Mercure Blackburn Dunkenhalgh Hotel & Spa 4 stars

Great time had by all from start to finish, we booked a spa package and added extra on for a 50th birthday treat. All the staff were polite and helpful, we had afternoon tea when we arrived and ate in the restaurant all the time, the menu was limited which we expected but that didn't matter as the food was gorgeous and well presented. The spa was clean and quiet during our stay, treatments were amazing we all loved them, hot stones massage is a must! None of us wanted to come home. The hotel is beautiful and is in the middle of an upgrade so we will definitely be visiting again to see it complete.

Check in fine, got to room, nice, then woken up to a massive leak running down the wall, got moved, the room wasn’t as nice as first room, TV didn’t work, leak again in the bathroom, and rubbish under bed but didn’t want to up move my kids again with all are bags so had to stay, but in some way couldn’t wait to leave :( so not sure if would stay again

Lovely stay, staff friendly and welcoming, Especially Nicole and Aziz in the restaurant who were run off their feet and were friendly, polite, courteous and welcoming to everyone. The Spa was also amazing again excellent customer service. Downsides, the reduced menu didn't leave much choice over a 2 nite stay especially with the same menu for lunch as well. Breakfasts were great, the rest of the food was average. We appreciate Covid has had some effect on the reduced menu and quality and we dint go hungry. The work in the reception area meant walking out in the rain to get from the accommodation to the bar, restaurant and spa but reception did offer us an umbrella which was a nice touch.

The room was clean and nice, food was lovely, staff where helpful and friendly, would definately go again

Our spa treatments were fantastic. The ladies doing them were lovely, professional and did an amazing job. The changing rooms look very tired. The food in the restaurant was good for what we paid for it. Our hotel room was really lovely. The bacon sandwich at breakfast was awful but thankfully there was plenty of other stuff that came with it so it didn’t matter that I couldn’t eat it. Hotel staff were friendly and helpful. For what we paid we had great value for money and would do it again.

Arriving after dark, reception wasn’t well signposted resulting in 10 mins of wandering around before I had to ask a member of the bar staff to direct me. This was partly because of renovation work affecting part of the building. Staff were courteous and helpful. Rooms were well sized but a bit sparse in furniture & decoration & the bathroom wasn’t perfectly cleaned (the toilet hadn’t been flushed properly). Given the cheap price it was satisfactory for a business stay, but I would have been disappointed if I’d paid more for a nice weekend away.

Many issues both stays i.e. No lights moved rooms blocked sink heating packed up then leaks in bathroom from window how ever staff promptly on help straight away to help

Upon arrival the receptionist was really helpful and was pleased to how clean and newly refurbished the room was. All staff friendly given the difficult circumstances they have to work under. Spa treatment was excellent. The restaurant looks very nice however its a shame to food was not as nice and very limited menu which I understand to help with the current pressures of social distancing, however it is very basic. The first evening meal was ok, we did not order lunch the next day as we thought we would have had a substantial breakfast, this is when it all went downhill. We was given a grab and go option which was awful the sausage sandwich was the quality of a bad service station and so was the bacon sandwich which my daughter had. At lunch time we asked the café could we have some lunch and told we needed to book lunch, however they was not busy and gave us the same menu we had the previous evening, after waiting for 20 minutes for someone to take our order I called a member of staff over and she apologized and took our order, I was told the soup would take 25 minutes which is a joke and then she came back 10 minutes later to say there was no ingredients for the salad and their was no chef on as they was short staffed (what kind of establishment is this I thought, as I also work in the hospitality industry and fully aware of these difficult times we are working under it was unacceptable). We ordered a bottle of wine which also took forever to come out. Eventually after finishing our meal the manger on duty came over and apologized and complimented the meal. The evening meal again was awful we both had pizza which was thick crust and the quality of asda home brand very poor. Breakfast the following morning was much better. As for the social distancing measures you have in place I would suggest you monitor these as I observed the majority of the team touching each other and way to close, no 2 stage cleaning done on tables after guest have left, just a single wipe to remove the debris. There seems to be some confusion as to what the service process is as some staff was wearing gloves to serve glasses and plates, cutlery coming out in sealed envelope and then the server giving you the plate without napkin or gloves which is contradictory. Whist we was there the reception area moved and building works started, no signage which led to confusion. The changing rooms for the pool to not facilitate social distancing and I felt extremely uncomfortable given the amount of people aloud to be in there at any one time. I would suggest you review your policies.

poor food menu more pub grub than restaurant Not good service in the bar area due to lack of staff, even though friendly.

Staff was friendly. Hotel and room was very clean. The only think was at breakfast we was given our Porridge then straight away are Cooked breakfast came out we understand that at this times you need to serve breakfast and get the table back but please just give people time to eat the Porridge eg before Bringing out they are cooked breakfast.

From the moment we arrived we felt safe and well looked after. Even though it was a limited menu there were enough choices. At first we were disappointed breakfast was in our rooms but again plenty of choice and was a lovely change. Well done to all the staff. Thank you

Aziz made our stay, he was welcoming and fun. The country feels so restricted at the moment but Aziz helped us to forget. The room was enormous, the beds comfy, the food tasty and the spa was relaxing. We had a great break Thank you

Loved it. Just a pity that not all spa facilities were working, but that’s due to COVID and not the hotel’s fault. They have done everything they can to keep people safe and I would definitely come back again when things are back to normal and all facilities are available.

Staff were excellent. Parts of the hotel are obviously a little tired, but my room was excellent. Huge with a very large, well equipped bathroom. I assume the hotel is undergoing a complete refurbishment over time, but that did not affect my stay in any way. Bar area and Restaurant very nice, service was excellent in there. Particularly cheerful server brought an excellent breakfast to my table.

Under the circumstances of COVID restrictions and refurbishment, the hotel seems to be operating well