Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel Broad Street, Bristol BS1 2EL

"The better end of the recent hotel food I have had. The in-house restaurant was nice and the service was very good. Breakfast was lovely, although nothing out of the ordinary for a decent hotel. If you are picky like me, then the menu wouldn't stretch too far, but for a couple of days, there is plenty to choose from. The room and bed were decent, but the bathroom was very good. 2 different showers which was unexpectedly excellent, fairly roomy, and nice and clean. The bedside furniture was like random bits from a charity shop, but it served its purpose. The TV had broken pixels so was pretty much unwatchable, but if you have a phone or tablet, who cares! Heating was good. Very noisy outside like a Lambretta was parked outside my window, but night 2 was quiet. Parking is good. Just beware it's tight in there if you have a big car! 15 pounds a night, but far easier than having to park elsewhere. As long as little bits and bobs of annoyance as with a bit of noise and the TV, then this is a good hotel for a couple of days. THERE IS NO SWIMMING POOL IF THAT IS WHAT YOU BOOK TO BE ABLE TO USE!"

"Lovely hotel with a great breakfast, don’t know what the bad reviews are talking about. The staff are very friendly and accommodating, only downside was the slamming doors in the hallway and other guests being loud when coming in. But understandable. The white wine with our room was lovely, a great choice of drink. The bed was absolute perfection. We found a pair of fuzzy handcuffs in the draw where I hoped to find a hair dryer, a bit odd. But be warned they don’t have a pool anymore! Will definitely stay again if I need to visit Bristol."

"Stayed for one evening for a murder mystery event. On arrival, the room was dated and freezing cold. The radiator hadn’t been turned on and the room didn’t warm up. The shower leaked and could hear dripping the whole night. Me and the party waited at the bar for about 20 minutes before going on a search for staff, this happened multiple times throughout the stay. No cocktails were being served despite being on the menu. Bar staff weren’t experienced and the bar quickly ran out of popular drink options. The continental breakfast was beautiful quality, however we were quickly rushed out of the dining room due to lack of space for other guests, something we should have been informed about prior. The photos make the building look huge and beautiful however there’s not a lot to do in the hotel itself, for such a green area there were no walkways and paths to walk round the grounds at all. The 3 course meal itself was beautiful and there were no complaints there at all! I would suggest bringing games and lots of books and activities to try and do in the small lounge area."

"The only positives about this "4 star" hotel are the location right in the city centre and plenty of hot water. Believe me, once you've managed to find the unmarked secret entrance to the car park, and assuming you actually managed to find a space and manoeuvre your car into it, you won't want to risk taking your car out again. The car park is 6 storeys, with approx 6 spaces on each level, the lift seems to be permanently out of order (like one of the hotel lifts), and expect to perform a 30 point turn to get your car in or out of the spaces. Reception staff couldn't be less disinterested. Room was small but with working(ish) heating and a decent shower. Some instructions would be helpful for the heating. There's a kettle but no socket, probably just as well as the drinks stand is part of the hanging rail for clothes. Tiny double bed which dipped in the middle. We were staying for a Christmas party - DJ was decent but the food was beyond awful. My partner had the turkey which was unseasoned and came with one tiny pig in blanket. My butternut risotto was also unseasoned and seemed to have been cooked for hours so it was basically mush. The staff serving the food were lovely though, friendly and smiling all the time."

"Let's start with the location, which is perfect for most things in Bristol - you really don't have to walk far for restaurants, clubs, theatres, parks, shopping, quays, etc. The service was generally great, with a smile and a "can I help with anything else?", with one exception. The exterior of the Hotel is certainly grand, and a feel good place to stay. That ends when you walk through the door and see the trestle table reception desks, the more shabby than chic furniture and so on. But appearance is only part of the package. The room itself was a bit on the small side, but good value. The lighting was rather dim - there was an extra free standing light, but the bulb holders were broken and I didn't really trust its safety! The temperature was stifling when I first went in, but fortunately the air con worked fine and it was much cooler after I tweaked it and went for a walk around the city! The bed was not comfortable, I didn't sleep too well, and I woke with some discomfort - not great after a heavy night out. The car park is a masterclass in cutting corners - the spaces are very narrow and the ramps really hard to negotiate in an average family estate. The entrance makes you feel like you took a wrong turn, but I figured I'd try anyway - what's the worst that can happen? I pressed the button, took the ticket, and the shutter ground open to my left. A bit unnerving, but nowhere near as unnerving as the amazing ramps - I had to back up and re-try the manoeuvre of simply turning to get to the next level several times. The thick graffiti of scratch marks on the wall bore testament to less careful drivers. Then there was the wonderful experience of popping back to get something from the car later... The instructions are there, but I was not the only one confused by them, or the only one who had to swap the ticket issued with one from the reception desk - and the queues were quite long all day, so recovering items from your vehicle may not be trivial. I hope these observations are helpful to future visitors - the location is great and the bed uncomfortable - but the value is good if you can deal with the bed and parking!"