Mercure Windsor Auckland
The Mercure Windsor Auckland is located on Queens Street, a few steps from the Ferry Terminal. It should not mistake for the Mercure Auckland, the former Novotel. This hotel is only 50 metres away and the newer building. The Mercure Windsor is in an older building. It announced itself as historic landmark building. Honestly, the hotel is in my eyes nothing special. Okay, it is renovated and the appearance is not that
bad, but in my eyes a landmark building is something different.
The ground floor of the hotel is occupied by shops, not belonging to the hotel. The entrance of the hotel is laid back from Queens Street. The lobby is a few steps above, which is if you have luggage not that nice. One should mention that the elevators to the floors are before the lobby. One needs the keycard to use the elevator up to the seven floors with the rooms. This seems a good idea, since the elevators are not visible for staff at the front desk.
The check in area is of smaller size, two guests could check out or in at the same time.
Opposite the check in are an internet terminal (a fee applies) and some lounge chairs. The rest of the ground floor is occupied by the area where in the morning breakfast is served. The lobby is small and not really a place to spend some time. I have experienced nicer areas.
The hotel has a SPA, Sauna and a really small gym on different floors. For the use of the SPA one has to ask front desk. I did not, but I assume this area is also very small. Definitively nothing to spend more time than necessary and work out is also not nice to do here, as the gym is dark, has no view and the equipment is not modern, but usable. I was even not able to take pictures of this area.
The hotel has a front and a back part. The rooms to the front facing Queens Street are limited to only a few one. The most rooms are in the back of the building facing either other building or roofs.
visited on USA + NZ
direct link to hotel
Mercure Hotel Windsor Auckland
stays 16 February 2008
Arrival Date: 16 February 2008
Departure Date: 18 February 2008
Room type booked: Standard
Rate Plan: Hot Deals
Room Number: 308
Room Rate: 145.00 NZD
Status of Guest Program: N/A
My room was in the back, facing a roof of one of the neighbour building of the hotel. Luckily the construction work on this building had a weekend break, so I was not disturbed that much by the noise. The room was renovated and refurbished, as written on the homepage, but had several scratches and stains on the wall.
If one entered the room one was standing in a small corridor.
On the left side was the bathroom with shower, toilet and sink. The bathroom was not that nice. There we no tiles at the wall around the shower. Instead, the shower was a plastic coverage with a loose drain in the middle. The shower head was a bit to low. The lamp above the sunk was not working and the wall were painted with some waterproof colour. There was a small board to place bathroom utensils. Bathroom amenities were soap and conditioner. Towels were provided two of each seize.
Definitively one of the worse bathrooms I have experienced so far.
In the corridor was a kitchenette with fridge / minibar, washbasin, microwave and small oven. Plate, knives, spoons and forks, pot and pan were available for the use by the guest.
The room itself had a built in wardrobe, a table with two chairs, two beds with a bedside table aside each bed and on bedside table between them. There were two reading lamps available and a radio with alarm clock. Opposite the bed were the flat screen TV and the working desk. The air condition was wall mounted above the working desk and therefore one felt the cold air of the unit lying in the bed of the right side. Luckily the window could be opened, so fresh air was available.
The furniture was okay, the bed too soft. There was only one plug at the working desk available. I would have loved to see at least one more. One could for sure unplug the reading lamp. But this means no light and was therefore not an option.
Otherwise the room was okay. But definitively this was not a room to spend more time than necessary.
A LAN connection was available for a fee of 23 NZD / 24 hours. Conference rooms were available, but I did not really see a Business Centre aside the Internet PC in the lobby.
Would I stay there again? Depending on the room rate, yes, but not for the amount of money I have spent for this stay. I was travelling in peak time and therefore room rates were not that low any more. I should have definitively booked earlier and tried to secure one of the rooms at the other properties. 145 NZD is in my eyes for that what I got too much money.
