Mercure Bridgwater Hotel

We had a three-course set meal at the hotel's 'Marco Pierre White' restaurant, and the food was amazing. The rooms were lovely, parking was easy, and the town centre is only a short walk away. We were there for an overnight catch-up with our special friends, and the service was great from check-in through checkout the next day. All the staff were friendly and helpful. A special mention to 'Gracy', an amazing young woman who was friendly, professional, and gave us such attentive service. A real credit to the hotel. I’d recommend staying here and would come back.

The breakfast food was delicious and generally excellent, apart from the hard-boiled eggs I asked for on both mornings. They were overdone and had black centres. I also found the £10-a-night parking charge steep and unnecessary. The fridge in room 112 didn’t work, though I didn’t report it because we didn’t want to be disturbed. Service was uneven. A nearby table had been waiting a long time before we were seated, but our drinks and starters arrived quickly. One Saturday morning, when I asked for boiled eggs, a waitress told me to ask the chef myself, but no chef was around. Luckily, the excellent waitress stepped in and sorted it out. The breakfast waitress of Oriental appearance was also attentive, efficient, and helpful. One evening waitress with red hair and piercings was fantastic, friendly, efficient, and professional. The others could learn from her. The hotel itself is lovely, and the food, especially breakfast, was beautiful. I did have hygiene concerns in the evening: some chefs served food with their hands, then touched their hair or wiped their noses with the backs of their hands. One waitress also had long hair that wasn’t tied back. Staff training could be more consistent.

We stayed over Christmas, and the security arrangements were good. You need a card to get into the building and to use the lifts. The rooms were nice, with modern amenities, blackout curtains, thick windows, and excellent soundproofing. The big bed was comfortable. It’s a great place to stay when visiting Bridgwater or nearby.

The manager took time to check on us and make sure things were okay on the second night, when the food and staff were a bit better. The night before, I ordered steak cooked medium rare, as recommended, but it arrived blue and was inedible. Even the front-of-house staff were shocked. They took ages to bring our two drinks, then gave them to us free as an apology. I’d had a good one-night stay last year, so we came back for my birthday weekend. This time, the privilege room bed was uncomfortably hard, and the room smelled of mildew. The first breakfast was standard and nothing special. The sausages were the best part, but the food could have been better prepared. I was disappointed they used standard frozen hash browns instead of Marco Pierre White's. Breakfast the next morning was much the same. I also saw a kitchen staff member on the phone a lot. I didn’t see anyone wearing gloves, and they touched food, hair, phones, and faces without washing their hands afterwards. That wasn’t the standard I expected. For what we paid, the service was disappointing.