Hotel Review: Grand Mercure Dongguan Humen

Grand Mercure Dongguan Humen is near everything – food, shopping and parks.

I’ve stayed here over 15 times, all for work trips. It’s quite spacious with all the amenities you need. The only thing I have to complain about the room is their pillows. They’re too soft! I always get a neck and shoulder ache when I sleep here.

Here’s the view if you stay at the front of the hotel. You get to see a small (polluted) stream if you stay at the back of the hotel!

There’s a velvety lounge next to the window so you can relax and watch some TV (if you’re not on the bed doing so). For the business-trip travellers, there’s a long work desk in front of the bed for you to get some work done. More plugs are under the table!

There aren’t many english TV channels so I mostly watch HBO or the Discovery channel. When there’s a thunderstorm, the TV reception might get cut though. It’s happened to me a few times, but of course, this isn’t the hotel’s fault!

The doors of the bathroom are transparent for some rooms, while the rest are done ‘separate-style’. The toilet bowl and shower area are in separate cubicles, and the wash basin is outside. I’m not a fan of the separate cubicles unless I’m staying alone!

Don’t worry about the transparent bathroom doors too! You can always roll down the curtains for privacy. But… The curtains are on the outside. So if you have cheeky roommates, maybe you should request a room with the cubicle-style bathroom!

Shower gel, shampoo and conditioner are provided and refilled if you finish them. They also provide a hair dryer, toothbrushes with mini tubes of Colgate toothpaste, a shower cap and comb among other bath items.

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There are 2 bathrobes hanging in the closet and disposable room slippers and a shoehorn. They also provide plastic bags. It used to be paper bags before but they’ve changed them – probably cheaper to go plastic!

The safety deposit box is placed in the closet too. It’s simple to use with the instructions written in both English and Mandarin.

2 bottles of water are provided every day so you won’t die of thirst waiting for your boiled water to cool down. They have plenty of cups but no cutlery other than 2 teaspoons, so if you’re thinking of dabao-ing noodles or even rice, remember to ask for disposable cutlery! Or you can always call for room service to borrow their cutlery, whatever rocks your boat.

And… I received a small fruit basket too! The staff handed it to me in the room after I checked in so the fruits should be fresh? They taste fresh, anyway.

I wish I have pictures of the buffet breakfast to show you, but sometimes the hotel price includes breakfast and sometimes it doesn’t. This time it didn’t, so no photos!

The buffet spread is quite large and mostly yummy. There are both Western and Chinese breakfast dishes, so expect salads, french toast, sausages, a variety of bread, dim sum, congee and meat and vegetable dishes among others. They also have cereal and milk. Order eggs the way you like it at the egg station! I usually have it scrambled or done as an omelette, mmm…

Drinks-wise, there are fruit juices (not freshly squeezed) and the usual coffee and tea. There’s also soya milk but you have to add your own sugar! They also have a selection of fruits and yoghurt.

If you’re looking for the gym and pool, be prepared to walk through a maze. I went to take a look once and walked up and down stairs and went through so many doors just to discover a teeny gym. The pool seems to always be empty though, so if you manage to find it, you’ll probably get some peace there.

Service at the check-in and check-out counters are generally good. They’re quite fast and some of the staff will actually remember who you are after you’ve stayed a few times! The bellboy will usually take your luggage up to your room unless there are too many guests. There’s no need to tip them as they don’t practice tipping in the hotel!

Since most people don’t head to this part of China for play/pleasure, Grand Mercure Dongguan Humen is a great place to stay for people at work. It’s close to all the food and shopping (a cinema, too), and there’s a police station a 3-minute walk away if you need any help! If you’re more of the stay-in-the-room-and-do-nothing type of business traveller, the hotel also has in-room massage services available and plenty of dining options for their room service!

My last stay at Grand Mercure Dongguan Humen cost 931.50CNY (S$202.50) for 3 nights.