At the time of my visit in January 2018 the Hotel Mercure Compans Caffarelli was the sixth or seventh hotel I’d stayed in while in Toulouse.
Having been travelling to Toulouse for two years on a regular basis, I can say in all honesty this was probably the best hotel stay out of them all. I tried cheaper and more expensive places but in the city center area of Toulouse this was by far the quietest and most conveniently located hotel.
Hotel Mercure Toulouse Location
The Mercure Hotel Compans Caffarelli is just outside the yellow metro line station that would take me directly to Ramonville station where I normally changed onto a bus to the office when in Toulouse.
The other hotels were noisy, too warm, too cold, smelly and various other issues, so I normally stuck with the Mercure when in Toulouse on my own.
On occassions I stayed closer to the office in Labege but those hotels were in the middle of nowhere in an industrial estate with basically nothing to do.
Normally I would spend two nights in Toulouse on each visit and I did not want to be bored out of my mind looking at the motorway for two nights so
I would always book in the city when I came on my own. The morning commute was always easy, taking about 30 minutes on a comfortable metro service and back it was the same every time I travelled to Toulouse.
The entrance of the Hotel Mercure is well lit and clean, and the lobby area smelled very fresh and seemed bright every time I visited. The reception is on the left as you enter and the lift is just in front of the reception so there wasn’t much to explain during check in.
The rooms normally cost about €90-110 per night, which I would say is the average price for a full service hotel in Toulouse. The Hotel Mercure Compans has an on-site bar and restaurant and a big conference venue, plus a huge car park underground.
Mercure Compans Car Park
The car park is actually reasonably priced at €13 per night and I used it once when I rented a car and drove to a ski resort in the South in the Pyrenees.
I am also registered on the Accor App so I pre-checked in which meant that the keycard was already ready when I checked in at the desk. I tend to have a couple of special requests, like a high floor and firm pillows and these were all met – good service overall.
Dinner At Hotel Mercure
One time my boss stayed with me here and we had dinner together downstairs. I am not getting paid by the Mercure by the way, but dinner was perfect, just the right size portion with only small misunderstanding about the parmesan chips.
I thought it would be fried potato chips with some parmesan on top but it turns out in France the Parmesan chips is a special meal: oven baked grated parmesan cheese!
I had salmon with pea terrine and horsereddish sauce for starter and a bit of balsamic vinegar. It was very tasty with some red wine to wash it all off!
The main course was fried cod with green pea puree – very delicious again! The music was a bit too loud but eventually they turned it down a bit!
Bedroom At Hotel Mercure
Now to the room: you need a keycard to use the lift. Basically you press the button and insert the key to activate the lift. The carpet in the corridor was very scruffy but there was a shoeshine at lift.
The room was on the third floor at the back of building far from the lift – just as I requested. There was a double bed in the room with a welcome envelope, with the English side of the print facing up. They really did think of everything!
The thing I noticed is that there was only one bedside socket on the right side, but none on left side. There was another socket in the corner behind the armchair for the floor lamp. One more socket for the tea boiler and only one socket at the desk so not a socket lovers paradise!
There was a bathroom with a sink and shower and a separate toilet at the entrance of the room. The sink and mirror were clean and there were a few toiletries and a couple of clean towels for good order!
The minibar was empty because I did not want to pay the extra but there was plenty of space for clothes, the iron and board in the room. They also placed a suitcase rack, a coffee and tea facilities plus a big Phillips flat screen TV.
The Manager’s Letter
A few large generic paintings hung on the wall but I don’t remember seeing any overhead ceiling lamps. The window overlooked the back of the building which was a covered courtyard.
Using the temperature gauge in the room was very easy which is a bit rare for me as I never understand how to use them!
Breakfast at Hotel Mercure
The breakfast was included in the rate when I stayed and it was the usual continental breakfast type with tea, coffee, croissant and fresh fruits.
There was also some hot breakfast on offer but I never really like those so I did not touch it.