Mercure Milton Keynes Hotel — Hotel in Milton Keynes

Review edited to 1 star, as owner said they would contact me directly to discuss the below. This has yet to happen, and my review was posted over 2 months ago.

Based on the experience I had, I wouldn't recommend this hotel. There was a drainage issue, which caused water to overflow from the bathroom into the bedroom. I assume this must have been during the previous occupants stay, which if this is the case, is pretty damning on the hotel. As this should have been picked up, when preparing for the next guest (me). I didn't notice the extent of the problem when I arrived, however was greeted with a fishy/sweaty smell, that had it not been early hours of the morning I would have made a fuss about. In the morning I noticed the carpet was wet, and that the shower and sink wasn't draining correctly. It was pretty clear that the shower had been on long enough to flood the bathroom. I spoke to the front desk about this, and they arranged to get the drains fixed, but not the carpet cleaned, dried, or the smell to be removed. Incidentally, as I wasn't told what time breakfast stopped, I missed my window to eat by 3/4 mins; because of the carpet complaint. The smell was still very much present, when I got back to my room that night, so the next morning spoke I to one of the cleaning staff. They sprayed something which masked the smell for at least the next hour or so. The night before I checked out, I spoke to a third member of the hotel about the issue, and they promised to get a carpet cleaner in, but not until the next day; which was after I would have checked out. At this point, I guess it barely mattered. There were some good points to my stay, such as the rest of the room, which was spacious and looked very nice; and the bed was very, very comfortable. Free WiFi is a nice touch, although during my brief stay, I noticed it went down at least twice. At first I thought it was my device, but I heard two of the staff discussing it, so I doubt it's all that reliable. Breakfast wasn't bad, but not really great either, as I've already stated I actually missed it the first morning, while the front desk was taking my complaint. If I had of known the times, I would have eaten first. Obviously I found that extremely disappointing.

Unforeseen problems occur, I don't have an issue with that at all, the issue I have is that this wasn't dealt with. They sorted out the drains fine, but my stay was hampered by the smell of my room, and that I kept stepping on the wet carpet (it was a big area). As such I can only really rate this hotel based on my experience, which wasn't good. That and an owner that promises to contact me regarding these issues, has not lived up to their promise. Clearly they do not care about...

Location and rooms decent for the VW NLC but that's about it. Used the hotel a lot over the last few years with training at the VW national learning group centre, normally a nice hotel decent food and good service but this time has been terrible service. I don't recognise many, if any, of the staff so suspect there's a lot of inexperienced folk working. Took a long time to get served at the bar first night and food was very slow in ordering and coming out. Food was tasty enough with decent portions. Speaking to other guests who had a terrible time checking in, so much so the managers apologised again in the morning after. Second night took only about 10 minutes to order food but 30 minute wait for it to appear. Staff and other guests ordered after me but received their food a considerable time before me. I only ordered sausages and mash, the staff member ordered steak as did another guest and it was ready very quickly. When I enquired about my order it appeared seconds later, flooded in gravy. So far I've sat for an hour, had my main and not been approached since. I'll maybe give desert a miss! Disappointed at the lack of service! Onto the room, bathroom door handle was hanging off both interior and exterior, the window, when shut, doesn't latch properly shut and being a ground floor room, a bit of a security concern. On security concerns, I returned to my room the evening, after being on training all day, to find my door ajar. I was told there was no cleaning staff in my room so must have been my error leaving it open. Nothing was missing so no harm done. The door closing mechanism isn't strong enough to shut the door fully if it's not wide open in the first place. Tv is very basic, doesn't even receive 'terrestrial' channels, but the channels it does recieve are in no particular order. It does allow you to 'cast' to it but you need to be on the TV WiFi network to connect. Made myself a cup of tea but the sweetener powder sachet was that old it had solidified together and congealed in the cup making for a pretty disgusting cup of tea. Breakfast was fine, usual self serve buffet with continental and hot items to select from. I'll be looking to book elsewhere for my next visit as I've been very disappointed this...

We recently visited the MK Mercure Hotel for an afternoon tea for two (Groupon deal), and the whole experience was absolutely perfect.

Easy to find, with plenty of permit parking which wraps around behind the building. To obtain a permit is easy & free, once you've parked, simply go to reception and enter your vehicle's registration details on one of the touchscreens, that's it. Having previously booked, we were escorted through to the 'conservatory room', which was traditionally decorated, and had pleasant views overlooking their golf course. There are ceiling fans, but the room is also air conditioned. As new visitors to this Hotel, everything was explained to us first, which we appreciated, including what would be included within our tea. Our waitress was extremely professional, polite, and very pleasant, as were the rest of the staff we encountered. The table setting was nicely presented and clean, and the other guests, surroundings and views all made for a very pleasant atmosphere. The tea itself was absolutely delightful, consisting of a selection of sandwiches, cakes, and cream scones, all nicely presented (see my pictures). As for the beverages, a choice of teas were available, or coffee, but went with traditional tea, and very nice it was too, served in individual teapots, and replenished upon request. I don't like to impose on staff, or cause a fuss unless absolutely necessary, and had no need to, but certainly they give the impression that nothing is too much trouble, and your enjoyment is their priority, a rare thing these days.

Obviously as visiting guests, i can't really comment on the rest of the hotel, although I can tell you everything appears to be very clean, and of a high standard. The lobby / reception area gave a tasteful impression of class, but within a modern environment. The restaurant area looked to be a very comfortable and pleasant place to enjoy a nice meal, along with a bar. There is also plenty of outdoor seating available for when the weather's nice, on a large decked area.

Thank you Kayleigh, and the rest of the staff, we had a wonderful afternoon, and hope to be back soon for...