Mercure Bologna Centro: the 70s called ...
Jun 11, 2019, 3:10 am
One can also question whether the Novotel is newly built and has a contemporary style. Based on the photos, the style dates back to early 2000 at least. But of course, if one compares it to the Mercure then it certainly is contemporary.
Jun 11, 2019, 3:15 am
Jun 11, 2019, 10:03 am
Jun 11, 2019, 12:29 pm
That could be the reason.
I have experienced same issue several time for the same reason at Novotel Bologna and Mercures in Rimini also.
Aug 20, 2019, 4:46 am
Arrivederci! We hope you enjoyed your stay with us. Please find attached your final invoice.
It seems that I've done time travel.
Aug 20, 2019, 1:13 pm
in fact, if you want to meet the best people in Italy you have to travel just 30 km to Modena 😊
Sep 7, 2019, 10:57 am
Mercure Bologna Centro
Viale Pietro Pietramellara 59 Bologna, IT 40121
Hotel review: Mercure Bologna Centro (27 Photos)
Mercure Bologna Centro
Check In
I arrived at 2pm and my room was ready. I had booked a standard room with double bed and I received a privilege room with double bed. A voucher for welcome drinks was given proactively without need to ask for it. The check-in agent was very kind and she gave a good first impression of the hotel. I felt welcome.
Main entrance.
Lobby.
The famous keys.
Lobby bar.
The lobby area and bar looks quite nice actually.
Room
Well, what can I say. I think I have never stayed in a hotel room that has been as dated and worn. It was quite small (20 sqm), dark and musty. Wallpapers were cracking here and there, ceiling had signs of a leak damage and blackout curtains had a hole.
There was only one socket. It was challenging to charge a laptop and two smart phones. That one socket was also needed when using a Nespresso machine (yes, there was one with six capsules – yay).
Minibar was complimentary and it was stocked with four bottles of water, both still and sparkling, two sodas and one juice. Pretty good!
Bed was okay, not the best, not the worst, but pillows were too firm to my liking.
Ancient corridor. 
Curtains were closed when entering to room. 
Dated privilege room.
Privilege room.
Privilege room.
Blackout curtains in the privilege room.
View from a French balcony.
Amenities of the privilege room.
Complimentary minibar.
Cracking wallpaper.
Ceiling.
Bathroom.
The compulsory bidet.
Bath amenities.
Decent amenities.
Loyalty treatment
The drink voucher was good for anything expect millésimes, champagne and spirits. We used for Aperol spritz at the quite cosy lobby bar that also had some seats in garden.
A welcome gift wasn’t given spontaniously so I discretely asked at what time it’s usually delivered. The friendly check-in agent said she doesn’t know and went to back office to ask. Soon she returned telling that the hotel has ran out of stock and asking whether we would like to have a bottle of wine. Yes, please! It was unpredictable and thoughtful.
When we returned in the evening we found a nice bottle of Sangiovese in our room.
I requested a late check-out at 5:30pm and again that wasn’t a problem at all!
Welcome drinks.
Welcome gift.
Service
The service was superb and made our stay. Except housekeeping.
Although we were two guests, the room had been prepaired for one person only. There was one dental kit, one bathrobe and one pair of slippers.
When I requested the missing amenities a housekeeper told that ”usually we give only one”. Oh, okay. Are guests supposed to share the same toohtbrush?
Amenities were anyway better than at Mercure in Florence. The slippers were of higher quality, similar to Sofitel but with Mercure logo, and they also provided body lotion.
Dining
I only had breakfast which was decent, considering it only costed 12€ (even cheaper if booked in advance). It included all what I needed, such as a few cold cuts, cheese, strong coffee, many kind of sweet treats, fresh fruits, plain yogurt, honey, and jams. Scrambled eggs were of poor quality, though.
Basic hot and cold option were available at breakfast.
Only some of the many sweet treats.
On top of these there are fresh fruits (bananas, apples(!), and oranges in the entrance.
Yogurt station.
Location
The hotel is located perfectly next to the railway station. The location and the service are the best part of the hotel.
The hotel seen from railway station.
Overall
Based on the previous review I knew what to expect and lowered my expectations. Did I punish myself by taking the risk? Would I advise to stay away from the property? No and no. Had I not known how the hotel is like I probably wouldn’t be as positive. That said, I would most likely stay here again if my travels takes me back to Bologna some day.
