Mercure Hotel Köln City Friesenstraße

It's a nice hotel, about a 20-minute walk from most city sights, with bars and restaurants right on the doorstep. The rooms were thankfully free of the smell, and everything looked clean. But the reception area had a strange sewage or drain odor covered up with air freshener, and we noticed it as soon as we came in. It was bad enough to put us off having breakfast at the hotel. Such a shame, because the smell was truly awful.

I’m an Accor Gold member and have stayed at Accor hotels in several countries, but this was my worst experience. In Room 402 at Mercure Friesenstraße, the AC didn’t work, the bathtub drain was faulty, and housekeeping never came despite repeated requests. There was broken glass on the table, and I cut my finger on it. I have recordings of the glass, the dirty room, and the drain. Breakfast was poor, and the staff treated my spouse and me worse than other guests. When I raised the problems at the front desk, staff brushed me off, saying it wasn’t their hotel and they didn’t own it, so I shouldn’t talk to them. They suggested I call the front desk manager and hotel director on their cell numbers, but neither answered despite several attempts.

Keep an eye on your valuables. On December 20, I left my bag in the lobby. The front desk employee kept it from me from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. When I said I would contact the police, he gave it back, but the money was gone :) Management should look into who was working that shift. Guests, stay alert.

The rooms could use renovation. The location is a strong point: the U-Bahn is about five minutes away, and the center and market are a 20-30 minute walk.