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.





== History ==





=== 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. Several 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.