Mercure Hotel, Glasgow

A good budget option in Glasgow

When my friends and I visited Glasgow for the night we wanted a cheap but decent central hotel as we would only be there for the night and wouldn’t be spending a lot of time in the actual hotel. We checked around the internet for the best deal and ended up booking the Mercure Glasgow City Hotel. We ended up paying only £60 each for a double room which I thought was very reasonable especially considering it was a Saturday night we were staying and most hotels were charging well over £100 for this particular night.

We arrived in Glasgow by train and finding the hotel was simple just following the directions on the hotel website. It was only a 10 minute walk from the central train station and very close to the main shopping street and the bars and restaurants of the Merchants Quarter. The location was ideal actually as it was close enough to be very central but also tucked away on a quiet side street so noise from passing party goers was at a minimum.

We arrived earlier than the specified check in time in hopes we could leave our bags at the hotel while we had a look round the city. Even though we were a couple of hours early the receptionist told us they had some rooms ready and let us check in so we could leave our bags in our rooms.

The rooms at the Mercure Glasgow central are pretty simple but had everything we could need. My room had a double bed, desk, chairs, flatscreen TV and tea and coffee making facilities. It also had an iron so I could iron my clothes without having to go to reception to see if I could borrow one. The bed was comfortable and everything was really clean. It wasn’t the largest of rooms but perfectly acceptable for one night. The bathroom was clean but could do with some updating but it had a bath and a shower and there were plenty of fresh towels.
The only thing I didn’t like about the room was the windows which only literally opened a couple of centimetres and this meant the room was a little stuffy and uncomfortable as the night was warm when we were there. The view also wasn’t the most inspiring and it faced out onto a rooftop with pipes and chimneys but for the money I was paying I wasn’t really complaining.

The reception staff were really helpful and took time out to help us with directions and even gave us a map which they marked out the things we wanted to visit and told us the best way to get to them either by metro, taxi or walking.
When we returned to the hotel late at night there were quite a lot of people milling about the bar area in reception but the staff did a good job of keeping everyone under control whilst always being polite. The doors to the hotel were locked when we returned and entry was by the receptionist pressing a button to open the door. I quite liked this as it seemed to be a good compromise between being too conscious about security to the point of alienating guests and not conscious enough about it and just letting anyone enter the hotel.

I got a decent night’s sleep and was surprised that noise was minimal on my floor which again is unusual in a city centre budget hotel on a Saturday night as there are usually people returning at all hours of the night being loud and making a lot of noise. I know the rooms weren’t soundproofed as in the morning I could hear people in their rooms banging about from the hallway but when I was in my room I couldn’t hear anything from the hallway.

When we had checked in the receptionist told us what time breakfast was served which was surprising as no mention of breakfast being included was on our confirmation. Not being the type of people to turn down a free breakfast we made sure we got to the breakfast room in time to make the most of it.
Even though the breakfast room was relatively busy we got seated quickly and the waitress took our tea and coffee order and went to get us some toast. The breakfast was a hot and cold buffet with all the items needed to make a full English breakfast. There was plenty of food in the trays and the staff refilled them often. There were also lighter options available such as pastries and yoghurts and if you wanted something a bit more special you could also order fresh cooked food from the kitchen for a charge. Again the staff at breakfast were really friendly and polite and asked us several times if everything was to our satisfaction and if we had had a good night even though they were really busy.

Check out was at 12 and as our train wasn’t leaving until that night we asked if we could leave our luggage which they said was no problem. The hotel has a luggage room and we were even given a key so that we could retrieve our luggage when we were ready without having to find a member of staff to go get it for us.

I really enjoyed my stay at the Mercure Glasgow City Hotel. It is a good option for those on a budget and even though the rooms were nothing special the cheap price and the fact that the staff were so friendly and helpful more than made up for this. The customer service at the hotel was top notch and to be completely honest the staff at other budget hotels could do with taking a leaf out of the Mercure Glasgow central hotel.
If I go back to Glasgow for a night away which is likely since it is so easy to get to from where I live then I would definitely consider staying here again.