Grand Mercure Awaji Island Resort & Spa

Had a great trip here with family. The buffet is amazing and very family friendly. Highlights other than the buffet included the starry night views, the rooftop sunset, the onsen, evening snacks and drinks in the lounge and the newly renovated room. I had a special request and the asst. mgr was super helpful in accommodating. My only suggestions to the hotel would be better training of other staff in hospitality to accommodate such requests and perhaps improvements to the buffet reservation process.

This is my first time staying at the Grand Mercure Awaji Island Resort & Spa. Initially, I thought it was a medium-sized hotel with a limited number of guests, but upon arriving, I found the hotel to be quite crowded with visitors, most of whom are local travelers. I booked a twin room with a sea view, which overlooks the Naruto Bridge. The breakfast is delicious and offers a wide variety of options, including local Awaji cuisine. The staff is friendly and communicates well in English. One area for improvement is the souvenir shop, which only opens from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM, after check-in time. If they could open in the morning, it would allow guests to shop even after checking out before leaving. I would recommend that everyone stay at this hotel, especially if you have a car/rent a car.

We recently stayed at the Awaji Mercure Hotel and had a mixed experience overall. Check-in starts at 15:00, and although we arrived around 15:30, we had to wait over 40 minutes in line as only two counters were open. Not a great start for a new Accor hotel. The rooms are spacious and clean, which was a definite plus. To access breakfast and dinner, guests are asked to reserve via a QR code using the LINE app. Since we didn’t have it, staff kindly let us in without a reservation. However, both breakfast and dinner areas were very crowded, and the dinner buffet costs around 11,000 yen per person, but the buffet was really nice. The swimming pool was overcrowded, with many guests bringing large floatation devices—huge beds, giant rings, etc.—making it hard to enjoy. There were only two lifeguards for the whole area, which didn’t feel safe given the number of people. We didn’t use the onsen either as it was also constantly full. The surrounding area has very little to do, and most nearby places close early, so don’t expect much entertainment or nightlife. The hotel seems to cater largely to Japanese families with young children, which affects the overall atmosphere. Another positive note, staff were friendly, and there was at least one English-speaking person at the reception, which helped a lot. Overall, while the hotel has potential—especially with its clean and spacious rooms—it still needs significant improvement in crowd control, guest flow, and accessibility for international visitors.