Grand Mercure Apartments Magnetic Island

I stayed there for 4 nights in a beautiful waterfront apartment and it was stunning! How lovely to wake up and watch the boats come and go in the marina and relax and watch the sun go down with the rock wallabys…. The infinity swimming pools were divine and the staff were friendly and helpful….loved the place!

Arrived at 2.15pm for check in and receptionist was on a personal call which she remained on for the next 10 minutes while we waited, she then said that our room was not ready and when i queried that check in was 2.00pm she responded curtly - " its FROM 2.00pm", so obviously Grand Mecure need to update their website to state check ins are from 2.00pm. I asked that she call us when it was ready and got a mumbled response so after 90 mins when we still hadnt heard from her we checked again and the appt was now ready. When we got in the appt was filthy and ill equipped for a 3 bedroom appt with a lot of things not working such as the fan and tv remote. There was only one toilet roll in each of the toilets and when i went to reception to get more, i was rudely told "we are not a hotel" so another follow up for Grand Mecure is to change their logo to Grand Mecure - We Are Not A Hotel. There was not enough cutlery and glasses for everyone and we had to continually do washing just to have enough to use. Other issues were the lights from the car park remain on all night and 2 of the bedrooms were full of light, the shower had mold and broken missing tiles in it, there was rubbish under the beds, tiles around the pool were missing and broken, amongst other things. And just to add further insult when i check the bill i found we had been charged an extra $92 for "Sundries" whatever that is, surely this is illegal to charge above the agreed price without notifying us or providing any justification which is something i will report to the ACCC. There were 2 Platinum Accor members on this booking and both were disgusted by the quality of the service and appt, no doubt Rita from Grand Mecure who occasionally responds to these posts will do firstly make disparaging remarks about myself and then try and defend the indefensible, which is why there will be no changes to the service or quality levels of the appt.

This is our second time back to the Mercure. The host was helpful and friendly even when run off her feet, check in/out was a breeze. It is a little different having an open bathroom (enclosed toilet room and European laundry). I'd like to see a hand rail to hold into the shower over bath for extra safety. Location just near the ferry, marina and bus terminals, a small bottle shop and IGA in the same area. The bus is great to get around on, regular and mostly on time. The place was clean and had everything we needed. It might not be new but it is well priced for the location and amenities.

We did a short trip to see Magnetic Island and stayed at the Grand Mecure. I must say that it is not so grand and definitely not what we were expecting as this hotel is definately in need of an upgrade! The Mecure' position was good and we had a nice view, but I wouldn't stay here again!

I can only speak on my experience, and comment based on standards I have come to expect from staying in numerous hotels (Particuarly Accor brands), and also from my training and career working in hospitality. From the get go I was a bit apprehensive about this place. Dealing with Mel on the phone, I was told she ‘would get to my booking when she got through all the other requests' she had received. The guest doesn't need to know how busy you are. Instead, just tell me you will get to it as soon as you can. Things should look effortless to a guest. A few days before arriving, I called to amend another booking. When Mel picked up the phone I was told I would be called back because 'I am busy checking the cleaning has been completed in the rooms', whilst I could hear impatient tapping in the background. Again - I don't need to know how busy you are - Just advise you are with a client and will call me back. Based on that phone call, I decided to read some reviews about the hotel, which is when red flags started to pop up. There are pretty consistent comments on uncleanliness and rude reception staff. The rudeness was made very clear looking at some of the hotel owners response to reviews. To say I was shocked that a hotel was unprofessional enough to sass back at guest reviews would be an understatement (goodness knows what they will say about this review). Anyways, the day came to check in. Unfortunately my worries were confirmed. I shared a two bedroom apartment with a colleague. Both myself and a colleague had to wipe down everything with antibacterial wipes, as you could see streaks on the kitchen bench, and fingerprints on switches. Based on that, we just ended up wiping all the common touch areas, just to be safe. Our bed sheets had stains on them (see photos). I don't know if it was blood or red dirt. Either way we slept on what appeared clean, or put towels down (we didn't dare ask for clean sheets). The light and ceiling fan in my room didn't work - yes I know how to operate both. When you are only presented with 2 switches in the room, it is pretty easy to work out how to turn both of them on (see previous reviews where the hotel owners clapped back that the guest didn't know how to operate a fan). The bedrooms at the back of the apartments, that back onto the carpark, and have non-sound proof louvers, do not block out any noise. So if you want a good nights sleep without hearing other guests, don't stay here. No bath mat, hand towel or face washer. Just one bath towel per person - for a 4 night stay. Ew. Dust was evident on the bed side table and wall (see photo). Back of kitchen chair was broken - see photo. Not confident the floor had been cleaned as there was very obvious gum on the floor right next to the glass sliding door (see photo) - again, something we cleaned up instead of 'troubling' reception. It just kept going, and we had to put up with the place for 4 nights. So, if you are thinking of staying here, take into account some pretty consistent reviews on how clean this place is. And look at the unprofessional responses from the owners. The place isn't worth the money. And the location against the sea is definetly starting to show with rusting ballistrades on the balcony. This place just doesn't live up to an Accor brand. Stay at Peppers instead. The extra money is worth it.