Mercure Bordeaux Château Chartrons

The hotel was well kept and comfortable, with a convenient location for exploring the area and parking right below the building. We felt welcome from the moment we arrived. Everyone we met was friendly, attentive, and keen to help, from the efficient, kind front desk team to the restaurant staff, who gave excellent service, and the cleaning staff, who greeted us with a smile. We’d happily recommend it and return.

Breakfast had a good selection, and the coffee was okay. My room was pleasant but dark, with very poor lighting. When I dropped my glasses, I had to use a torch to find them on the floor. The shower was good, though it was over the bath. Walk-in showers are available in some rooms, but aren’t standard. The AC was poor, but the windows opened and the area wasn’t noisy, so it was okay.

The location was good, in the Chatron district near public transport and lovely Rue Notre Dame. We enjoyed Bordeaux, but the hotel didn’t shape that experience, and it needs a revamp. It felt old and tired, and it was big, with several conferences and business events while we were there. The room was large and otherwise comfortable, and the wifi was good. But the dark decor and lack of overhead lighting or even a simple bedside lamp made it almost impossible to read. It was hot during our stay. They had apparently turned off the AC the previous week when the weather got cold, and didn’t turn it back on for us. We were given a fan, while the common areas were air-conditioned. The included buffet breakfast was very ordinary. The scrambled eggs were inedible, and the option to cook a boiled or fried egg wasn’t always available. There was no fresh fruit, only what seemed to be canned fruit, and no vegetables such as tomato or cucumber. There were five kinds of processed meat and four cheeses. The pastries and bread were fine, but breakfast was reduced to a petit déjeuner while we played roulette with five coffee machines that only sometimes worked. Four-star in size, two-star in quality. I’m a bit perplexed by a hotel that’s supposedly four-star but falls short, at least for me.

I chose a four-star hotel hoping for a safe, dependable trip, but was deeply disappointed by the Mercure hotel chain’s level of hospitality. I do not recommend this hotel, and I wouldn’t want anyone to waste their money here. The hotel arranged a taxi for me, and I was charged €30 for a ride of barely 2 km. The return trip cost only €9. Since the hotel set up the ride for travelers who may not speak French, I expected them to make sure this didn’t happen, or at least warn us. The taxi had no meter. When I asked the staff member who had arranged it why they called that taxi, she argued back sharply, repeating that it wasn’t her fault, the taxi was another company’s service, she couldn’t know whether €30 was reasonable, and there was nothing she could do. I felt the staff themselves seemed to think travelers should expect to be ripped off. It was only a few dozen euros, but realizing I’d been overcharged and then being answered in that harsh tone made me extremely uncomfortable, especially on a trip that was meant to be enjoyable. I travel by taking time away from a very busy schedule and spending money I’ve worked hard to earn. Being treated this way at a four-star hotel was the last thing I wanted.