Hotels Review – Mercure Welcome Melbourne Hotel

REVIEW

Accommodation: Mercure Hotel Welcome Melbourne

Location: 265 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Room Type

Booked Standard Room with 1 Queen Bed

Loyalty Program or Deals Used

ALL Accor Live Limitless

Research and Booking

Paul and I were going to stay in beautiful Melbourne for a couple of nights. So, we wanted to be in the heart of the Central Business District… with easy access to restaurants, bars and public transport.

Now, while there are plenty of accommodation options in Melbourne’s CBD… we were able to narrow down our choices easier. And, that was thanks to a promotion through the hotels loyalty program… ALL Accor Live Limitless.

Accor was having a promotion… where with a minimum of a 2 night stay in qualifying hotels, I could earn bonus points. Plus, there was a sale on in certain Melbourne hotels, to help sweeten the deal!

Then, as I was doing a search, I found the Mercure Welcome Melbourne Hotel. Now, this is a 3-star hotel. And for a 2 night stay, in their basic standard queen room it was $178.50 (about USD $120).

Plus, as I was a Platinum Accor Hotels member… this rate would include free buffet breakfast for Paul and I, and other benefits.

Now, not long after I made the booking… I got an email from the hotel about upgrading our stay. So, this was something I don’t recall getting from an Accor Hotel before.

And, while the upgrades were from as little as $10… as a Platinum member I would get a complimentary upgrade if it was available.

Thus, I didn’t take up the offer. And, I’d see if the Mercure Hotel would give me a room upgrade… as a result of my high tier loyalty program status.

The Location

The Mercure Hotel Welcome Melbourne, is in the heart of the Melbourne CBD on Little Bourke Street.

And, Little Bourke Street is where the infamous Chinatown is. So, while we were there it was a shock to us. And, I’ll go through what that was all about later in this blog post.

There were many convenient amenities nearby this Accor Live Limitless Hotel. Thus, it was a great for us to get around and tick off our list of things to do.

Yet, while the location was excellent… did this 3-star hotel provide just as great facilities and service? Let’s dive into the blog to find out more!

Car Parking At The Mercure Welcome Melbourne Hotel

So, Paul and I would be getting into Melbourne by car. And, the hotel has a deal with a nearby car park on 180 Russell Street. Thus, to park our car for 24 hours, with NO multiple entry or exits… it would cost $20 with a company by the name of, Wilson Parking.

So, that is an excellent deal for car parking in Melbourne city.

TIP:

If you’re going to use the Mercure Welcome Hotel’s self-parking facility… make sure you double check the address. And, that’s because there’s another Wilson Parking facility on Russell Street at number 222. BUT, you need the car park at 180 Russell Street.

So, the self-parking lot is about a 5 minute walk to the hotel.

Plus, remember to hang onto your ticket… as you’ll need it for checking out. I’ll go into more detail about that soon.

Yet, you may prefer the valet parking option, which is $60 per night. And, this price includes as many entries and exits you need. Yet, as the spots are limited, they recommend you pre-book with Reservations.

So, you can access this car park right next to the hotel on Little Bourke Street. And, most of the time there’s a red carpet on the driveway!

Check In At The Mercure Welcome Melbourne Hotel

So, rather than checking in at the hotel, I had the option of doing the check in online. Yet, I knew I was going to write a hotel review. So, I wanted to experience the entire check in process for myself.

Now, the entrance to the Mercure Hotel is on Little Bourke Street. And, after going through the sliding doors, straight ahead is the reception desk.

So, there’s one area that’s for ALL Accor members, from Silver status and above. Yet, as no-one was there… I had to line up with everyone else at the other check in desk next.

Then, once at the check in counter… I saw that there was a trainee on duty with another staff member. So, at times she was needing help from her colleague, which was fine. And, at least I knew she was a trainee so I had more patience.

Yet, there was no acknowledgement about my Accor Platinum status.

Then, when I was enquiring about a late checkout, she said that 12pm was the latest. Then, as I was reminding them that I was a Platinum member… the senior staff member said that they could extend it until 1pm.

So, I was shocked and thought this was crazy… especially considering they had lots of rooms available according to the website. Thus, in the end we could check out at 2pm.

