Mercure (hotel)

Mercure is a French midscale hotel chain owned by Accor. Created in 1973 in France, the brand was acquired by Accor in 1975, and subsequently became a major part of the company's midscale hotel portfolio, alongside Novotel. As of 2021, Mercure operated 949 hotels in 63 countries. Outside Europe, Accor additionally uses the Grand Mercure brand, an upscale subsidiary in currently 12 countries.

Foundation and early years
The first Mercure hotel was established in 1973 in Saint-Witz, France. In 1975, Mercure was acquired by Accor (then Novotel-SIEH) and became Novotel's complementary midscale brand within the group.

In 1989, Mercure opened its 100th hotel. In 1991, following Accor's acquisition of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, the Altea hotels acquired through this deal became Mercure hotels. Serveral hotel brands purchased by Accor throughout the 1990s (Parthénon, Libertel, Jardins de Paris, Frantour, All Seasons) were also rebranded into Mercure hotels.

Development since 2000
By 2001, 655 Mercure hotels were in operation worldwide. In 2007, following the launch of Accor's new brands MGallery, Pullman Hotels and Resorts and All Seasons, the group allocated several of its Mercure-branded locations to the development of those new brands.

In 2010, Mercure launched an expansive refurbishment program for its hotel rooms. In 2011, Accor signed a deal with Jupiter Hotels in the United Kingdom to rebrand 24 of their properties into Mercure hotels. In 2012, Mercure opened in China the first Grand Mercure branded Mei Jue for the Chinese market. In 2015, Mercure launched in Colombia and opened three Grand Mercure hotels in Brazil.