Mercure is a French midscale hotel brand specialized in traditional hotels managed by committed hoteliers, and owned by

Accor Accor S.A. is a French multinational hospitality company that owns, manages and franchises hotels, resorts and vacation properties. It is the largest hospitality company in Europe, and the sixth largest hospitality company worldwide. Accor ope ...

. Created in 1973 in France, the brand was acquired by Accor in 1975. The Mercure brand appears on 899 hotels in 61 countries (2021). Grand Mercure is the international premium brand of Mercure.

History

1973–2007: Growth

The first Mercure hotel was established in 1973 in Saint-Witz,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. In 1975, Mercure was acquired by the group

(then Novotel-SIEH) and became

Novotel Novotel is a French midscale hotel brand owned by Accor. Created in 1967 in France, the company grew into what became the Accor group in 1983, and Novotel remained a pillar brand of Accor's multi-brand strategy. Novotel manages 559 hotels in 6 ...

's complementary midscale brand in the group's strategy. In 1983, Mercure launched the ' where 80% of the wines were selected by Mercure's

oenologist Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...

s, and 20% were selected by the hoteliers. In 1989, Mercure opened its 100th hotel. In 1991, following Accor's acquisition of the

Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits Newrest Wagons-Lits, formerly (lit. ''International Sleeping-Car Company''), also CIWL, Compagnie des Wagons-Lits, or just Wagons-Lits, is a division of particularly known for its on-train catering and sleeping car services, as well as being ...

, the Altea hotels acquired through this deal became Mercure hotels. Many hotel brands purchased by Accor throughout the 1990s (Parthénon, Libertel, Jardins de Paris, Frantour, All Seasons) were turned into Mercure hotels. By 2001, 655 Mercure hotels were in operation worldwide.

Since 2007: Global refurbishment

In 2007, following the launch of Accor's new brands MGallery, Pullman and All Seasons, the group allocated several of its Mercure-branded locations to the development of those new brands. Foreign wines were also introduced for the first time in the '. In 2010, Mercure launched a global refurbishment program ('). The rooms were modernized, and the cost of renovation was minimized thanks to new industrial methods (''modules''). A design catalogue enabled hoteliers to choose from a variety of style options. The ' became Cave & Saveurs. Breakfast became

gluten-free A gluten-free diet (GFD) is a nutritional plan that strictly excludes gluten, which is a mixture of proteins found in wheat (and all of its species and hybrids, such as spelt, kamut, and triticale), as well as barley, rye, and oats. The inclus ...

with local products only. In 2011, Accor signed a deal with Jupiter Hotels in the UK to turn 24 hotels into Mercure hotels. In 2012, Mercure opened in China the first Grand Mercure branded Mei Jue for the Chinese market. In 2015, Mercure launched in Colombia and opened 3 Grand Mercure in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Description

Mercure is a midscale hotel brand specialized in traditional hotels managed by committed hoteliers and owned by

. Locally influenced, most Mercure properties provide midscale full service hotel services. Grand Mercure is the international premium brand of Mercure. The Mercure brand applies to 875 hotels in 63 countries (2019).

Development

References

External links

* {{hotel chains Accor French brands Hotels established in 1973