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Mercure Exeter Southgate Hotel 4 stars

Customer review rating 4.2/5 11,355 reviews

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Mercure Exeter Southgate Hotel
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+ 17 Services

Hotel extras

  • Central location, nearby the Cathedral and Bedford Square

  • Leisure facilities including swimming pool, sauna & jacuzzi

  • Close proximity to popular Princesshay Shopping District

  • The Gate House restaurant features locally-sourced dishes

  • Ideal destination for weddings and private functions

Hotel location

Mercure Exeter Southgate Hotel

Southernhay East
EX1 1QF exeter
united kingdom

Tel: +441392412812

Fax: (+44)1392/413549

Check-in from 14h00

Check out up to 12h00

  • By plane

    BRISTOL At 108km / 67 miles

  • By plane

    EXETER INTERNATIONA At 10.3km / 6.4 miles

  • By plane

    PLYMOUTH/ROBOROUGH At 73.5km / 45.67 miles

  • By car

    M5 JUNCTION 29 At 6.6km / 4.1 miles

  • By train

    EXETER CENTRAL At 0.97km / 0.6 miles

  • By train

    EXETER ST DAVID'S At 2.3km / 1.43 miles

GPS :50.720332, -3.528424

Companies

  • EDF ENERGY 4.83 km / 3.0 mi
  • EXETER COLLEGE 1.45 km / 0.9 mi
  • HOWMET 7.56 km / 4.7 mi
  • MET OFFICE 4.83 km / 3.0 mi
  • UNIVERSITY OF EXETER 2.74 km / 1.7 mi

Hotel services

THE GATE HOUSE

We are currently serving a reduced menu in our bar area between the hours of 18.00-22.00. Our chef welcomes you in our Gate House Restaurant. Guests can enjoy contemporary British cuisine including locally sourced meat and fresh seafood.

Services in the hotel and nearby

Check-in from - Check out up to

In summary

  • Swimming pool
  • Car park
  • Restaurant
  • Wheelchair accessible hotel
  • Air conditioning
  • Wi-Fi
  • Bar
  • Meeting rooms
Catering services
  • One Restaurant
  • One Bar
  • Room service
    • Cold snacks
    • Hot meals
Meetings/Events
  • 7 Meeting rooms
Accessibility
  • Wheelchair accessible hotel
Hotel Services And Equipments
  • Hotel informations
    • 156 rooms
    • 7 rooms for people with reduced mobility
    • 21 family rooms
    • 46 connecting rooms
    • 156 non-smoking rooms
    • 3 floors
  • Languages spoken at the hotel
    • English
    • Italian
  • Laundry / Valet Services
    • Dry cleaning / Ironing
  • Wi-Fi
    • WiFi in the communal areas
    • High Speed WiFi
    • WiFi at the hotel
    • High Speed internet
  • Air conditioning
    • Air Conditioning
  • Reduced mobility Facilities
  • 100% Non Smoking Property
  • Check In & Check-out facilities
    • Express check-out
    • Express check-in
  • Porter
    • Porter
  • Safe deposit box at reception
    • Safe deposit box at reception
Access to property
  • Hotel Car Par - £15 per night Additional charge
    • On site
Well-being
  • Swimming Pool
    • Covered

Your meetings and events

With outstanding comfort and excellent facilities, this jewel in the heart of Devon is the epitome of 21st century style.It is Exeter's largest hotel-based conference and banqueting facility and among the most impressive venues in the South West of England.Accommodating up to 150, the hotel's seven conference suites are superbly designed in a contemporary style and feature multimedia presentation and communications facilities.

Room descriptions and layouts

9 

meeting rooms

From 1 to 150 

attendees

Configuration is not available for these requirements

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  • Convert different units of measurement and make organising your events easier.

  • Flipchart

  • Indoor and Outdoor facilities

  • Audio and video equipment

  • WIFI access

  • Syndicate rooms

  • Airconditioned meeting room

  • Slide projector

  • Video equipment

  • Overhead projector

When organizing your meeting, the hotel will be happy to discuss the availability of its facilities and services with you.

