As we travelled in off-season, we were able to secure 3 nights here at a great price, less than $100 per night. On top of this, we seemingly received a free upgrade to the 'business suite' - where the rooms are supposedly better (probably because there were nobody else staying there!).

When going to the hotel from the train or airport via taxi, I suggest that you have a copy of the exact address to show the driver. We got in the cab and asked to be taken to 'Mercure Salzburg City', and the driver did not speak a word of english and started sprouting questions in German. Eventually he took us to the other Mercure in Salzburg (which is only 300m down another road), but it would be best to try and avoid confusion and walk that 300m in the driving snow!

We did have an issue with the hotel and my credit card. When I booked the hotel online, I paid the full amount upfront. At checkin, they took my credit card details again, which I thought was curious, and when I went to my room to log onto my internet banking, they had appeared to have just charged my credit card 100 euros. I promptly went back down stairs and asked for an explanation, and was told it was a 'pre-authorisation' for a 100 euro deposit, in case of any damage, and that the credit card would not be refunded as 'they didn't have the money.' It looked to me like they had the money, as there was a pending debit on my credit card. When I asked somebody else the next day, this was confirmed, and sure enough the 100 euro charge disappeared from my statement 5 days after check-out. It caused a little bit of a hassle, but all worked out in the end - don't stress!

The room was smallish, but comfortable. The bed was very large, and super comfy. TV was great - had satellite cable with Eurosport, BBC World and the like. Temperature control was a bit of an issue - the heating was off, but it was still very warm at night.

Another thing that we found odd about this place was the lack of overhead lighting in the rooms. There are many lamps, but it can at times, even with all the lights on, be difficult to see what you are doing.

The bathroom was fine, good shower pressure etc.

We thought the 'business centre' was great - really it is a computer and a notepad. But still, great amenity and very helpful if you need to print off tickets to the Sound of Music tour or anything like that.

Location wise, the hotel is great - it is about a 10min walk to the main part of town, and about 15min walk to the station (difficult with bags, as there are thick loose stone paths that will ruin your wheels - definitely recommend getting a taxi). Of course, it would be much prettier and nicer to be in the old town itself, but I imagine much cheaper to be a little way out.

We didn't have reason to use the restaurant, but it seemed very reasonably priced. Another great thing about the location is the presence of an Indian Restaurant called Taj Mahal a few hundred metres down the road in the direction of the main town - very cheap, and among the best Indian restaurants I have ever been to. There was also an Italian place just next to the Indian restaurant - the food was good, but the service was very poor.

For more nearby food, I would also highly recommend the beer barn Alter Fuchs - great beer and huge delicious meals at quite reasonable prices.

Bottom line - this is a good option for those wishing a comfortable stay in Salzburg. The rooms are serviceable (although we were supposedly in a superior room - I don't know what the normal ones would be like), and some of the staff are more helpful than others. It is also a nice walk to the centre of town. However, do not expect many frills.