Find the hotel was not so easy as so many work in the all district was in progress. After parking the car into the parking lot not belonging to the hotel (12.5e the night) we had to carry on our bags among the pavement then on the street to reach the entrance of the hotel. Large and modern lobby, friendly check in by a young trainee who upgrade us into a suite as i was with 2 teenagers. This suite was confortable and well appointed following the new standart of the chain; buffet breakfast (14e) but free for those under 16, was good and enough.
Location was ideal, centrally placed, but away from the noisy crowds.

I spent 5 nights at this hotel the end of June 2005. My Saturday and Sunday nights were 96 Euro, the rest of the week was 114 Euro, per night. I was on business and had been to Toulouse 3 previous times. It was somewhat difficult to book a hotel for 5 nights on short notice and, thankfully, my usual hotel was booked full, otherwise, I would have never discovered the St George.

Upon my arrival on Saturday evening I was greeted by the front desk clerk "Vladamir." He was thoroughly charming and told me that due to the renovations going on at the hotel, some of the floors air-conditioning was not working. Uh oh. It was hot and VERY humid! He told me he would give me a room on a smoking floor -- but that the air-conditioning was working well on this floor and that the window also opened if I wanted fresh air. I tensed up and explained that I have asthma -- shoot. What was I going to do? I left my luggage in the lobby and went up to the room for a "smell" test. The room was wonderfully COLD. The air was set at about 68 degrees F. And, much to my chegrin the room did not reek of smoke -- AT ALL! The only tell-tale signs that this was a "smoking" room were the 3 burn marks around the bathroom sink -- but those can be found in any hotel these days... I pulled the bedding down to make sure the mattress wasn't "hiding" any scents, either. I sat there watching TV for 20 minutes and my asthma, etc, was fine. I opened the window -- there's nothing like fresh air after an 18 hour trip and went back to the lobby to fetch my luggage. "Vlad" said I should've called and he would've had my luggage sent up! I'll remember that for next time...

The room was large for a French hotel with a queen size bed and a sofa and coffee table and desk chair, as well as a place to put your luggage! The bathroom was not large, nor small, but quite adequate with lots of counter space for spreading out cosmetics, etc. Both the room and the bathroom were very clean. The bed was comfortable. (I wish Mercure would update their orangey paint/bedspread schemes.) The large, deep bathtub was actually equipped with a shower curtain!!! (not one o those 1/2 shower doors that allow water all over the place that the French seem to be so fond of...) The air-conditioning worked wonderfully all week -- unlike my colleagues staying at other, more expensive, area hotels.

Late Sunday morning I had "brunch" at the hotel -- 12 Euro for the breakfast buffet which had bacon and sausage and pancakes and scrambled eggs and fresh OJ and croissants and breads and coldcuts and cheeses and more cheeses and jams and well, it was pretty good -- and the breakfast is a spread like this every day, not just Sunday. The only dissappointment is the coffee -- brewed in bulk, it tasted awful. I love the real "French" cafe-style coffee...

My dual-voltage hair dryer that I have travelled with for about 5 years now decided to die on me and I tried to use the hair-dryer in the bathroom -- it was woefully underpowered (which is probably better for my hair, but I just don't have that much time to do "hair"!) So, Monday morning I asked the front desk staff -- a nice woman -- where I could buy a hair-dryer (I looked in my French phrase book and wrote it down to be sure I knew what I was looking for!) She sent me to Galleries and I couldn't find them anywhere! I had lunch and came back to the hotel. Whatever renovations they were doing, I was never disturbed at night and not even on the 2 afternoons I was in my room... Anyways, I told the front desk clerk that Galleries didn't have hair dryers and where else could I try? She refused to believe they didn't have them because she had recently bought a curling iron there -- she called the store for me! Yes, they have them -- but due to the store remodeling they've been moved to their other store in another part of town!! She apologized. Due to other obligations I did not have time to go to the other store so I made due using the bathroom hair dryer the rest of the week.

The morning I was leaving I was going to need a taxi at about 5:15 in the morning -- Vladamir set that up for me the night before and the cab pulled up exactly at 5:15! (Taxi runs 20-30 euro each way to/from the airport depending on # of bags & traffic)

My only "complaint" and it's quite minor, was that the television remote control stopped working on Sunday night. I called "Vlad" and he was not very sympathetic -- I couldn't get the TV off that horrible station you get when you first turn on a hotel TV! He said there was nothing that could be done that night and offered no assistance what so ever -- maybe it was a breakdown in communications because that was not the response I had expected based on the wonderful repore we had established?? (I ended up taking the batteries out of my headphones and tried them in the remote and it worked. I forgot to change them back before I left!)

All in all the Mercure St George is a lovely hotel in a great location at a very reasonable price. It's 1960's architechture is quite charming; although the interior is more classic. It's situated between Wilson Place and St George Place and a 5 minute stroll to Place Capitole. Place Capitole is very touristy, but a wonderful place to see and be seen. Place Wilson is a bit more quiet and has some wonderful restaurants... but Place St George!!! Oh, my!!! It's wonderful!!! There's a carousel and sycamour trees and families and business people and locals and wonderful cafes and restaurants -- just 2 minutes outside the doors of this hotel!!! Whenever I strolled or stopped for coffee here, I felt like I was a bit closer to knowing how Toulousians really live -- as opposed to the tourist filled venues elsewhere in town. This is where the incredible shops are, too! (brand-name boutiques and quaint "ma & pa" shops -- clothes, accessories, wines, housewares -- just wonderful!)

Lastly, I could sleep -- soundly -- at night with the window open!! The St George hotel is set just a bit off the main drag -- enough to make it a bit quiter than some of the other hotels in the city. It was not silent by any means, but it was not disturbing, either.

I stayed here as a business woman, by myself, and always felt safe. I would stay here again, by myself or with my husband or with girlfriends, for the location and the value -- neither of which can be beat!