Mercure Hyderabad KCP

A major centre for the technology industry, Hyderabad is not top of the list for tourists visiting India. It was not on my list for travels until I had a chance to visit during my business trip

We chose to stay in a business hotel so we can be assured of a relatively safe stay. Mercure Hotel is a 4-star hotel located in the Banjara Hills area. Only a 40-minute drive to the airport, it is a walk away from popular malls and the famous Hussain Sagar Lake. The hotel has 128 rooms across different categories

While the exterior of the hotel looks good, the interior decorations are quite dated. The lobby is spacious with a small counter for check-in and check-out for guests. The staff served a welcome drink while we waited to get checked in, and the sofas were also plenty for guests to sit down. The check-in process was fast enough, and we got our room cards within 10 minutes

The room is spacious and very roomy, and initially appears decently clean. The bed was huge, but it was too soft for me. There is also a dedicated desk for working, or if you wish to make it into an eating table or a make-up table. There is another smaller armchair with a small table for small coffee breaks or snacks. The overall space of the room is huge, but it is not cosy to me, and I think there is too much open wooden floor space, while I prefer carpeted rooms. The bed was more on the stiff side, but the pillow was too soft

The bathroom was spacious with a good separation between the wet and dry areas. Basic amenities were provided, although the towels were clean, you can tell they are kind of dated, where the terry cloth material was flat and rough, needing a refresh

There was a restaurant located on the 2nd floor of the hotel offering breakfast as well as a normal meal. As we came straight from the airport and had not eaten, we ordered lunch. The menu was rather limited, but it was sufficient for a quick meal. I had butter chicken with naan, which was creamy and extremely spicy. The food was decent, and the service was ok, no doubt a bit slow in serving. The buffet breakfast is served in the same restaurant and has a limited spread with 70% of the offering more localised fare, while the rest of the 30% catered to the International crowd. As I was on a business trip and wanted to avoid any tummy problems, I only went for the hot food, which was just toast and fried eggs

We also went to their rooftop bar in the evening, which seems to be very popular among the locals for events. The environment is chill and relaxed with limited drinks and mostly finger and bar food like fries, pizza and fried items. They do have quite a good range of vegan and vegetarian food since many locals are vegetarians

When I finally returned to my room and prepared to sleep, I opened the comforter to this not-so-pleasant surprise. The yellow marks looked like old stains, but I did not want to touch them to find out if the sheet was clean. It was quite late at night, and I was only there for 1 night, so I did not request a change of room. Instead, I slept on the side of the bed where the sheets were visibly white and clean, which is quite uncomfortable for me

Overall, I am not sure if this is just a single case or if the whole hotel does not have good standards in keeping the beds clean. Personally, I will not visit them again

Address:  6-3-551, Banjara Hills Main Rd, Irram Manzil Colony, Punjagutta, Hyderabad, Telangana 500082, India

Room Rates from SGD83