During a recent cruise vacation, I stayed in Le Meridien’s Mermaid Hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark. I ended up at this hotel using Priceline and was able to get a room with three for $140 plus tax for one night.

Check-in: The reception desk was busy but the check-in was fast and efficient. The lobby was rather ordinary looking and slightly on the drab side but certainly functional. The Mermaid has a good location. It is fairly close to central train station (which operates 10-minute runs to and from the airport several times every hour). It is also very close to the Tivoli amusement park as well as the National Museum. There was parking available in a small garage next to the hotel. As we walked from the train station, we had no need to use it.

Room: There was a bit of a problem with the bed configuration when we arrived at the room. We had requested a room for three but there were only two beds. I went to speak to the front desk; made sure the third person fee was paid and was sent to another room which I was told was a triple. So my party packed up and moved to the new room but it was not a triple either. I went down to the front desk again. The agent seemed confused telling me that the computer told him it was a triple. He said he’d send someone in to fix a cot up. Unfortunately this took at least three and a half hours and two more calls down to the front desk to inquire about when someone would come. Eventually a gentleman came and did it. He was very pleasant and we got the chance to talk Danish politics a bit. I was a bit annoyed with the rooming problems but it was a minor inconvenience on the whole.

The room itself was functional. Nothing spectacular or very pretty and rather small for three people. It had the usual amenities – cable tv, writing desk and pretty ample closet space. The bathroom was intriguing. The shower was simply a drain in the floor and a curtain you wrapped around the area itself. In other words, it wasn’t a separate part of the bathroom itself. You just walked to the corner, wrapped the curtain around and turned the water on. The bath amenities were very disappointing – just one small soap and bottle of shampoo. I expected something a little nicer since it was a Meridien hotel but oh well. There was ample hot water and the temperature in the room was perfectly fine. I stayed on the cot and it was fine and actually reasonably comfortable and my two other traveling companions reported the beds were comfortable as well.

Service: The service was adequate. I dealt with the front desk a few times as I mentioned and they were fine. It was a bit annoying to have the maids knocking on our door at 8am asking to clean the room. When we told them we would be at least another hour they were not pleased. We didn’t have much interaction with the food service staff but they seemed fine as well.

Food: We were planning on eating in the hotel restaurant but were told that the dining room had been booked for a large party so we couldn’t. While I understand the need for hotels to cater to large groups to increase their revenue, it put out the many guests who wanted to take advantage of this amenity. That was the biggest complaint I had about the hotel. Room service was available but we really weren’t in the mood for it and were told the wait would probably be long with the party going on anyway.

Breakfast was complimentary and very nice. It was the usual continental arrangement with coffee, tea, juices, breads, fruits and some meats and cheeses. There was plenty of food available and a good variety of choices. It was very busy and there were a lot of unbussed tables and it appeared there were not enough staff on-hand to clean and bus the tables.

Conclusion: I’ve already used the word adequate to describe the staff and it pretty much applies to the whole hotel. It certainly wasn’t the most memorable place I’ve ever stayed in but far from being the worse. While there were some rather glaring faults, (closure of the restaurant, confusion over room configuration), none of it distracted too much from the stay. I’d consider staying there on a future visit but I’d also certainly investigate other options as well.




Recommended: Yes