Our accommodation(s)

The hotel's 156 bedrooms offer guests a range of accommodation options including classic, privilege, suite, interconnecting and 7 accessible rooms. All bedrooms are non-smoking and have WIFI access, room service & flat-screen TV. Every bedroom is in line with 4-star standards but our rooms also offer particularly inspiring views over the city, including Exeter Cathedral, historic Southernhay and distant glimpses of the Devon countryside.

Our guest reviews for
Mercure Exeter Southgate Hotel

100% genuine reviews from our guests

Find out more

ALL Rating 4.2/5

11,355 reviews

TripAdvisor Rating 4.0/5

2,817 reviews

September stay

TripAdvisor rating 3.0/5

Akjte 27/09/2021 TripAdvisor review

We were not impressed with our stay at the hotel. We have previously stayed here and it was much nicer. We did not get a very jolly welcome it seemed they were very Pre occupied with a wedding. The room was clean and ready for our stay. Not all condiments were replenished but you could get what you required at reception. We were woken both mornings by very heavy footed people above us from 630am to 8. Not great when we were child free!! (Not sure if they have staff staying up there?) Breakfast day one there were no clean tables. Approximately 20 tables with dishes on. We asked the staff to clean one for us, after 10 minutes of waiting we cleared and cleaned our own table. Multiple breakfast staff passed us and just ignored us. Day two breakfast, different staff who were very attentive. Quick to clear the tables once someone left. Much better experience. Think we will try somewhere else next time.

Good afternoon Akjte Thank you very much for your review. I am sorry to hear that you felt unwelcome upon your arrival and that there was noise from the floor above you early in the mornings. I also apologise for the slow service during breakfast this was due to staff sickness and new team members starting. I have taken note of your concerns and thank you for bringing them to my attention. Kind Regards Matt

Unable to contact reception

TripAdvisor rating 3.0/5

reesfamilyat43 21/09/2021 TripAdvisor review

This is our second visit to the hotel last week and in general pleased with the sevice. Unfortunately we believe we have left some items in our room last week. Its nearly impossible to get to speak to anybody on reception. I have emailed the hotel with no response, even resorted to contacting the gym manager who left a note with reception. Ive spoken to reception once. All telephone calls ultimately routed to reservations somewhere in the world. I do get the impression that the hotel is short of staff, but it would be good if somebody could return our messages

Good afternoon and thank you for your review. It was great to read that you were pleased with the service but I am sorry you have struggles to get hold of us to discuss your missing items. On our website, there is a generic email address. If you send an email here and put for the attention of the GM, Matt, I will look into this for you. Kind regards Matt

Location, staff and breakfast really good

TripAdvisor rating 4.0/5

OggyChannelIslands 20/09/2021 TripAdvisor review

A great old building, having problems with air-con but hopefully soon to be fixed. So close to city centre and loads of restaurants. All of the staff that we met were very helpful and friendly, breakfast buffet was very good and well stocked

Good afternoon Thank you very much for your kind review. I was so pleased that you enjoyed your stay. I am glad that you like the location of our Hotel and the variety of restaurants nearby. I am pleased that you enjoyed your breakfast and that you found the staff to be friendly and helpful. Kind Regards Matt

Stay Away

TripAdvisor rating 1.0/5

Als_trips 15/09/2021 TripAdvisor review

The hotel is desperately in need of a refurbishment. We had a premiere room, number 365. There was pealing wall paper, damp on the ceiling, brown stains on the pillows a TV that only worked intermittently, draws that collapsed when you pulled them out a cracked shower tray and pealing paint. The service in the restaurant was poor, it took one hour to get a chicken burger, The food was cooked terribly. Still frozen chips and a burger that was overcooked and dark (brown/black). Breakfast was not much better. If I had paid under £100 I would have thought the stay acceptable but it cost £270. The front desk service was good but there was only one person on desk and a long que to checkout. This is not a nice hotel , not what you would expect from 4 star and I would not recommend.

