A Good Utilitarian Hotel
Written: Oct 07 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Clean, convenient, moderately priced and chain loyalty program perks.
Cons: Painfully bland.
The Bottom Line: OK if you are spending minimal time in your room, value the location, and are indifferent to the generic product.
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| ulysses4's Full Review: Mercure Nice Grimaldi 3m |
An ideal quiet and convenient location (near some of the nicest shops and a few minutes from the Promenade des Anglais), a reliable business brand, a good value are all things to say in favor of this hotel. Our contacts with the staff were cordial and the attitude of the staff and the good upkeep suggest a manager behind the scenes who seems to care about her guests. The hotel and our room were as clean as a whistle. If you have an "A" loyalty card, you might even be able to obtain an even slightly better deal. With the Mercure and other Accor brand web-sites you can make your reservation in a couple of clicks.
Still, I probably wouldn't stay here again. We have stayed at a number of Mercure Hotels, and they aren't cookie cutter, but some are more enjoyable than others. This one is just too generic, spartan and there are just too many more interesting and pleasant places to stay in Nice. Also, two blocks up the street is the Le Grimaldi, which I have previously reviewed and where we have stayed a number of times. It would be unfair to make a direct comparison between that four star hotel and this three star one, but the bland and bare beige walls of the Mercure and equally bland curtains in our room and dreary chain hotel grade furnishings were a keen reminder that our savings were at the cost of considerable character and charm. Not a single item of art or faux art broke the monotony. The striped carpet in our room was certainly practical, vaguely reminding me of beach towels, budget motels or a lower end furnished apartment. Room lighting was better than average to sort through your clothes, etc.
Here are the basics: 84 non-smoking rooms, a solarium on the top floor which we did not check out, a breakfast room on the first floor (which was full both mornings we were staying there, and hence we went out to have breakfast with the locals a few blocks away). A decent sized elevator for an old building, which helped facilitate getting our bags to our chambre. The hotel has a pleasant looking bar which was not particularly active during our stay.
A very comfortable queen sized bed took up most of the space in the room. Hanging a flat panel TV off the wall saved space and provided a modern amenity.
Rehabbing an old building often yields unexpected results; sometimes positive, occasionally charming, often lackluster. Our bathroom had some positives. Excellent lighting, vertical neon lights at the sink mirror made shaving and/or applying makeup more pleasant than is often the case in many older hotels. A bath/shower combination that actually kept the water inside. But on the downside, the triangular shape of the bathroom made some unpleasant compromises. The water closet was wedged in next to the tub in a way that would be a challenge for any hotel patron.
A "Personal Mssage" Card on the pillow when we arrived was a "Dear Guest" Note from the Manager, unsigned and unconvincing. With the Le Grimaldi, the Holiday Inn and nearly a dozen other hotels within a few blocks, the Mercure needs to do more to gain repeat or first time business, unless they plan to just rely on their frequent guest loyalty program to fill the rooms.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
ulysses4
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Member: Alan R. Fridkin
Location: Westfield, MA USA
Reviews written: 234
Trusted by: 21 members
About Me:
Mediator;attorney;retired Navy Captain;avid traveler;bon vivant.
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