Mercure Darlington Kings Hotel

Check in was smooth. Room on third floor was very quiet and overlooked main pedestrian area. Lift to second floor was fine, but then secondary lift to third floor was out of service which was no issue for me, but could have been for others. Breakfast was fine, a mixture of continental and full English, and the dining room clean and tidy, with lovely historical feel. It was a relaxing bar area to enjoy a few drinks in the evening and watch the town go by! The hotel is historically important to the town (hence the choice of accommodation), and whilst a little tired in places, you cannot fault the wonderful staff and service.

I stayed here for one night with my partner for a night away. Although there were lots of amenities and the location was fantastic to get to everything we wanted to do, I felt the cleanliness and finishing of the hotel really let it down. The mini fridge had brown stains in it, there was dust on the curtains and furniture, the bath panel was coming off the bath and there were scratches, chips and marks all over the walls. At breakfast when we arrived there were no plates, no sauces, no jams and only one woman trying to get everything sorted. The ceiling fan was also full of dust, it looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a very long time. Overall, I don't think we will stay here again, despite it's great location.

I booked this hotel on a work trip. Location was fine it was close to the train station. The hotel is not a 4 star as I have stayed in better 3 star hotels. My toilet wouldn’t flush properly and I had no had soap. The room was tired looking and just lacked a good clean. There was a lot of dust around the bed board. However I found the staff cold unprofessional and unwelcoming. On my arrival I had to wait to be checked in. No greeting from the receptionist I asked.to be checked in. The computer was not working so I had to wait but no communication with me to say sorry please bear with us. I then had to sign for my room and was given a pen that didn’t work. When I said this pen isn’t working I was ignored. I was handed the door key with no guidance on how to get to the room which is not straight forward. I had a long journey to the hotel and was so disappointed with the reception of the staff. I will not be booking with Mercure ever again. They have poor standards in how they come across to their customers. A smile and manners cost nothing.