Good afternoon and thanks for your comments. I was sorry to read you felt your stay with us was not good value and that there were service and maintenance issues when you were with us. Matt

From one disaster to another

TripAdvisor rating 1.0/5

SusieH220 14/09/2021 TripAdvisor review

On arrival at the Mercure at 13:20 there was just one person on reception and a queue of people ... lots of staff milling around but no-one helping ... having had a four hour drive we were told we couldnt get a drink of any sort - tea, coffee, wine ... the bar didnt open until 5pm ... room not ready and reception had no idea what rooms had been cleaned - it took 25 minutes (having been told it would be 5) to find out what room we had ... sanitiser dispenser on 3rd floor by the lifts empty for our whole stay ... The "Privilege" room was disgusting - carpet threadbare, finger prints on windows, furniture scratched, phone headset filthy ... we have stayed numerous times before, but never will again ... on check out we werent even asked how our stay had been.

Good evening and thanks for your comments. I am sorry that our bar currently doesn't open until 5 pm. Like many industries right now, we are struggling to recruit team members and simply can't open any earlier. I am sorry that this contributed to your disaster of a stay. Matt

A massive disappointment.

TripAdvisor rating 1.0/5

jlnwalden 09/09/2021 TripAdvisor review

The receptionist gave us a good reduction on our first night's stay as we checked out having booked in for two. Our bathroom had the whiff of a sewer, the dining room had cobwebs and the pool was closed.

Good evening and thanks for your comments. I am very sorry that your room had a strange whiff to it. I am genuinely not sure what that could have been but I apologise all the same. Matt

A catalogue of errors and lies.

TripAdvisor rating 1.0/5

Mariette R 08/09/2021 TripAdvisor review

I booked an executive suite at this hotel via all accor website, I am a member of the group, for my partner's 70 birthday celebrations. On arrival at the hotel, I was given a key but found it was for the scruffiest "privilege" room I have seen in a long time. On tackling reception, after several comings and goings by the reception staff, I was basically told we had been downgraded and had received an email about this. Not!! I insisted on seeing the person in charge and was told the guest who should have vacated our room had to stay, as they had been taken ill. Seemed reasonable, until you spoke to another gentleman who had also been down graded in the same way. It then became an admin error! He had not received an email either. All in all a catalogue of errors and lies. With noacknowledgement of the distress caused. Despite having visited there at least once a year for several years, we will not be going back there sgain. When I said I would be giving them 1 out of 10, they ask for your evaluation of your experience, they seemed totally unconcerned. The staff either need retraining in customer services or sacking!

Good evening. I was most surprised to read your comments. We absolutely experienced some errors where the system sold more suites than we had available. This was due to the number of booking channels we are visible on not talking to our main booking system as quickly as they should. Whilst I appreciate this was frustrating, all guests who this impacted were communicated to and offered a substantial reduction in rate and a bottle of Prosecco or wine to go in their room. which most guests were very happy with. Our team are working really hard during difficult times but I am sorry you felt they were unconcerned. Matt

Rooms are very tired

TripAdvisor rating 3.0/5

ian290770 08/09/2021 TripAdvisor review

My wife and I stayed for one night after taking our daughter back to uni. Hotel billed as 4 star but rooms desperately need refurbishment. Water stain on ceiling, hole in wall (had been filled but not painted over), water outlet in shower tray blocked so it kept filling up, carpet very worn in main traffic areas...to name a few. Didn't use pool, spa or restaurant so can't comment.