Plus, as a Platinum member I could get a room upgrade. Yet, I wasn’t told if I got a room upgrade. But, I did get a drink voucher for 2 complimentary beverages.

And so you know… they asked for a credit card so they could put a $1 refundable deposit on it.

So, check in was average. And, not what I was expecting for being a loyal Platinum Accor member.

Our Room At The Mercure Welcome Melbourne Hotel

So, when getting into the lift, we had to hold our hotel keycard in front of the scanner. Then, we would press the number of our floor to get to our hotel room.

TIP:

After entering the lift, access to the hotel rooms are via the opposite side doors.

So, after leaving the lift, here’s what the corridors looked like…

Then, after opening the door to our hotel room with the keycard, here’s what we saw…

Opposite the bed was a flat screen TV, and beneath that the climate control unit. Now, our air conditioning was a little noisy. So, we’re glad we had ear plugs to help drown out the noise.

Then, there was a large seat, with a long desk and chair beside that. And, the windows had sheer curtains as well as thick black out curtains.

So, we weren’t sure if the bed was a queen or king size. Yet, it did feel roomy, so we think it was a king size. And, on either side of the bed were side tables and lamps.

Then, next to the entrance of the room was an area for luggage storage, and a closet.

And, in the closet it included… small safety deposit box, iron, ironing board, hair dryer, mini fridge, and coat hangers.

Plus, there was a kettle, complimentary tea, coffee, sugar and biscuits.

And, on the bed was this card…

This is something we can’t recall having seen at many hotels. So, if we didn’t get our room cleaned… then we could get a $10 credit to use in the food and beverage outlets of the hotel.

So, this is a great incentive for travellers. Yet, we didn’t make use of it… as we found we had to contact reception by 9pm to be eligible for the credit.

The Bathroom

So, when looking at the bathroom it was small. We couldn’t swing a cat in it, that’s for sure!

And, the amenities in the bathroom included… shampoo, conditioner, soap, sanitary bag, and shower cap. Plus, there was a bathmat, 2 bath towels and 1 face washer towel. Gee, lucky Paul didn’t want a face washer towel, otherwise we’d be fighting for it!

Yet, while the bathroom was on the smaller side… the shower cubicle area was surprisingly larger than others we’d experienced. And, the shower pressure was strong, with hot water which was great for the cold Melbourne days.

Yet, only one person could comfortably be using the bathroom at a time.

So, it was let down that I didn’t get complimentary bottles of water… or a gift as a Platinum member.

And, after looking at our room, and then comparing photos from reviews by other travellers… we suspect that we did get an upgrade. But if we did, the staff never told us.

Dining At The Mercure Welcome Melbourne Hotel

Redeeming Our Complimentary Drinks

So, as part of my Accor ALL Platinum membership status, I got a voucher for 2 free drinks. And, this voucher could be used at the Eva’s Restaurant and Bar… which was in the Pullman Hotel next door.

So, to get there we had to exit the Mercure Hotel… then walk around via the driveway to the Pullman Hotel entrance.

Then, after walking up a small flight of stairs, on the left was the restaurant area.

And, on the right hand side was Eva’s Bar.

So, the lighting was dim. And, there were tables, chairs, couches, and a long table with stools. It was funny, as Paul said he felt that the stool area was like being at a basic airport lounge!

Even so, the staff at Eva’s Bar were friendly and helpful.

And, in the end our drink of choice were a couple of James Squire 150 Lashes beers.

Buffet Breakfast

So, another benefit of Accor Platinum status was that we’d both get free breakfast. Plus, the breakfast we had access to was a buffet at The Louden restaurant.

The Louden restaurant is on the 1^st floor of the hotel.

And, once we were there at the front desk… the staff were asking for our room number. Then, we could go into the restaurant area to pick any seat we would like.

So, near the front desk is an area which included… some gluten free items, danishes, muffins, and a pancake maker. Then, next to that was a section with breads, English muffins, and spreads.

Then, nearby that section was a selection of 3 juices.

And, next to that was a larger area, where one side was the hot food section. So here, there was items including… congee, scrambled eggs, bacon, flat bread, and chickpea curry. Plus, there was baked beans, and a fried rice or noodle dish.

