Mercure Amsterdam Arthur Frommer - Amsterdam, Netherlands 

We liked this hotel.
Posted: Mon, Apr 14 2008
We just returned from 8 days in Amsterdam, and we stayed at the Mercure Hotel--the one downtown, not the fancy new one out by the airport. This hotel is old and looks it here and there, but it's clean, most of the staff are quite friendly and helpful, and it's an easy walk to the tram. We found the bathroom quite nice, tho a shower curtain would have prevented water going all over. Our room had a little closet with good hangers and several shelves. The bed--oh, that bed!!! SO-O-O-O comfy!! Fluffy pillows and a duvet contributed to a good night's sleep. We got clean towels every day, the carpet was vacuumed daily, and the bed was made daily. The breakfast costs E15/person. There is a good variety of American cold cereals, granola, several kinds of juice, rolls, the usual beverages, and you can have your eggs cooked anyway you want. The bartender, Amin, has a great sense of humor and is a very interesting person to chat with. Yes, we'd stay here again.

Looked better on the website than in person.
Posted: Fri, Nov 30 2007
We booked through Airmiles to stay 2 nights at this hotel. The Airmiles pictures definitely make the hotel look more luxurious than it is in person. The fixtures and furnishings in the bedroom are ready for refurbishment and the bathroom needs a deep clean. The location is ideal for exploring Amsterdam and there are tram links close by. Don't hail a cab unless you can speak Dutch because we were truly ripped off; I don't think the taxi driver realised we had been in Amsterdam for a couple of days and had walked the road numrous times when he took the scenic route and charged us E15 for what should have been a 3km journey. The breakfast buffet at the hotel is good - healthy and fresh with plenty of choice, but don't expect service with a smile. General value for money was about average, I reckon.