Hotel Mercure Villefranche sur Saone

Reception attendant on 5 July at as very supportive in organising taxi for airport

Hotel in centre of Villefranche, slightly difficult to get into car park. Otherwise really good: large room, comfortable bed, excellent shower, all spotless. Kettle in room an unusual (for France) but welcome touch. Very good breakfast, 5th Floor game nice views.

Before we arrived we got a phone call that the restaurant was closed. Fine, that may happen. We were put in a handicapped room with a bathroom that would not have been suitable as a highway bathroom in the 80s. The inside of the toilet bowl was just gross, and things smelled that way. At breakfast there were two staff members trying to do their job, but they did not. Plates did not get refilled, bread was constantly empty, the eggs were not refilled. They did not empty the tables once people had left. When we arrived we asked if they could clear out a table for us, but they directed us to another room of the restaurant. That's fine of course, but then 10 minutes later another staff member informed us we were not allowed to sit there. They have a parking lot underneath the hotel. But the security gate to the parking does not work and it's uncontrolled. So we had to bring all of our things up into the hotel. We chose a Mercure because we wanted something slightly better than an Ibis. This hotel was actually worse than an Ibis budget, except for the price of course. That was a lot higher. Quite disappointing.