Mercure Windsor Castle Hotel

Bit of a mixed bag this one — was treated to a stay here as part of my birthday weekend. Hotels location is great — right opposite Windsor Castle, which for a little castle geek like me, was amazing! We even got to see the changing of the guard the following morning. Loved it!
Room was great — recently refurbished, so everything was nice and shiny new. Was very spacious, had a nespresso machine (score!) and a nice & comfy bed too. They even had sockets at each side of the bed for phones — amazing how rare that still is in hotels!
Best of all, they left a happy birthday plate with a brownie, handmade chocs, and a fruit basket — great gesture!
After that, it does go a bit downhill. The shower basically trickles water on you — in that case, they’ve definitely gone style over substance. Seeing as a good shower is a big part of my morning «wake me up» this put a bit of a dampener on it.
The service was also quite patchy — it’s clear there’s been work done on the hotel, and that includes the systems. Unfortunately the staff are still a bit tentative about it all (even as a hotel pro, I look at touchscreen Opera with a hint of wariness…). Basically, they didn’t seem sure about what to do, or how to do it. That I can understand, but none of them seemed to have the common sense to work out a solution — it was always «just wait while we sort it».
If they can sort the staff training out, it’s a very high 4* review. Fix the showers, and a definite 5. Until then, will have to be a 3 I’m afraid.

This review is for dinner in their hotel bar. The barman, Andi, was incredibly inviting and took care of everything I needed. I ordered a double gourmet steak burger with streaky bacon, cheddar cheese, grilled tomatoes, and chili relish. It was super yummy! A great experience after a day of traveling. Worth a trip.

The Mercure Windsor Castle is mostly a complete miss.
What you are going to get:
(1) A roof over your head…
(2)…in a safe district of Windsor…
(3)…within walking distance of Windsor Castle (and the Queen when she’s in residence)…
(4)…Hot and Cold water…
(5)…and a toilet that is functioning
For the price that you pay, I would expect all of the above (except the «within walking distance» thing).
However, I will echo Alia in that while the rooms are quaint, the picture that is on the Internet and on the banner at the front desk are both a far cry from what one actually gets. There is a small fridge which is housed with two 25cl waters — one still, one sparkling. You could buy food at one of the local markets or the Tesco Express and probably store one day’s worth of small bites within the refrigerator as well.
Additionally, the beds are tiny. I mean severely small. I am 5 feet, 8 inches tall. My head touched the headboard and my feet were literally almost over the end of the bed. When I step into the shower, which is within the raised bathtub, I could hold my arm out exactly horizontal with my shoulder and then bend my at the elbow to form an exact 90 degree angle and I touched the ceiling. It was tiny and comical. It was especially comical because one of the folks in our party was 6ft., 7in. and he said it was laughable for him to even try to get in the shower/​tub. He said he basically showered like Gollum had to walk in the Lord of the Rings.
The Internet is accessible via WiFi which is great for conferences, but the silly 50 hour only codes that worked like 50% of the time were annoying. And, not that I wanted to watch TV but I did want background noise when getting ready each day/​night, the TV probably needed someone with telepathy that communicates with electronic devices to get the damned thing to turn on. It was just bad news bears.
Is it the worst or the «bad rumors» that you hear about European hotels? No. But, it certainly was not a place in which I would stay again if given the choice.

The Mercure is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. This hotel is kind of hit and miss. Because an entire crew was sent here for work that means I’m also Unilocaling on behalf of my co workers.
My experience:
The rooms are quaint. Whatever picture they have at the front desk on the banner is far from what one actually gets. There is a fridge which will hold a litre of water, some cheese, yogurt and one nights worth of leftovers; not much else. My room had a window which would crack open about 2 inches to allow for fresh air to circulate. Oddly enough I didn’t have any outlets near my bed. Only the two that were across from my bad at the desk. There is air conditioning which works really well. The bathroom is a fun adventure. It’s equipped with the classic European dual faucet for each temperature in the sink and bath. The shower has the traditional handheld head (which looks very similar to a telephone circa the Victorian era, 19^th century) and a «American» high mounted shower head which is guaranteed to wake up your neighbours upon use; It’s loud. As a place to lay your head down it’s fine. Basic amenities and parking, should you require, is available. My only huge gripe is the heavy doors. They tend to slam and one of my pet peeves is people who slam doors.
My colleagues experience:
Let’s set the baseline here. My co worker is a 6’2″ Boston Man. He requires at the very least a queen sized bed. On our first trip to Windsor for work he was assigned to a room where his bed was just enough to support his torso as his legs and arms hung off. His bed was not much larger than a twin. He had asked to be moved but at the time the hotel was full up and he had to deal. His room was also much smaller than the normal size. He could roll out of bed into the bathroom in one movement, it was literally 2 steps to the bathroom.
My other co worker found her showers unbearably cold. For whatever reason hot water just never reached her room. It does take a bit of time for the shower head water to heat up but I assure you, it does.
It is close to the Windsor & Eaton Central railway and just behind the Windsor Castle. There are several pubs and a lot of restaurants nearby. The hotel bar and restaurant isn’t too shabby. The hotel does offer wi-​fi. Signal strength can vary based on your location. It’s a bit annoying to have to re enter the codes provided whenever I restart my computer or leave the premises.
Bottom line:
The Mercure is a great place if you intend to spend most of your time travelling about. But it lack the amenities to spend and entire day indoors and feel really comfortable.

We stayed in a lovely room with a four poster bed. Great location for hotel and got to watch changing of the guard from our room! Staff were really friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. The restaurant also serves good food from an excellent menu. All in all, definately recommended.

It is difficult to know where to start as the whole place oozes class but you can still let your hair down.
Amazingly your stay begins with complimentary parking and concierge service, through the seemingly effortless reception and to your room/​suite. And all this within sight of Windsor Castle, pinch yourself things are only just starting. Visit the excellent lounge bar for a snifter before strolling out to take in the sights.
Return for a wash and brush up before dining in either the excellent bistro or the grand panel walled restaurant. If the mood takes you join in the banter back in the bar to the wee small hours and then retire to the luxury of your superbly appointed accomadation.
Business or pleasure the Castle will certainly make you feel like Royalty.