Mercure Tamworth Hotel Review - Feb/March 2017

Brand: Accor Hotels

Hotel Name: Mercure Tamworth

Stay Dates: 08 Feb - 13 Feb, 14 Feb - 15 Feb, 24 - 27 Mar 2017

Accor Plus Status: Silver

Accor Plus benefits: Complimentary room upgrades, bottled water, hand written welcome cards and welcome drinks. 

Hotel Description (via AccorHotels.com): Mercure Tamworth offers upscale accommodation for all occasions. Boasting 52 meticulously designed rooms, a corporate meeting room, heated pool and gymnasium, this brand new hotel is a gem in the heart of Tamworth. Connected to West Tamworth League Club, it places you in a hub of entertainment, especially during the Country Music Festival. Surrounded by the picturesque mountains of the North West, the sophisticated hotel offers the best experience for your stay. 

What the Hotel did well: 

• Complimentary room upgrades as a Silver member to the next best available room. My stay in February I was upgraded to the best available room - the West Block Apartment - at Mercure Tamworth, and on other stays was upgraded to the Superior rooms. 
• Personalized Accor Plus welcome packs - including a hand written card, complimentary bottles of water, and a welcome drink at the nearby West's Club. 
• WiFi is FREE regardless of Accor Hotels Le Club status, and is FREE for non members also. 

What the Hotel didn't do well: 

• The dining at Mercure Tamworth is a nightmare for Accor Plus members. No Accor Plus discounts apply, as the restaurants that this hotel aligns with have their own 'Club' with their own 'Member' discounts, and it would clash with Accor plus members. (I must note, that since my stays in February and March, you are now able to get inroom dining, and the meals are charged to your room. Originally, you had to go to the club. Discounts still do not apply, however.) I wouldn't recommend having a meal at the physical West Club, as the wait times are lengthy, and the cheek at telling me to leave because I wasn't following clothing attire rules that I wasn't aware of was totally unacceptable. Despite this experience, I can't exactly rate the Hotel on it, as it's not their own Hotel restaurant, as I suspect that if it had been their own the service would have been at a totally different level. 
• This hotel doesn't have a dedicated airport shuttle. It would have been good to have been able to book my shuttle through the Hotel, and have it charged onto my room account as per other stays in Accor branded hotels across the Pacific. 

The Check-in Experience Highlights: 

• While Mercure Tamworth doesn't have concierge, the friendly staff at the reception cover the role and on arrival did ask if I wanted my bags taken up to my room for me. 
• Very prompt at going through their check in procedures and I love how they thanked me for being an Accor Plus member on arrival; added that little touch to their fabulous welcome! 
• They let me know that my room had been upgraded complementary because I'm an Accor Plus member, and that I would be in the West apartment block, the hotel's best room available. 
• The check in staff let me know that I was free to go over to the adjourning West Club, and could become a temporary member free of charge for staying at the hotel. I had to fill out details on a device at their reception for this, was very quick and easy! 

Checked in, and ready to enter my room! 

Room Highlights: 

• Was pleasing to see a high level of security, having to use my room swipe card to access each level of the hotel prior to getting access to any of the corridors of rooms. 
• Very large room, with a separate living room, kitchen and separate bedroom, with a great deck area overlooking the hotel exclusive to the apartment I was in. A note on the kitchen bench by the house keeping staff giving me a further welcome for being a loyal Accor Plus member was a warm plus! 
• By the time I had entered my room, I had already decided I had to come back to Mercure Tamworth, they've totally risen above and beyond my expectations as an Accor Plus member. 

Dining at Mercure Tamworth: 

• The restaurants are not apart of Mercure Tamworth, they're just aligned with it, so Accor Plus members, please don't take this the wrong way, and don't let it reflect poorly on the Hotel it's self, but what an embarrassment to be apart of. The West's Club seriously need to find some common ground with the hotel as soon as possible because I can totally see Accor members getting a little frustrated, as did I, with the service. 
• I arrive in the 'Club' and am approached by one of the staff demanding identification. I said I was staying at Mercure, and handed over my temporary membership. I was then told I wasn't complying with dress regulations, and had to leave. I'm sorry I was in shorts, it was a day that hit 47 degrees, and I wasn't about to go and get changed just to please an arrogant Club staff member. I didn't know about the dress rules, and that shorts weren't allowed, so I ended up leaving and finding a bite to eat in town. 
• When I returned to Mercure Tamworth in March, I abided by the dress rules and went and had dinner at the Club. The seafood basket is amazing, by the way. It's a shame it took over an hour to be made, after waiting almost forty five minutes to be served. I must admit, it was busy, but where are their restaurant staff?! 
• I had my complimentary drink at the bar, as for some reason I was unable to order it with the voucher within the restaurant, yet I was allowed to take my drink into the restaurant. Confusing, much? 
• I probably don't need to go on much further, but it wasn't an experience I'd like to rehash, and I'd love to see Mercure Tamworth get their own cafe in future, one that accepts Accor Plus discounts, and gives the same high standard of service that the Mercure Tamworth reception staff give. 
• Down the road is Ibis Styles Tamworth, they have an Accor Plus recognized restaurant. They have country-like meals, and high quality staff. I had a meal here and really enjoyed it. The restaurant staff at Ibis Styles also thanked me for being a loyal member, and coming away from Mercure Tamworth to eat with them, which was lovely! 

Overall View: 

Because I can't really let my poor dining experience effect my views on the actual hotel, I'll rate this hotel one of the finest along the Accor brand. If this hotel had a better arrangement with their dining, they'd easily be matching the likes of Pullman Auckland, and Grand Mercure Auckland. It's a fantastic hotel, and I wouldn't stay anywhere else. The hotel has it's own dedicated parking area, which a local security company monitor 24/7. I was outside in the carpark with a friend of mine late at night, and the security asked if I was okay, and if I was staying at the hotel. Was good to know they were keeping an eye on the area.