we could hear loud car noises even though we were on the 19th floor.

Facilities:

The pool was small but decent. The gym however was a hassle to get access to, as you had to go down to reception to get a different card to access the gym. The breakfast buffet was terrible and pretty much served the same things everyday (with a very small spread) and cooked food was usually cold. It was located at level 2 (Maupassant restaurant) which had no ambience and resembled a canteen more than a restaurant.

Value:

We paid about RM2.5k for 8 nights, which we think is reasonable for a midscale hotel like Mercure, but overall, we feel that there is a huge improvement required to improve the stay experience of customers. As it is now, we would not be coming back to Mercure for our...

Gold member. 12 nights stay at Kinabalu Mercure City Centre were very satisfying throughout. 1 bedroom suite with no upgrade. The room is spacious and comfortable. All great except for one evening, the guest's children above floor run and jump around. Feedback to reception and resolved. Good high floor with a nice view of sunset, sea, and jetty.

Daily housekeeping ok, great reception staff and happy Ms Kallie always ready to help. Friendly, well trained, and attentive F&B staff. Especially Mr Firdaus. A friendly, hardworking, informative, and jovial guy that makes your day!

We greatly appreciate the great and warm hospitalities from Mercure Hotel GM/CFO Mdm Patricia at the CNY celebration and Sales Director Aaron during dinner. They are really friendly with great personality and very approachable!

We truly enjoyed the CNY Lion Dance and Yusheng celebration! Thank you for the invitation! Never expected it to be formal and proceeding so thoroughly. We have great fun with so many colourful photos and videos as memories. Thank you for the opportunity to engage with the happy families of all Mercure hotel staff!

Though the hotel is not truly in the centre of Kota Kinabalu, it location was never an issue to us due to all the conveniences around. If you are touring, conveniences are the major. Gaya Street with many eateries and coffee shops are just 5 mins walkaway. There are numerous popular restaurants along the walk from Mercure to Gaya Street. Suria Mall is just opposite Mercure Hotel with Jessilton duty-free next door. It is a great mall with so many restaurants and shopping. Just a 15-minute walk, you can stroll along the waterfront with many seafood restaurants and night markets. There are numerous interesting restaurants and cafes in Jessilton Quay, just 10 mins walk away. Not forgetting the jump off point to all your island hopping, sunbathing, diving, and beaches. The Jessiton jetty is also 5 min walk away. There are souvenirs and little interesting shops along Gaya Street, but major are food, Sunday, and weekend markets. So you want 'a central with nothing' or conveniences? You decide..

Mercure has a nice 25th-floor rooftop pool. (slightly small when full house) A nice bar and quiet and a very comfortable restaurant.(great after sunset, trust me) AccorPlus members enjoy 50% off at 2nd and 25th floor restaurants.15% off drinks. Welcome drinks entitled. No executive lounge is available.

Will be back in Mercure Hotel for our next trip to Sandakan! Great hospitality and services, conveniences, and great food around! Side trip - don't miss Kundasang when in Kinabalu. A heaven on earth just 2 hrs drive in the mountains! You...