Grand Mercure Ahmedabad GIFT City 5 étoiles

I have stayed at this hotel for my regular trips to Ahmedabad over the years as much as I can (and previously reviewed), primarily out of brand loyalty. Each time I keep hoping nothing will go wrong, and each time I am disappointed. While the hotel is certainly of the general 3-star Mercure standard, it is far from the 5-star standard it claims. The aged building stands out in GIFT City because it is shorter, older, and uglier than everything around it. Over the years that I have stayed here, maintenance issues have gone worse - the key difference is that they no longer notify or apologise for them. On the first night of an 8-night stay, my room had NO RUNNING WATER. When I called reception, they told me someone will come to check - and no one did. After an hour, water was restored (after a few minutes of rusty dirty water coming through the pipes), and far from it being the other way around, I called reception to let THEM know. There was no apology, just an acknowledgement. On the 3rd night, the TV could not connect to the Wi-Fi network. I called reception to ask if it was a hotel-wide problem and they said no and that an engineer would be sent to my room. The engineer did turn up 15 minutes later, but only to tell me it is a hotel-wide issue and would not be fixed until the next day. Again, no apology. The one single eatery in the hotel claims "all day dining" but is open during set hours for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The selection of dishes at the lunch and dinner buffet does reflect a wide variety but cannot come close to justifying its cost, especially when compared to other hotels in Ahmedabad or Gandhinagar. On my first night, I ordered a la carte and specifically asked for no chilli in my pasta and, of course, it came with chilli - I have not order a la carte since. While staying at the hotel, I would dine here when I am alone and valued convenience; but if I am dining with anyone, I have gone elsewhere. The rooms are small by any standard - even the junior suites only have a queen-size bed. The work desk in the room is narrower than most. While the aircon in the past have been much too powerful than necessary, the same cannot be said today. The business centre is a small unplugged laser printer on a short stool behind reception. I am unable to comment on laundry this time because, learning from previous stays, I tried to pack all the clothes I need for my 3-week stay just to avoid using the laundry service as much as possible. In past years, the smile and friendliness of some of the regular staff have made this place welcoming notwithstanding its faults. While some of those staff remain, they can no longer offset the maintenance and other shortcomings of the hotel. I find myself struggling each year to justify its cost to my host employers vis-a-vis other hotels, and I suspect next time may prove impossible.

We stayed at Grand Mercure GIFT City Ahmedabad for 3 nights during a kids’ sports event, and unfortunately this has been one of the worst hotel experiences we’ve had. The hotel was clearly overbooked and understaffed, but that is not an excuse for the complete lack of hospitality. As an Accor Gold member, one expects at least a basic welcome — a smile, polite language, or some acknowledgment. Instead, the reception staff was cold, unwelcoming, and at times outright rude, using harsh language and showing zero empathy despite the hotel being full of families and children. Housekeeping was another major disappointment. When we requested extra towels, we were bluntly told they could not provide any because “everything is in washing.” For a hotel of this category, such a response is completely unacceptable. Guests staying multiple nights should not have to struggle for basic amenities. The food situation made the stay even worse. This property has only one restaurant, and due to the rush, they stopped all à la carte service, forcing guests to purchase the buffet at full price, regardless of preference. This would still have been manageable if there were alternatives nearby — but there are no restaurants or places to eat within at least 10 km of the hotel. Guests were effectively trapped into paying expensive buffet prices every day. The most frustrating part was the total lack of response from management. We raised these issues multiple times with the duty manager and other staff, but our complaints were ignored completely. No follow-up, no resolution, not even a basic apology. Overall, this property appears poorly managed, overwhelmed, and indifferent to guest experience. For families, loyalty members, or anyone expecting a comfortable and respectful stay, this hotel does not live up to its brand name or pricing. Recommendation to other travelers: If you have work in GIFT City or nearby areas, it is much better to stay in the Kudasan locality, where you have more hotel and food options. Alternatively, premium properties like Leela Gandhinagar or Taj Gandhinagar are far better choices. We initially avoided them assuming they would be too far, but in reality they are hardly 20 minutes away and would have saved us from this extremely unpleasant experience. I would strongly advise travelers to reconsider before booking this property, especially during events or peak occupancy.

This was new year first visit at 5 star property and it made more special as it was this property. The receptionist were so good at their field and the welcoming and the farewell was warm. This pleasant stay was so warm. Thanks to miss priyanshi and miss ishika for the checkout.

Expirence was really good throughout our stay, staff was really kind and approachable. The staff at the front reception (Priyanshi) including the main entrance were really helpful and friendly.

Trois petites suggestions : 1) considérez la possibilité de chauffer la piscine ; 2) peut-être serait-il intéressant d'ajouter un service de navette vers/de la station de métro ; 3) peut-être conviendrait-il d'avertir que certaines options du menu ne sont pas disponibles en tout temps.