Mercure - just what the doctor ordered! (Mercure Hotel London Bankside)

Member Name: Luvlylana

Product:	Mercure Hotel London Bankside
Date:	14/01/09 (9 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Close to Tate Modern, and Southwark tube station

Disadvantages: On other side of the river from places like Oxford Street

I stayed at the London Mercure London City last weekend as part of a birthday treat from my boyfriend (I believe he booked it as part of a deal with rail tickets/show tickets/hotel, so am unable to tell you how much the hotel costs separately!). We stayed there for one night (a Saturday) after spending the day shopping in Oxford Street and the evening watching Phantom of the Opera at the London Palladium.

We were able to check-in from 2 o'clock onwards, and we arrived at approximately 5pm. We were greeted at reception by a member of staff and a trainee, and were offered a smoking or non-smoking room. We opted for a non-smoking room and were given room 502 on the 5th floor.
Room 502 is just a few steps away from the lift, and is forwards facing so you can see straight out into Southwark Street. It is a two-person room with a decent sized double bed, a compact but well kitted-out bathroom, and essential items like TV/hairdryer/kettle/iron etc. Though being so close to the main route to the 5th floor, there were no noisy disturbances from other people going to and from their rooms. We also expected a little noise from the street below being a main route to the bridge, but once again there was no disturbance whatsoever.

After returning home from the show sometime after 11, we were welcomed in and settled into our room again quite quickly. We slept well and enjoyed a full English breakfast in the morning. I only have one complaint in that the food was not very warm, but as it was self service and we only surfaced towards the end of breakfast time, that may not have been the hotel's fault.
We checked-out quite soon after that as we wanted to make the most of our day, especially with it being a Sunday when things tend not to stay open quite as long. Once again we received great service and were offered the opportunity to leave our luggage with the hotel so we could go off and enjoy our day. We didn't make use of this offer however as we had travelled light and just taken backpacks with us.

I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone planning to spend some time in London as although it may appear a little far out, it is about a 5-10 minute walk to Southwark tube station, and is of sound quality. I think it either has 2 or 3 stars, but it is one of the cleanest hotels I have stayed in, and I was really impressed with the service we received. The hotel had all we needed for our short stay, and was much more appealing than staying a Holiday Inn or Travelodge. I'm sure we will be staying at the Mercure again the next time we visit the capital.

(As written for Ciao.co.uk)

Summary: Good value hotel for going to see shows in London