Memories of Mysore | Grand Mercure | Mysore

Living in Karnataka for the last 14 years, I have been remiss not to plan more trips across the historical and cultural landmarks this State is famous for. One such place is the city of Mysore which is known to be the cultural capital of Karnataka with many sites of historical importance and thereby established as one of the famous tourist destinations in South India. The Mysore Palace, The Jaganmohan Palace and many more tourist sites have contributed to the growth of this city over the last few decades. Thanks to the Dussehra holidays, my hubby and I decided to visit Mysore during the Dussehra celebrations which is said to be one of a kind with lakhs of people joining in just for these 3 days of celebration. Part reason to visit at this time was to show and teach my children the importance and history of the occasion and there is nothing better than watching it unfold right in front of your eyes.

Our choice of stay for this trip was The Grand Mercure. Located in the heart of Mysore within close proximity of some of the major tourist attractions, the hotel boasts of 146 spacious, contemporary rooms and suites. The hotel is aptly situated on the New Sayyaji Rao Road which is witnesses to the route of the world-famous Dussehra procession every year. Though I was not aware of this tit bit of information, on arrival I was informed that I would be able to witness the Dussehra procession from my room located with a view of front of the hotel. This was indeed quite the happy news though we decided to utilize the viewing gallery set up in front of the hotel for a better and closer view of the processional festivities. 

View from the room of the gallery set up for Dussehra procession

Due to the timing of our stay, as expected the lobby was abuzz with many guests checking in and that did give me a chance to have a quick look around. The entire theme of the hotel is based on the culture and heritage of the city from the paintings on the walls to the furniture gives a insight into the vibrant and royal traditions of the city. They want their guests to stop and admire the beauty of Mysore and its numerous offerings particularly the local art in the form of Channapatna toys. 

While I would not get into detail on how we spent our 3 days, I felt the Grand Mercure was a beautiful and well thought out hotel and in this post would get into more details about the hotel and their services so that others may decide if they would like to revisit my experience. No doubt, I will follow up with a separate article on the Mysore and its attractions. 

SInce it was a bit of last minute booking, I was informed I would be occupying the Deluxe Room for the first day followed by the requested upgrade to the suite which was more suitable for a family of 4. As a travel blogger I welcomed the opportunity to experience both rooms and their comforts making it easier to recount my experience for this post.  

Our Deluxe room for the first day of our holiday was a modern room with 1 queen size bed  with a flexible workstation, 40″ LED TV with satellite channels, tea and coffee making facilities, electronic safe, minibar and great city view especially of the famous Mysore Dasara procession this time of the year. The decor of the room also is in the line with the decor across the hotel with the beautifully woven carpets to the tastefully done toys famous from Channapatna. 

Post our check in we decided to head for lunch since it was post 2pm and the kids were quite ravenous. The Grand Mercure has 2 choices of dining options – La Uppu and By the Blue along with a bar aptly called Silk Bar.

La Uppu is their 24hr All Day Dining restaurant which offers international cuisines ranging from Mediterranean, Pan Asian and local delicacies in its buffets and a la carte menus. The name “La Uppu” comes from the literal translation – Salt which is the first ingredient to be served during a meal in Karnataka. The unanimous choice was for the buffet for lunch and their variety and selection of dishes was impressive as was their service. 

The restaurant is spread across a large area with an option of indoor and al-fresco seating. The outdoor seating is useful for families with small kids as they have a play area attached.

Located on the ground floor besides La Uppu, the Silk Bar is a modern bar that serves a wide range of single malts, cocktails, mocktails, spirits and wines with the ambience being perfect to relax and unwind after a long day. We also had the opportunity to check our their other restaurant – By The Blue located on the 6th floor which is the rooftop restaurant serving North Indian cuisine  which overlooks the pool with an amazing view of Mysore city.
 
 
 
The hotel also has a cute little Deli Shop, near the lobby which serves very interesting bakery and confectionery creations along with some beverages for that quick bite. Beside the Deli shop, they also have a travel desk to assist their guests on information about the local attractions and travel arrangements along with a small gift shop to take back home souvenirs of the trip. 
 
