Grand Mercure Petra Reviews

We stayed at this hotel for two nights while visiting Petra. Lots of reviews and YouTube vlogs recommended this hotel because of the view. Please don’t pick this hotel because of the view as that is all it really offers. Before booking, we researched and did our due diligence. Google Maps stated the hotel was a 7 min drive from Petra visitors centre. When we arrived those 7 mins were up a very very steep hill which you could not possibly walk into town in the evening if you wanted to. The hotel provide a shuttle bus, which is great- it leaves at 3 points during the morning to early afternoon and has 3 departures going back up the hill. If you need to go into town or miss the shuttle bus that is where the expense comes in. As Uber doesn’t operate outside Amman, you need to get a local taxi. For a short taxi ride the cost to go up the hill is 15-20JD (£17-23) which is outrageous. The hotel itself is old and very outdated which is why I mentioned not to solely book this for the view. If you like modern hotels as we do you will be disappointed. The Movenpick opposite the visitors centre is much newer, modern and a nicer hotel but double the price. In hindsight I would’ve booked there. We were greeted by Belal at reception- he was wonderful throughout our stay and so friendly. He couldn’t do enough for us and was very attentive. He also offered us an upgrade of room and later checkout. The suite we were upgraded to had a spacious bedroom and a large living area. The bathroom was tiny for the level of space in all other rooms so this was disproportionate. The room was clean but very outdated in terms of decor so were the communal areas (old carpet) and the dining area. This hotel is really in need of TLC and a revamp and I believe it’s taking advantage of all the tourists in Petra rather than maintaining a decent Movenpick standard. I’ve stayed in other Movenpick hotels in the world and this is the most run down one I’ve been to. On our first night we tried the buffet, this was 23JD (£26.05 pp). There was no selection in food and it was definitely a rip off. The dessert selection was beyond poor and we were very disappointed. One of the staff that was waiting on our table asked for feedback and we spoke to the duty manager, however when we expressed concerns about the lack of selection he replied “I know” rather than taking our feedback on board and saying he would act on it. Breakfast was also lacking in variety and options. If you’re a British customer and you are going to be using the TV, there aren’t any English speaking channels on the TV, not even BBC news. They have the option to cast your device but unfortunately this is only for Android users which makes no sense. As an iPhone user we couldn’t watch anything after a long day. There are two ways to look at this hotel, one - it is close enough to Petra but expensive to get a taxi to. The bad decor may not be a factor if you want something that isn’t going to break the bank as you w