Reviewed: Mercure London Bridge hotel

I used to stay in hotels all the time. Big ones, small ones, chain ones, boutique ones, city centre, by the sea, luxury, quirky, good, bad and the occasional ugly. Since Minnie was born, our travels may have continued but the number of hotels I’ve stayed in has dropped massively.

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Instead we’ve discovered AirBNB, the joys of self-catering in the sun and cruising, plus the occasional family-friendly resort.

So when I found myself checking in to the Mercure London Bridge for the night, I’d forgotten the sheer joy of wandering around a hotel room, looking at all the little details, flicking through the hotel information, all without a toddler exploring alongside.

Mercure London Bridge: Vital statistics

There are 700 Mercure hotels in 50 countries around the world. You’d expect I’d be fairly familiar with the brand, even if I hadn’t stayed in one before, but I’ve got to admit the company had largely passed me by.

Part of the Accor group with Sofitel and Novotel, it sits neatly in between the two other hotel brands and pops up in some rather useful locations for exploring cities – for example one in London’s Bloomsbury, near the British Museum and the one I stayed at.

For my review of the Novotel Cardiff, click here

Closer to Southwark than London Bridge, that puts it right behind the Tate Modern and minutes from the Thames and Borough Market.

Rated four stars, there are 144 rooms plus a restaurant, bar and fitness centre. There are also privilege rooms which are larger with bigger beds and added bonuses like Nespresso machines, as well as some interconnecting rooms.

Mercure London Bridge hotel: What’s good

The individual touches

It may be part of a chain but the hotels are decorated based on their location.

That meant, for example, a wall panel with the nursery rhyme ‘London Bridge is falling down’ on the wall by the shower, plus some very traditional British touches in the lounge, including bulldog bookends.

The thoughtfulness

I sometimes wonder if hotel designers ever stay in the hotels they create but someone had definitely thought this room through.

Plenty of plugs next to the bed, so your mobile/alarm clock isn’t half-way across the room, light switches by the bed, more little individual touches like London Bridge prints.

Free WiFi

Something practically every guest wants these days, it’s so basic and yet oddly missing/slow in more than a few places. Here it was free, speedy and easy to set up.

Breakfast 

Although I didn’t try dinner in the restaurant, breakfast was great. A buffet with the choice of extra hot dishes, everything seemed slightly better quality than I tend to expect from a buffet. Mercure’s French roots showing through perhaps?

Location

A short distance from Waterloo and London Bridge, it’s quick to get into central London but quieter at night. Not an obvious location to choose perhaps but one which could work well for families.

The bonus

Boxes of sweets masquerading as decorations in the lounge, among some rather lovely lights and tucked onto tables. Necessary? No. Fun? Yep.

Mercure London Bridge hotel: What’s not so good

The shower

I’ve never understood how hotels overcomplicate something so simple. Two showers (one overhead, one handheld), two knobs, no markings and therefore plenty of faffing to try to get water from the right one at the right temperature.

I’ve never really liked an initiative test before I’ve had my coffee.

The toiletries

Not actually the toiletries themselves which were lovely, but the bottles they came in. Instead of a lid to twist off, these had a top which snaps off. Fine to use but it seemed to have a faintly petty suggestion that this would stop anyone stealing them.

Which may well have been the point… but as no-one else could use them again (and I couldn’t possibly use the lot in one overnight stay), it just seems a huge waste.

Family-friendly

The hotel doesn’t focus particularly on family guests, although it does cater for families. Cots and extra beds are available on request, subject to availability.

There’s certainly room for a cot, although not masses, but standard rooms would almost certainly be cramped with an extra bed.

I’d suggest this more for a city break with a baby or travel with older children in a connecting room, than a toddler or young children. Or if, like me, you’re enjoying a night of freedom! Rooms are cheaper at the weekends and rates start from £97.

Disclosure: My stay was courtesy of the hotel. All opinions and confusion over shower taps are my own. Contains affiliate links: any purchases you make are unaffected but I may receive a small commission.

Images copyright MummyTravels

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