I spend a week-end for leisure in Krakow. The Mercure Hotel Stare Miasto was located in a perfect spot and had good reviews. It was a really good surprise, probably what the Mercure brand should really be. 

Check In

A I had a morning flight, I arrived at the nicely decorated lobby at 11 AM, to check if the room was ready despite the early time. It was and the staff member happily checked me in. 

It went well and she offers me my key, a drink voucher as well as explain the basic information about the hotel. 

The only downside is the weird setup of the reception desk: it is the desk on the left of the second picture, with the plant blocking the direct view. Thus one needs to go to the side or the staff to get out of behind the desk. 

Room

I had booked a Privilege Room and received this. Their Junior suite was not available one of the two nights of my stay, thus an upgrade was not possible. 

The room was modern and feel new. The hotel generally feels brand new, I am not sure when they open but it must be a recent addition. There was plenty of space, plugs and a comfortable bedding. 

Privilege room are on the last floor, thus despite facing the street it was quiet and well isolated. 

The downside are the weird light controls and the difficulty to control the AC: despite turning it off for the night it would turn itself back on. 

The bathroom was OK, maybe a bit small. I liked the material for the floor on the walk-in shower, much less the lack of water pressure. Classical mercure amenities in the bathroom. 

Service

Good service all around, the staff happily answered my question. The breakfast staff was efficient in clearing plates and with the orders. 

The breakfast buffet was particularly good, above average. They had egg on order, a large spread and some take-away (Egg or salmon bagel one morning, brezel the second morning). 

The barman was also customer oriented: I could choose the wine I wanted when using my drink voucher provided it was an opened bottle. Normally the voucher is limited to the house wine. 

I was given a sugar bomb for welcome gift. 

Gym

The gym is located on the sixth floor. It contains the standard cardio machine, free weights and two balls. It is on the small and cramped side. 

Location

The location is perfect for sight-seeing. The hotel is directly in front of the main train station, meaning 25 minutes away from the airport. There is a tram line just in front too and the bus station is close. 

The old town is 10 minutes of walk away, the Old Jewish quarter 25 minutes away. For trip to the former ghetto and the Schindler factory, one can take a train so it means 10 minutes away. 

Overall

An excellent hotel in Krakow that will be my preference when going back there.