Short review
Value for money: 4/5
Services: 3/5
Bedroom: 5/5
Sleep quality: 5/5
Bathroom: 4/5
Facilities and amenities: 4/5
Pros
- Spacious Deluxe Loft room
- Beautifully manicured courtyard
- Beautiful architecture
Cons
- No swimming pool
- Car park is not free
- Food quality in one restaurant was mediocre
Long review
I recently stayed for one night in Mercure Canberra. The hotel was first open in 1927, making it one of the oldest hotels in Canberra. Originally known as Hotel Ainslie, it was initially established to house members of Parliament and public servants. In 1987, a significant extension and renovation took place, while keeping with the original charming English deco style architecture. The hotel is now an important heritage building in Australia.
I arrived at about 12 noon and my room was not ready because the check-in time was 2 pm. While waiting for the room, I did some work and had lunch at the Olims Bar and Bistro, one of two restaurants in the hotel. My steak was ok, but the mushroom sauce was so so. I was back to this restaurant for dinner actually because I was tired after driving from Sydney and having a 3-hour meeting in the afternoon. Likewise, my osso bucco meal was rather bland and disappointing.
I went to the check-in desk again about 10 minutes to two and now my room was ready. Due to my Gold status with the LeClub Accor Hotels, they upgraded me to their best room, the Deluxe Loft. A welcome drink was also offered as usual.
First impression, the room was spacious. The lounge, dining table and kitchenette were located on the ground floor, while the bathroom and bedroom were on the loft. I really like the architecture and interior design of the room. The furniture nicely matches the architecture. The room indeed has characters. It was the beginning of spring and the temperature dropped to 3 Celsius in the morning. Despite its size, the room did an excellent job of maintaining a comfortable temperature.
The bathroom was sufficiently big and clean. I enjoyed a relaxing evening bath there.
The view from my room was gorgeous. My eyes could feast on the serene and beautiful courtyard of the hotel.
The only annoyance during my stay was the remote controls. There were two TVs in the room, one in the lounge and another one in the bedroom. Unfortunately one of the remote controls didn’t work. Luckily I was able to use one remote control to control both TVs.
Breakfast was available in their Courtyard Restaurant. It was satisfactory, as expected from a 4-star hotel in Australia. Since it’s only one night, I didn’t have time to visit the gym, but it was available. There was no swimming pool though. WiFi was freely available. Visitors could conveniently connect to the hotel’s WiFi without needing to register. There were two car parks, a smaller one in front and a big one in the back of the hotel. What bugged me was that hotel guests had to pay $10 per night for using the car parks.
All in all, it was a pleasant stay. I only paid AUD155 ($165 if parking fee is included) for such a massive room (breakfast included). I wish I could stay longer to enjoy the facilities and to relax in that beautiful courtyard.
