Mercure Hotel Offenburg am Messeplatz

We paid a significant rate for a miserable New Year weekend. The hotel only offered a few dry words of apology, with no compensation. The restaurant was closed during this busy period, too. On top of that, both lifts were out of order all weekend, even though the hotel was fairly full. We were on the second floor with a baby and a lot of luggage, so every trip meant using the stairs while carrying our child. It was exhausting for us as new parents and must be especially hard for anyone with physical limitations. At checkout I raised the issue, and the receptionist said a staff lift had been working, but the woman who checked us in had forgotten to mention it. Completely unacceptable. This was our second stay, and such a disappointment.

The breakfast was good, and the receptionist was nice, but I wouldn't stay here again. The rooms feel old, the bed wasn't comfortable, and even the non-smoking room smelled. The bathroom itself was clean. The cleaning crew also walked into my room unexpectedly one afternoon. Dinner could use more choices.

We were very disappointed with our one-night stay, one of my worst experiences at an Accor hotel. The pool turned out to be rented out for swim classes every day, a detail nowhere in the reservation information. When we tried to use it, the area felt completely empty, with no chairs or place to swim. Our room was very dated, and although there was a coffee machine, there were no pods. I asked for two, but they never brought them, even though they were included with the privilege suite. The room had only been prepared for three, despite our booking for two adults and two children. The receptionist sent us back to the desk twice, first to show us the pull-out bed, then to hand over covers so we could make it ourselves because he was alone. We also chose to pay at the hotel, but were charged $20 more than the reservation price and had to pull up the amount in the Accor app to get it checked.

The room felt decades out of date, and the mattress was cheap and uncomfortable. There was no shampoo or shower gel in the bathroom, so I had to step out of the shower soaking wet to get gel from my suitcase. I even found a packet of sweets behind the curtains. I've stayed at other Mercure hotels and know they offer a different standard, so I don't see how this one fits the brand. Easily the worst one I've stayed in.