Then, around the corner from that were hash browns and grilled tomatoes. So, next to that were cereals, fruits and yogurts.

And, in this part of the breakfast buffet area were self-serve napkins, plates and cutlery.

Plus, we could also get eggs made to order like poached eggs or fried eggs. So, we would go up to the counter at the kitchen. Then, either the staff or cooks would take our egg order, and we would take a number.

Otherwise, we could wave down the waiting staff who would take our egg orders.

Plus, there was a section with coffee, tea, sugar and milk.

Now, while it may not seem that fancy or extensive… remember that it’s only a 3-star hotel. Thus, we thought the breakfast buffet was fine to fuel us up for the morning, before heading out.

And, if you were to buy the buffet breakfast separately, it would cost $25 per person.

Around The Mercure Welcome Melbourne Hotel

So, this Mercure Hotel is in a great location of Melbourne to explore and get around.

And, being on Little Bourke Street, it was in the Chinatown precinct. Yet, when we were there, it was eerily quiet due to the corona virus scare. Thus, in some ways it was great for us because there were no crowds to get through.

Plus, we were in easy walking distance to our favourite dumpling restaurant in Melbourne… Shanghai Dragon Dumpling House. You can find out more about it HERE.

So, within a minute walk is Swanston Street. And here, there are plenty of other eateries and bars. And, we could also walk to the different shopping areas of… Melbourne Central, QV and Bourke Street Mall.

Plus, to get around the Melbourne CBD, we could access the trams in the Free Zone. And, to go to different areas of Melbourne to see the sights, or catch up with friends… we could jump on the trains at various locations.

Plus, if we wanted to catch the VLine trains… then we could see different areas of country Victoria.

TIP:

For first time travellers, understanding the free tram zone can be confusing. So, usually the voice over on the tram will let you know when it’s the last stop for the free zone. Otherwise, look at the tram stops… as there’ll be a sign saying that you’ll be leaving the Free Tram Zone.

We Drink Eat Travel Wifi / Internet Speed Test

So, to access the free wifi in the Mercure Welcome Hotel, we were given a password. And, if I recall, the maximum number of devices we could connect were 4.

So, the wifi speed at this hotel was SLOW! Here are the speeds we were getting in our hotel room…

The, download wifi speed was 1.54 mbps, and for the upload we got 1.42 mbps. Absolutely pathetic!

Checking Out And Our Car Parking Fiasco!

So, when we were checking out, we gave the reception desk staff our car parking ticket.

Then, we had to pay for the car parking at the hotel, which we thought was convenient. Then, the staff member gave us our original car parking ticket back. Plus, she gave us 2 more tickets!

So, she had put numbers 1 through to 3 on each of the tickets. And, this would help us to work out the order of which tickets to put in the machine so we could exit.

Then, when we were at the boom gate… we put in the car parking ticket with number 1 written on it into the machine. Success!

Then, we put in the second ticket. And, after we were trying to put in the third ticket… the machine was showing that we had to pay AUD $170! OMG! Plus, we were stuck in the car park.

Thankfully, a car parking attendant came over to help us. And, we didn’t have to pay the exorbitant fee of $170.

Would We Stay At The Mercure Welcome Melbourne Hotel Again?

Now, one of the biggest drawcards this hotel has is its prime location in the city. Plus, for car parking in the city, the deal of $20 per 24 hours is great.

Yet, it was disappointing… as I didn’t get the usual acknowledgement for my Platinum Accor Live Limitless Status. Even so, I did get the 2 free drinks voucher and complimentary buffet breakfast.

So, being a 3-star hotel it was better than several other hotels of this standard. And, while we suspect we got a room upgrade, it was adequate for our needs. Yet, not sure what the rooms would be like if it was the base room!

Yet, the air-conditioning was a little noisy. And, the walls were thin. So, unless we would want others to listen on our conversations… we had to talk quietly!

So, if we were to be here for a short stay and not in the hotel room much… we would consider staying at the Mercure Hotel Welcome Melbourne again.

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Note: All of our reviews and comments are our opinions and no-one else’s. Even if we receive complimentary goods or services we share our opinions honestly.