Mercure London Hyde Park (Paddington), The Serpentine Suite

Overall this is a decent hotel for our 8 day stay in London. Location is less than 5 minutes walk to Paddington station, restaurants, bus stops, convenience stores, and Hyde Park. The room is large with lots of closet space. The bathroom floor is heated, which was really nice. The hotel restocks coffee and refrigerator drinks complementary every day. Rooms are clean and the housekeepers do a wonderful job. The hotel is in a quiet courtyard area. However, it is to experience what you get. We booked the suite with a balcony. We found the glass door was cracked from corner to corner, and remained for our whole stay. Which made the room very cold when we opened the curtains. Also the bathroom light switch is outside the door, so you flash your partner sleeping if you need to use the restroom at night. There is no power socket for a hair blow dryer in the bathroom. Lastly, the pillows are really thin and uncomfortable. Customer service was 50/50. Some front desk agents were very nice and went above and beyond. But one female at night was not helpful or friendly.

My first time in London and I picked this hotel for its proximity to the underground and the ability to use my Accor points. I think the hotel was a wee bit expensive for what it is, but overall we enjoyed our stay. I requested a room upgrade at check-in as I’m eligible for with my Accor status. While no upgrade was available, I do believe the staff member found us quieter room tucked away on the side facing the courtyard, which I appreciated. Having spent much more time in the room than anticipate due to a bout of food poisoning (not from the hotel), I can say that although a very small room, it was comfortable. The staff were all very kind as well. The room was clean. No bugs to be found. The first thing I do in a hotel room is remove the bedding and check the mattress for bugs. No issues here.