Good evening and thanks for your feedback. I am very sorry that there were clearly some maintenance issues in your room and I have passed the comments on. Matt

Not up to usual standard

TripAdvisor rating 2.0/5

kennethbarker 07/09/2021 TripAdvisor review

Copy of message sent on September 6th direct to the hotel. For the attention of the manager. Mercure Exeter Southgate Hotel From Sep. 01, 2021 to Sep. 04, 2021 Dear Sir/Madam, As former business travellers and now leisure visitors, we know the Mercure brand well in several different countries, Our stay in „privilege“ room 140, was not up to the usual standard for the following reasons: Firstly, the WC flush was incredibly difficult to operate and this fault caused us more trouble than all of the others because of my wife’s arthritis. Then the extractor fan was not functioning at all – someone had a look at both problems without solving them. On the second day of our stay, the hot tap for our sink ceased to have any hot water. Again this fault was reported but not rectified. Only one of the bulbs was working on the bathroom mirror and finally some of the decor had simply been neglected (see photo). Faults were reported but not rectified. We paid in good faith, in advance, for an „upgraded“ room and cannot fathom how your staff can say they will „see what they can do on the bill“. We reported our disappointment immediately instead of giving the hotel a bad review on Tripadvisor but we had to put up with all the inconvenience for the whole of our stay. Please look into this as soon as you can – I have phographs of all the problems should you require them to make a judgement. Yours faithfully, K. Barker

Good evening Mr Barker. Many thanks for your comments and I will locate your email and reply that way. Kind regards Matt

Disappointing Stay

TripAdvisor rating 3.0/5

L1295TRjonathanh Business - 05/09/2021 TripAdvisor review

Keys not working, noise throughout the night, pool not open at 8am as scheduled due to "employee" issues, finally open at 10am, but already completely packed, spa & sauna out of order. Covid can be blamed for many things, but ..........

Good evening. I apologise about the sauna and jacuzzi not working and that there was noise throughout the evening. Matt

Bank holiday break

TripAdvisor rating 2.0/5

Debbie49Birmingham 04/09/2021 TripAdvisor review

No room service during stay said The staff informed me no rooms cleaned fresh towel or tea coffee refilled Because of covid. No jacuzzi, pool limited hours as staff on holiday. Complained took 3 days to get room cleaned.

Good evening and thanks for your comments. Rooms not being serviced is a current Accor brand standard but we are servicing rooms on request but I am sorry if this did not happen. I am also unsure about your room service comments is this is available every day. Matt

Expected a lot better experience

TripAdvisor rating 3.0/5

Explorer589969 31/08/2021 TripAdvisor review

I always chose accor for lovely and well maintained properties and friendly staff, but my recent stay at Southgate in Exeter wasn't even close to the hospitality associated with this brand. The room wasn't cleaned properly, the extractor in the bathroom was broken. The curtains looked dirty, the mattresses weren't comfortable. I told this to reception and have been told that maintenance and house keeping have been informed of this issue but things weren't resolved during my 4 night stay. So disappointed!!

Does not deliver brand standards

TripAdvisor rating 2.0/5

longhaulEngland Business - 29/08/2021 TripAdvisor review

Over a two night stay I had many of the poor experiences repeatedly shared in other reviews. Services were limited/suspended, communal areas were neglected (despite resident pets), rooms were overall in poor condition. By the sheer number of problems, it’s as if maintenance wasn’t performed during lockdown. Awful value at £150pn (std, room only). If you are an Accor loyalty card holder, don’t expect any of the standard recognition (I am Platinum).

Great location but hotel service is below par.

TripAdvisor rating 3.0/5

NIIOA73 23/08/2021 TripAdvisor review

I have stayed here before in 2020 when problems were put down to COVID-19 but several issues have not been resolved a year on. This hotel is in a fantastic location for Exeter sites, amenities and restaurants. There is plenty of parking for an additional charge and a decent pool. The lobby area is clean and looks ok. Unfortunately, the air conditioning was not working (this was an issue in 2020 so it is not a new problem) and the rooms and furniture look dated. The online check-in facility was not working and when we arrived nearly 1 hour after the check-in time the room was not ready. My family and others were asked to go into town to while away a couple of hours while the room was prepared. This was not helpful after a 4.5 hour journey. I do think that if the hotel is breaching terms and conditions by meeting the agreed check-in then it should offer guests a drink and a place to sit. The staff didn’t phone me to let me know that the room was ready so we took a chance and made our way back. At night we had to keep a window open as the air conditioning was not working. The fan we were given was cheap and noisy so it was difficult to sleep. There was also noise from guests or staff in the car park. Room cleanliness was just about ok but could be much better. There were also issues with my fast check-out. Despite booking to include parking this was not included on the receipt that was emailed to me after we left and I arrived home to receive a penalty notice for parking on day 1 of our stay. This might have been prevented if the hotel would allow people to check-in properly. The reception desk/management team have said they will have the PCN so I’m waiting to see if that issue is resolved.

