Grand Mercure, 3rd Block, Koramangala, Bangalore

**** Rated

Visited on 18th June, 2019

The forever brimming with buzz, booze and business locale in Bangalore has a genuinely friendly nook to nest in. The Grand Mercure, situated in a residential locale in Koramangala is easy to locate and easy to access too. From the short driveway to a comfortable, fairly spacious lobby the place has quite a few things going for it. Their authentic welcome with the namaskar greeting to applying the teeka found another resonance with me, while it also underscored the place is visited by an expat crowd. The most engaging part for me were the prominent displays of monochromatic pictures of various facets of Hampi. Not only is it original and some of the pictures very redolent, it also indicated Grand Mercure in some way encourages meaningful tourism too and is not pretentious unlike most modern suite hotels that feature a rather bizarre display of rarely understood modern art. 

The suites that come in 3 categories: studio, one bedroom and 2 bedroom suites. We were pleasantly upgraded to a one bedroom suite although we had booked for a studio apartment. the online booking process was smooth and very quick too with the hotel staff promptly responding to telephone calls before we checked in. The suite is spacious, secure and aesthetically very appealing. Though the balcony is nothing much to write home about, as it is crammed, the hall and the very well equipped kitchen and the bedroom deserve much appreciation. The modern, ergonomic furniture, lighting and the placement of mirrors is another huge positive for me and the secure entry to the section of the suite and the suite itself was reassuring for us, female travellers. 

The expansive spread for breakfast was quite a break from the usual fare that one sees at most such places. It also indicated the huge number go guests the place housed as the restaurant was brimming over with executives and leisurely holiday seekers like me. The efficient and prompt handling of the crowd and taking care to meet individual needs is yet another highlight. From the multiple things that were available, I stuck to the vegetarian fare though, the waffles with maple syrup and the pumpkin soup found favour from me. My next visit was to the Spa/Salon that is located on the basement level as the pool. The walk to the salon is greeted by pictures from Hampi on either side and the staff greets one very warmly and are eager to make one comfortable. They were prompt and efficient with my request for a session at the salon, following high I explored their poolside area. The pool surely looks inviting as do the lounge chairs placed all around the pool but only from afar. Once I approached one of the chairs to unwind and relax, the dust and fauna from the nearby trees greeted me. A closer look indicates that this is not a one time dust but one that awaits cleaning since long. Clearly, the management has to take care of this section better and avoid placing garbage bags and the like in one of the corners alongside the pool. 

Given our short stay, we could not dine at their restaurants, although the menu looked tempting. But the gift/souvenir shop located in the lobby is surely manned by a very friendly Kannadiga who is very happy to be spoken to in his mother tongue. Again, considering the hotel is located in Bangalore, I feel that the souvenir shop ought to house more local products and artefacts that are endemic to Karnataka rather than Kashmir! My final words about this excellent suite hotel would be that it was a Comfortable, secure stay that was made possible by your amiable staff. We loved the suite and the comfort it afforded and surely hope to return again for a longer stay. A special kudos to the pictures displayed throughout the hotel depicting various facets of the heritage site Hampi. 

Pooling Ideas

Cozy nook

Churning up appeal!

History Revisited

A G K