Bologna isn’t exactly a city I visit very often. However, on a yearly basis there is a conference I attend for work in town, for my full time job and it brings me into town. This time I chose to mix things up travelling up from Rome by train and back by plane. You can read about both of those experiences here on FlightsMilesAndPoints.com (Train Ride and Flight). For its proximity to the event venue, as in other years I chose to stay at the Mercure Bologna Centro, part of the Accor Hotel Group. Here’s my experience.
A Short Stay at the Bologna Centro – My Opinion and Review
Let’s get the ball rolling talking about the hotel’s position. The Mercure Bologna Centro is situated in one of the most convenient positions both in the case you are arriving by train or plane. It is positioned right in front of Bologna’s central station main building. That is where the high speed trains stop and the Marconi Express has its terminus connecting the city center to Bologna’s BLQ Marconi international airport. Exiting the station you’ll just have to cross the road and the hotel as many others is situated under the archway. Simply put it is a fantastic position for ease of finding it. Also it’s position is not to far from the city center which can be reached on foot with a short walk.
Walking in from the main entrance you won’t find yourself in front of a classic reception desk. That was removed a few years ago. In its place are now some smaller more informal check-in and check-out stations where you are served one on one by the hotel’s staff. I personally always prefer the traditional check-in desk setup, but that might just be me getting older and out of touch with what younger people prefer(?)
Check-in done you’ll access the rooms via the elevators at the end of the lobby. Elevators going up can only be activated by tapping your room keycard on the reader. A measure to avoid people not staying at the hotel getting to the rooms. A variety of room sizes and configurations are available, however, for this stay I was assigned what is defined as a superior room with a double bed.
The room has more than enough space for one person. It featured, as mentioned, a double bed and a very spacious bathroom with a shower (no bathtub). The bathroom was spotless and felt like it had been recently renovated. I was a bit unlucky during this stay as my room faced a side of the hotel which didn’t offer anything to look at out of the window. Actually my room faced other room windows which meant that I kept my curtain closed for the majority of the stay. In prior stays I was luckier with better views from the window also lookin out the station’s direction. Therefore, you need a bit of luck in this regard.
I found the staff to be very helpful and fast to satisfy requests. I forgot my toothbrush and within 5 minutes of requesting one a staff member was at my door with a dental kit.
Pros and Cons of The Hotel
Now to recap what the pros and cons of this hotels are to help you make up your mind whether this is the right place for you to stay at.
Pros: no doubt about it this hotel’s main strength is its position. The train station is just across the road and you can get to the city center on foot with a not too long walk. There are many places around the hotel where to get some food, either dine-in or take-out to eat in your room. Another pro is that by staying at this hotel you can earn ALL points (Accor’s loyalty program) and at the same time also earn Flying Blue frequent flyer miles (Air France-KLM’s frequent flyer program). The rooms are essential, clean and comfortable for a short stay for leisure or business, as was mine.
Cons: you need some luck to get a room that doesn’t face other room windows. I probably wouldn’t choose this hotel for a longer than a couple of days leisure stay. I would probably look for something with rooms with a bit more space. Finally let’s talk about the price. I probably wasn’t very lucky, despite booking very early, on the room rate. I spent for a 1-night stay at the Mercure Bologna Centro 180 Euro (about 195 USD) which by Italian standards isn’t exactly cheap, considering this is a Mercure. However, I think it had to do with the dates I stayed at the hotel. There were a couple of events in town drawing in people. With a little more luck you might come across some better rates.