Floor 3 in much need of an update.

TripAdvisor rating 2.0/5

S L 19/08/2021 TripAdvisor review

Have been before and was lovely, but was sorely disappointed with my birthday treat away. The room and floor 3 was in a real state of disrepair. Threadbare carpet, wallpaper peeling off the wall, damp stained pelmet. The phone wasn't working and a bulb was out in the bathroom. I told reception both of these during our trip and nothing was done about them. Really marred mine and my partners trip away.

Air conditioning not working

TripAdvisor rating 1.0/5

Navigator05771000529 16/08/2021 TripAdvisor review

Hotel advertises Air conditioned rooms. On arrival there was a fan in the room. Reported AC not working on first night and told repair will be prioritised. AC was not looked at and we were asked to use the fan instaed.

Exeter trip

TripAdvisor rating 3.0/5

johnemma1 15/08/2021 TripAdvisor review

Some good and some not so good points with the Southgate hotel. Good; Breakfast, plenty of choice, fresh orange juice and hot food. Pool, good clean pool which was well managed by Jack. Everything was very clean Well positioned hotel short walk to town and quay. Not so good; Broken furniture in first room and no aircon, spoke to reception who said there’s a fan in the cupboard... it’s not aircon is it? Kindly gave us another room, still no aircon but furniture intact. There’s obviously been some investment in the hotel as the bathrooms were new but no extractor means paint peeling already. Restaurant and bar very pleasant but hotel crumbling in many places.

Disappointing stay

TripAdvisor rating 3.0/5

johnlcullen 15/08/2021 TripAdvisor review

We have stayed at the Mercure for the last few years and enjoyed a relaxing a comfortable stay. Unfortunateley standards have slipped. The room itself was as expected, but the air conditioning was not working, and despite several attempts to rectify, we were left not knowing what was going on and suffering a very warm room. They did make an adjustment on our final bill, but our 3 day stay was spoiled, and we will have to reconsider staying here in the future unless standards improve

It was ok.

TripAdvisor rating 3.0/5

copey25 07/08/2021 TripAdvisor review

Overall our stay was ok. The privilege room we paid £20 extra for didn’t seem much more than a normal room and the bed for us was very uncomfortable! But to be fair, each to their own on what mattress you prefer. The service was ok, the bar seemed under staffed but again with Covid, this could be the truth! The most irritating part of the trip was when I came to leave and had to pay £15 for the privilege of parking my car at their hotel…. They obviously didn’t feel they had charged me enough for one nights stay! To be honest I wouldn’t rush back.

Could do better

TripAdvisor rating 3.0/5

AJH69 30/07/2021 TripAdvisor review

Having stayed at this hotel before I did not give it a thought to look at reviews of stays by other clients. It was with concern after reading the July reviews what I would expect. Arrived at hotel and found things were at first glance were fine apart from car park charge which was £15. Room 350 was good apart from a squeaky bed and a torn net curtain. Breakfast was okay during these covid times, it seemed nobody followed the arrows marked out on floor. We were staying for 3 nights. This is when things went downhill. Room was not made up on any day, had to go to reception to get change of towels, tea coffee milk etc. but our fridge was replenished each day. I was offered free car parking for the 3 nights but had used the city car park (about 200 meters from hotel which has free overnight parking). Received a 50% discount on room price for the first night as compensation. Overall would stay again and hopefully things would be back to normal soon. Big minus point is car parking charge

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