Mercer Hotel: Barcelona Luxury Hotel Review

A trio of tattooed musicians lets loose with a set of old fashioned rock and roll numbers in the cozy space of Plaza Sant Just. Afternoon diners indulge in decadent meals from a small cafe. A church looms in the background. Pigeons patter across the stone-laden square. Gone is the bustle of Barcelona’s Old City.And here, just a few seconds away by foot, is Mercer Hotel. We talked with Reception/Reservations Manager Gloria Anglora and Sales Manager Jordi Garcia about what makes this 5-Star Grand Luxury (5SGL) hotel tick.

The entrance to Hotel Mercer

 

Click on any one of the links below to jump to a particular section:
 

What Sets Them Apart –  How They Want Guests To Feel –  Staff Personality

Favorite Aspect of Hotel –  Opening Year–  Best Suite

Family Amenities – VIP Programs  –  Location

Conclusions

Like Raúl Lizón at Hotel Miramar, Gloria Anglora starts her answer by pointing out Mercer’s faithful clients. “Our guests  adapt their trip to come here. If we are booked during the time they want to come, they´ll reschedule their plans to be here,” she said. “This is strange, changing your plans to accommodate (the hotel’s) schedule.”Mercer’s service is based on a clandestine method of knowing and understanding their guests needs. “We need to be detectives,” Anglora says.When guests arrive at the hotel for their stay, guests services knows what the new clients need. There are 28 rooms in Hotel Mercer, Gloria says, and 12 guest services and concierge staff.

What sets your hotel apart from other 5SGL hotels in Barcelona?

Garcia and Anglora are enthusiastic about the unique features of the Mercer. They list them one by one: the building itself, its combination of old and new design, the hotel’s location and the various quality amenities given to guests.”The building itself is in a historical structure that was part of the ancient city walls built almost 20 centuries ago,” Anglora says. Architect Rafael Moneo designed the hotel’s interior, merging its modern style with it’s historic roots. “We have the new and the old,” Garcia said.

Anglora points out that everything from the hotel’s cutlery to its beds are of the highest quality, and that fresh flowers welcome their guests whenever they arrive in their room.

The Mercer’s courtyard dining area

The cozy terrace atop the hotel

How do you want your guests to feel when they are walking out the door at the end of their stay?

What is the personality of your staff?

The Mercer’s staff are experts in subtleties and in understanding what their clients desire and need during their stay.  “It’s a very subtle way we do this,” Gloria says. “We aren’t always walking behind our guests asking them what they need.”

What’s your favorite aspect or amenity in this hotel? 

Anglora loves the history of the building and the combination of modern elements. Sometimes people who pass by ask if the hotel is an art gallery because the subdued and tranquil atmosphere of the hotel’s lobby. This dichotomy of progressive and ancient is something that Garcia enjoys too.

“There’s a combination of formal and informal,” Garcia says. “We have our gastronomic restaurant that’s formal with a presitigous chef and creative food, then we have Le Bouchon with a more casual feel.”

Another favorite aspect, Garcia says, is the calmness of the hotel. “Today we are fully booked,” he says, “and yet you have this feeling of quietness.”

When did your hotel open?

The hotel opened in 2012.

What is your best suite and what makes it special?

Garcia and Anglora agree that there isn’t a “best room” in Mercer. Each guest has their own particular tastes, which calls for rooms of different style and sizes. Some rooms are located in an ancient Roman guard tower. Other’s have original stones from the Middle Ages.

“It’s really hard for me to say which suite is the best one,” Anglora says. “We like matching guests with the perfect room.”

The hotel’s largest room is a 95 square-meter suite on the hotel’s top floor with stone walls dating back to the 14th century.

The Superior suite

What services are available for families?

Aside from calibrating amenities and surprises for each specific family, Mercer Hotel does not have special family programs. Childcare is offered, and the hotel can make reservations for children’s attractions like the zoo or aquarium.

Does your hotel offer specific VIP services?

There is no VIP program at the hotel because each client receives luxury treatment at Mercer Hotel. “We don’t have a specific VIP service because we can offer all the services to anyone that stays with us,” Jordi says, “as we try to fulfill the expectations of every guest.”

Garcia and his colleagues take into account the purpose of the client’s trip, the clients preferences and other factors when crafting the client’s hotel experience.

Where is the hotel located?

Mercer Hotel is located in the Gothic Quarter near Plaza Sant Just and within walking distance of the Jaume I metro stop.