Mercure Hotel

I’ve stayed in a few hotels in Edinburgh now & I think Mercure has got to be up there. We managed to get a pretty good deal on a Double room for one night staying Fri-​Sat. I wouldn’t have thought a hotel so central AND this nice would offer such great deals (we paid about £60) but if you can book in advance then do check here.
Situated right above the M&S on Princes Street this hotel was super handy for getting around Edinburgh. We’ve never stayed in a hotel SO central/​near Princes Street before so it was a surprise when we realised where it was!
There’s a bit of a trek up some winding stairs to get to the reception area but there is a ramp and lifts also. Checking in was pretty straight forward; we were given our room key card which then activated the lifts to the floors above. We were on the 7^th floor (I think?!) and also (by chance/​fluke?) we had a room with a castle view! Brilliant. I was worried being situated at the front of the hotel, on Princes St of the noise factor (I’m quite a light sleeper) but I have to say I hardly heard a thing. The actual hotel was really quiet (no noise from the rooms next to us or lobby) and the windows do a great job of blocking out the below street/​people noise. The temperature in the room was a tad warm for me when we arrived but the radiators were easy enough to adjust to your comfort level.
We had a huge Super King sized bed which was actually really comfortable (for a hotel!) and I slept like a baby. I don’t think I’ve slept that well in a hotel for ages… There was plenty of wardrobe space & hangers for clothes, the bathroom was a really good size (bigger than your average hotel), there was a table with chair & an armchair also, tea & coffee facilities in the room (hidden in a drawer) and the TV was a decent size too. I also really liked that we didn’t have to Check Out until 12pm ~ this is music to my ears being a great lover of a long lie-​in :-) Only issue we had was the Wi-​Fi was a bit sketchy… dropping connection every now & then, but aside from that no complaints here.
I can’t comment on the food or restaurant as we didn’t eat in. The staff were all very pleasant & helpful. All in all a top night/​stay was had!

A very conveniently centrally positioned location for meeting up with friends: however in the restaurant on the first floor, with, it has to be said, a magnificent outlook over Princes Street, the service is very slow; so better suited for a leisurely get together than an express drop in.

Very good for semi-​budget traveler!
I reserved and paid months in advance for a 2 night stay that included breakfast for a total of about 200 GBP.
PROS:
–For Europe, the room is big!
–For Europe, the bed felt new, super comfy, and huge! King size! A rarity in Europe!
–Great view of the city and Edinburgh Castle.
–Less than a block away from the Princes Street tram stop.
–Walking distance to all the museums, Royal Mile, and Edinburgh Castle.
–Draft beers at the bar for about 4 GBP.
–Sainsbury grocery store just around the corner to pick up wine bottles for 5 – 8 GBP.
–Hearty tasty breakfast with a good variety… luckily it was included with my booking, otherwise its 16 GBP per person, yikes!
–All the staff I encountered were very friendly.
CONS:
–No air conditioning. You wouldn’t think this would be necessary in Edinburgh, or Scotland in general, but the room did get warm and stuffy.
–Princes Street is a busy street with endless buses and chatter of the people down below. Especially on a Friday night with drunk teenagers (drinking age is 18 in UK). Closing the window blocks out 90% of the noise, but it can get warm and stuffy in the room. We were on the 5^th floor. Try to get a higher room if possible, or get a room in the back (though you’ll lose the awesome view).
–Wine glasses at the bar were pricey… though I think that is all of UK. Luckily a Sainsbury is nearby.
CONCLUSION: I will absolutely stay here again if I can get a similar deal again.

I am a frequent traveler, for both business and pleasure, and this was one of the very worst hotel experiences I’ve ever had. it’s a total bargain hotel, so set your expectations low for room and bath amenities. the location is great, but there are many more options in the same area. the rooms are small, moldy and outdated. there was no hand soap in the bathroom and one bath towel. the TV didn’t work. the room is so small that my suitcase wouldn’t roll between the bed and the wall. but these are not the real problems with this place.
the staff is incredibly rude and unprofessional. every single interaction with them was surreal
I booked a room for my 21 year old daughter who was staying one night alone there before heading back to the U.S. we went to the hotel together a few days before so I could make sure all the charges were pre-​paid on my credit card so she didn’t have to worry about anything. you would think I was applying for a visa to North Korea. even though I was standing in front of them with my identification and credit card, they insisted the only way to arrange this was to send them an e-​mail. huh? they were immovable. and incredibly rude about the whole thing. so okay, I sent them an e-​mail and asked for confirmation which came immediately. great, right? no
my daughter gets there and they tell her she can’t check in because there’s no credit card on file. even though they already replied to me that everything was OK. even though I pre-​paid the room. so she calls me in a panic. I e-​mail the person who replied to me and told asked her to go the front desk and straighten this out. so then they start giving my daughter attitude! the woman at the desk tells her «I am very angry that your father sent me this e-​mail» What!!! the front desk clerk is telling my young daughter that she is ANGRY??? what kind of person treats a customer that way? my young daughter traveling alone in a strange city is getting attitude from this desk clerk when the hotel is to blame for this whole mess? my daughter asked if they could arrange a taxi for her in the morning. they said yes. after not hearing from them for a few hours, she calls the desk again to confirm the taxi. instead of putting her on hold, they person puts the phone down and my daughter can hear them laughing and making jokes about her and how «now we’re going to get another angry letter from her father».
I am appalled that ANY business would treat a paying customer this way, let alone a young girl traveling alone late at night. if this place offered you a FREE room, run away. I can not say enough bad things about this experience. horrible people.

Ask for Paula at the desk, she’s so lovely! The room is clean and they can give you a castle view! It was a cheap booking off a third party site but not one that makes you question your safety. It’s on the busy town street and about five minute walk away from everywhere ^^