Top 5-Star Hotels in Exeter

This was the third hotel we stayed at on this UK trip. We arrived a few hours before the stated check in time and instead of ”you can check in now, but I'll have to charge you for an extra day” we were told that the room would probably be ready in an hour - they'd let us know and we were welcome to have a drink or some lunch. We had both a drink and some lunch and then we were informed that the room was ready and our bags had already been taken upstairs. No extra charge. And unlike so many hotels these days, they actually tidy the room and change out the linens on a daily basis. Just like before Covid! The staff are delightful. After a day or so the staff get to know you and what your preferences are. They brought me glasses of water when I was sitting outside without being asked. The bartenders were very good at mixing cocktails and perfectly made drinks they were unfamiliar with. The food in the restaurant was exceptionally good, although we had one hiccup with a breakfast. We only had dinner there one evening - for a group of 8. It was a bit pricy but the service made it worth it. Very close to the cathedral and shopping. Staff suggestions for dining outside the property were mostly very good. I wish they'd had a lift as it was very difficult for me to navigate the stairs, but I was aware of that before we arrived and I managed. (They did bring the bags down for us when we checked out.) We were a group of three couples staying and they were very accommodating. Any deficiencies are made up by the excellence of the staff.

Having stayed at the Jury's Inn chain of hotels previously in other cities we decided to stay at the hotel when we visited Exeter. The hotel enjoys a great location and the facilities are ok but unfortunately the servicing leaves a lot to be desired. There is no mention of this anywhere on their website and you are not told at any stage when you book and you only find out once you have paid and visit your room. On entering your room you find a nicely laminated note from the management advising you that your rooms will not be serviced on short stays. The management are using the excuse of the Covid pandemic to save costs and avoid doing your beds, emptying your bins, changing your towels, replenishing your toilet paper and the complimentary tea/ coffee. This is now only provided on request.My previous experience of this chain of hotels was that you also had a small fridge in the room and you were provided with complimentary bottles of water, this is no longer the case. Effectively the client experience has been watered down yet the prices remain the same. The client experience received from the staff was inconsistent, some were great others were very unhelpful. The hotel is not cheap and based on their current offering way overpriced.

We stayed here two nights while touring a bigger area of Devon. We arrived early, and had lunch on their patio. Had a nice room and breakfast two mornings. Nice selection of food, nice staff, clean rooms. Unfortunately, the two elevators weren't working the first evening after we had gone to our room. Fixed the next day. Close to walk to the cathedral and nice places to eat. We would stay there again.

Being used to the likes of other budget hotel chains when on business trips I was looking forward to my stay however feel let down given the prestigious reputation of the Mercure brand. The hotel building itself is beautiful and the room was modern in decor, however unfortunately the building fabric had not been modernised leading to an uncomfortable night. The room was very warm with a single window that only opened slightly and no air conditioning/fan provided. Even on a cold September night the room was uncomfortably warm into the early hours. My room was positioned opposite what seemed to be the kitchen/some sort of generator/heater which kicked in at 6am in the morning waking me up as the window had to remain open to keep the room cool. The range of breakfast was good (cooked breakfast, pastries, cereals, continental), but sadly the quality was quite poor. Despite being the first person at 8am on a Sunday the food was cold overall and the sausages and bacon were very tough and leathery. The staff on every interaction were helpful and polite, especially the receptionist when checking in. Overall a disappointing stay and sadly not the first poor experience at an Accor hotel.

Wonderful location. Brilliant interior design, together with the spa we added, it was one of the best stays I had in England! Will definitely come back and opt for another indigo elsewhere!

excellent breakfast

We stayed because our husbands were going to the rugby and the girls having a trip into Exeter. Location of the hotel was perfect not a long walk to the train station for us to get into town. On arrival at 12.30 reception was full queues of people trying to check in or leave bags. A man was sent out to take our car registration and names and then we could wait in the bar until they were ready for us. The boys waited in the bar and we headed off. They were checked in before 3 when they had to leave for the rugby which was good but to be honest we knew we were early and would have been happy leaving the luggage. We were told out of the 3 couples we had an upgrade to what turned out to be an accessible room and to be honest it isn’t an upgrade. I would have preferred the room we had booked which certainly wasn’t accessible. One of the other couples was over charged by £70 on check in - which we did sort out on our return. Whilst shopping we checked to see if our mobile key was ready but no we had to go to check in and do that on return to the hotel so they could Id us seems to defeat the object. On arrival back joined a queue again to activate the mobile key. It seems to be the longest slowest check of any hotel I have stayed in. When we finally got to the front we were given a normal key as it might take a while for the mobile one to work. Good job because it took nearly an hour to activate and then when I tried it it wouldn’t work with my phone. We then went to the bar before dinner again it was packed we managed to get a table but only 2 servers so wait for drinks was a little long. Price was ok. We had a table booked in the view for dinner and the food was lovely and reasonably priced. Again restaurant was very busy but the staff were lovely. Couldn’t have water. On the table as the waitress informed us they had run out of jugs, we said we would wait but she said no they had no jugs? She had to keep topping up from a bottle and she wasn’t allowed to leave the bottle on the table. Perhaps a trip to the next door IKEA May have sorted that. The main meal came with various items missing off of each plate, salsa, salad and chips. Overall was nice though. Breakfast was an another matter, we sat in the bar as the restaurant was packed. The design of the restaurant for breakfast is awful. People queueing for hot food past the croissants and bread and toaster so someone is always in the way. The fruit and cold meat and cheeses on the end of the hot line so missed by a lot of people. Only Greek or soya p,Ian yoghurt noth8ng flavoured, ran out of compote and fruit. Had to ask for the orange juice to be topped up. Just very disorganised and badly set out. Now I know it was a busy rugby weekend but the hotel are obviously fully aware of this. The staff were pleasant and the food in the evening lovely, in the morning ok. The room was clean and lovely - definitely not an upgrade though so please don’t make out it was. I would stay again if husband was going t

It's very good. It's worth recommending. It's very good. My friends like it very much. Next time, I'll take my family to check in. Breakfast is rich, transportation is convenient, and the couple's attitude is also very good.

Booked this as a stopover on our way down to Padstow. What a fantastic find! Staff were second to none, Jane and Scott so helpful, couldn’t do enough for us. Best pancakes ever for breakfast but plenty of choice. My husband was taken ill on our last morning and Mike, the General Manager, was both helpful and kind. Great room for us and our dog with amazing view of the river. Plenty of tables outside to fully appreciate the view.

Value for money indeed. Never expect such a spacious and well-refurbished room at such an amazing price. Would recommend it to anyone who visit Exeter since it’s located exactly at the city centre and within 10 or 15 minutes walk from both railway stations.