Sep 7, 2019, 11:09 am
When you think this was a Sofitel before
Sep 8, 2019, 2:21 am
It's obvious that something need to be done soon but the hotel isn't that bad. Out of the date yes but at the same time clean. The amenities provided were great for the price: a little over 100€.
This must be the reason I "liked" it.
Last edited by wkndtraveler; Sep 8, 2019 at 2:26 am
Sep 15, 2019, 11:02 am
Jun 29, 2022, 9:19 am
- What is your ALL status? Diamond
- Were you (or for multi-stayers were you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? No.
- Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? Booked the best room category, a privilege room, and received that as expected.
- How are the rooms?Not good. I tried two different rooms in the same category.
The first one: old, worn and dim. There were dark spots on the wall and the wallpaper was ripping away. The room had an ashtray with a non-smoking logo on it… I guess the room serves both smoking and non-smoking guests. The complimentary minibar was filled with water. Other amenities included Nespresso machine (five decaffeinated capsules), bathrobes and slippers. Cheap Mercure branded toiletries, not the new Nuxe products.
The second room: new and bright, the interior design reminded me of Sofitel Rome. The laminated floor had different colors here and there which I found odd. I’m not sure whether this was planned or some part of the floor had been changed due to unknown reason. The amenities were the same as in the first room but obviously no-one had used the room for a long time since it had a strong musty smell and there were lots of dust on the surfaces. The shower had no place to put toiletries and the shower floor was filthy. There was an air conditioner in the room but it was weak and kept the temperature too high. There were not enough sockets near the bed. Still better than the museum room first received.
- What was good and what was bad?
Good: The location right next to the railway station. Also, the soundproofing seemed to be decent: didn’t hear much noise from the street.
Bad: Oh, well. This hotel really is in a serious need of renovation and both the management and the staff need a customer service training. The biggest problem, in my opinion, was the loyalty recognition. Actually, the lack of it. At check-in I was told that they have chosen me one of the best rooms. Surely it was the best – in the 1970s. Back downstairs I went and asked for a new, preferably renovated room as I knew they had some. At first, they claimed that they don’t have any of them available and that the hotel is fully booked (on Accor website all room categories were for sale). Four receptionist participated this show, all talking Italian in front of me, trying to find excuses. After challenging them, some went to the back office to talk to a manger and suddenly they had magically received a cancellation for the renovated room (that can’t be booked online) and I was lucky enough to get it. When asking for the welcome gift I was told that they don’t have any, of course. For breakfast they had guts to serve burnt bacon and scrambled eggs.
- Did you get club lounge access? How was the lounge? Lounge? What’s that?
- What about welcome drinks, welcome amenities or any other special perks? A drink voucher with a typical list of exclusions was given but I managed to get a very strong Negroni. Later when I returned to my room I found a bottle of red wine and nuts as a welcome gift that they weren’t suppose to have. A good move but it didn’t save the stay.
- Value for $ or Vouchers? Would you return? This hotel is by no means cheap. I will probably take my business elsewhere. I’m so tired of this begging game.
Privilege room.
Wallpaper in the privilege room.
Coffee capsules, mostly decaffeinated.
Wallpaper in the privilege room.
Complimentary minibar.
Renovated room.
Renovated bathroom.
Floor in the renovated room.
Burnt scrambled eggs and bacon at the breakfast.
Shower floor.
Jun 29, 2022, 12:54 pm
and the floor in the renovated room 
.
Jul 1, 2022, 5:36 am
It is unfortunate that the beautiful city of Bologna does not have a real luxury hotel.
Even Mr and Mrs Smith only offers the very average Elizabeth Lifestyle hotel.
Jul 4, 2022, 3:27 pm
The renovation is something of a mystery to me. Seems like there are at least two different renovated rooms, so this is more than a model room (like the one at the Pullman Montparnasse I stayed at years before all the upper floors were renovated in its liking), but apparently the rollout has been halted and they remain clandestine and knowledge of them privy to only a few.
Certainly, even by Italian standards, the hotel reaches reaches an exceptional low in customer service. It does not seem to have changed one bit. When I was there, I almost felt like I've personally offeneded each and every staff member by staying there.
There is a new Novotel in Parma just by the train station, just 45 mins by a Freccia (or less than an hours with a Regionale), I'd recommend it instead.