Mercure Hotel Groningen Martini Plaza

For my first one-night stay, the room had all the amenities, and both it and the bathroom were clean. It was quiet overnight, though my window looked out toward the highway. The hard bed didn't suit me, and I woke with lower back pain after sleeping poorly; someone else might not mind it. I also asked for an invoice at checkout, but it didn't arrive until I called the next day, which surprised me.

I like being able to walk into town from here, and the staff are lovely, friendly and helpful. Breakfast was nice too. The rooms can be small, and the shower size was my biggest difficulty.

A strange man came into my room while I was in the bathroom. That was unacceptable, and I'm still waiting for an apology or explanation. I wouldn't recommend this place to a woman travelling alone, or to someone with limited mobility who depends on public transport, because the access road from the bus stop is unlit. There were drain smells, and the old air conditioning and heating were noisy and unreliable. The room fridge was broken. A few receptionists were decent, while others seemed ignorant and uninterested. One of the worst hotel experiences I've had.

I was staying for two nights. On the first night, my room had a leaking ceiling. The next night, while I was inside, another male guest unlocked my door and came in using a key the hotel had given him. Staff said he'd asked for another key to his room but gave the wrong room number. They said they'd done their job by telling him my name and asking him to confirm it, then handed over my room key when he said yes. According to the staff, my name as shown above fits a Dutch or European face.