 
 
 
Fast forward to Day 2 and after a long and understandably tiring day of sightseeing around the city, we came back in to find out that we would be able to move into the larger Deluxe Suite. The deluxe suite is quite massive almost 500 sq.ft in size with a separate bedroom and living area attached a mini kitchen.  
 
 
 
Each Deluxe Suite has a separate balcony which is quite private and an area to spend a little “me time” on a nice windy evening. 
 
 
The kids loved the spacious bathroom with the separate shower and the bathtub to frolic in for a bit. For me, there’s nothing better than a nice soak in the bathtub with a glass of wine.
 
 
One of the must have amenities during my travels is a pool and a gym and the hotel does have both though I must say I was a bit disappointed by the size of the gym. That said, I did get to workout alone which shook away those worries about a crowded session with others. The gym does have the required equipments such as treadmills, ellipticals, spin bikes and weights.
 
 
 
Beside their gym, is also located their spa and the way to their rooftop swimming pool. The pool area is large with enough area to lounge by the pool after a good swim or for guests to catch a quick tan. The view as usual is beautiful and even if you are not planning to use the pool, one can spend a good bit of time reading a book along with a drink. 
 
 
 
 
Located in close proximity to the business district housing large MNC’s such as Infosys, Wipro, L & T, the hotel has 3 large meeting rooms capable of seating 15-200 people per room. 
 

 

We decided to take a road trip to Mysore via our car and I felt it would be useful to include the directions to reach here.From Bangalore, you can use the NH275, NH7 and NH150A, turn right into Banni Mandap road and make another right at LIC Office circle to reach the hotel. 

Some of the nearby attractions to the hotel are the Mysore Palace (3.5 kms) and Mysore Zoo (4.5 kms). There are many other attractions in this beautiful city which would follow on the site soon. 

If you are planning a trip to Mysore anytime soon, then your best choice would without a doubt be – The Grand Mercure

If you do stay here, I would love to hear about your experience!

Hotel Address: 2203 60 New Sayaji Rao Road
Nelson Mandela Circle Karnataka
570021 Mysuru, India.

Tel. 91/8214021212
h9306-re@accor.com

11 thoughts on “Memories of Mysore | Grand Mercure | Mysore

  • February 2, 2018 at 3:45 pm
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    Wow the hotel definitely looks amazing and breathtaking…Loved the way they have designed the rooms and i must say lovely bathrooms too

    Reply
  • February 3, 2018 at 1:45 am
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    Wow..the hotel looks amazing and the poolside seems a perfect place to relax with a book.

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  • February 3, 2018 at 9:59 am
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    The hotel looks like a perfect place for a long weekend. I love the chanpatna toys!

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  • February 3, 2018 at 12:00 pm
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    SUch a stunning hotel. I am definitely going to stay here if we go to Mysore. I also loved the name of the restaurant La Uppu. I had been to Mysore about 15 years ago and there was hardly a good hotel like this then. I am glad to see the place has changed.

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  • February 3, 2018 at 1:12 pm
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    Hotel looks perfect to spend holidays with family. I led the chanpatna toys. Both the rooms looked cozy. I liked the playarea part in the outdoor seating.

    Reply
  • February 4, 2018 at 6:05 am
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    Oooohhhh, I love the decor of the hotel. The rooms look so sunny and naturally lit. Correct me if I’m wrong. The poolside is to die for. I’m already imagining myself sitting on that pool bench with a margarita in my hand. 😍😍

    Reply
  • February 4, 2018 at 7:03 pm
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    The outdoor seating is useful for families with small kids as they have a play area attached.This recommendatip is Golden

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  • February 5, 2018 at 3:45 am
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    This looks like a wow hotel with great amenities in Mysore. Will check out next time I’m in Mysore. T

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  • October 6, 2018 at 1:59 pm
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    you know what is the most great part of the this hotel is gym superb for gym lovers Happy Dussehra Quotes 2018

    Reply
  • September 8, 2020 at 10:14 am
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    Hello Writer,
    It’s so awesome and so many inputs you are mentioned about grand mysore. Those I loved it.

    Reply

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