Mercure Chamonix Les Bossons

This hotel looks
lifted straight out of the late ’70s from the outside, but inside, plenty of
attention has been paid to its stylish, retro-cool mountain lodge atmosphere.
An unassuming front desk provides a casual welcome and leads to the main public
areas, the bar/lounge and restaurant. The two spaces blend into one another and
are warm and inviting, with exposed oak beams, tons of windows and natural
light, and distinctive contemporary furniture throughout, like
cowhide-patterned armchairs. The retro fireplace is particularly attractive and
the whole area is lined with wood and stone floors, and there is an outdoor
terrace for guests during warmer months. Guests here include many Mercure Ibis
return visitors, and are mostly couples and families, though business travelers
are also welcome.

This hotel sits off of
the busy highway leading connecting Chamonix town and Les Houches, a smaller
ski-resort village. Guests will need a car (or to avail the public buses or
hotel shuttle) when staying here, as walks to downtown Chamonix aren’t
reasonable. A drive into Chamonix should take 10 minutes, and the town is
filled with pedestrian streets lined with boutiques, restaurants, cafes, and
bars. The drive to the Aiguille du Midi Cable Car, which takes riders to scenic
views of the entire Alps chain, including the highest peak, Mont Blanc, also
takes about 10 minutes. Les Houches is the most popular ski domaine (area) for families in the area,
and is an eight-minute drive in the opposite direction of Chamonix. Geneva International
Airport is the closest to the hotel, and takes a little over an hour to reach
by car.

The Mercure brand’s Ibis
chain is popular in France and the rooms adhere to the brand’s basic, but mostly
stylish, design principles. Rooms have off-white stucco walls and brown striped
carpets, and are set with contemporary light ash veneer furniture with
minimalist lines. Leather desk chairs look lifted out of an airport lounge and
the sofa beds that are included with some rooms, while offering an extremely
comfortable night’s sleep, aren’t the most attractive. All rooms have good
double beds with plush bed runners and light ash headboards, as well as
telephones, large flat-screen TVs, air-conditioning (in summer), electric
kettles for tea or coffee, and safes. The black-and-white lithographs of
historic Alps scenes give the rooms a little bit of local flair, though some
details aren’t thought through, like the lack of proper closets in some rooms
and safes exposed to the rest of the room. Bathrooms are fine, with
wood-laminate floors, faux-granite vanities/basins that are often used in
public restrooms, and pump toiletry dispensers, but they are clean and have
bathtub/shower combos. Views vary from room to room, and highway-facing rooms
will pick up noise from the busy highway outside, though glacier-facing rooms
have lovely mountain views. Privilege Rooms come with bathrobes as well as
Nespresso machines, Bluetooth MP3 sound systems, and stocked minibars,
a feature curiously lacking in Standard Rooms.

The hotel’s indoor pool
is a lovely way to start or end the day. The tiled area has a few lounge chairs
and a hot tub, while the cool lighting creates a sleek effect against the
deconstructionist ceiling in the window-lined enclosure. The hotel also has an
on-site sauna for guests needing an alternative way to relax. There is a secure
ski room on site for guests with their own equipment, however the hotel doesn’t
offer rental ski equipment or bike rentals for summer visitors. The breakfast
buffet is good, but pricey for underwhelming features like machine-made coffee,
and the restaurant also offers prix fixe menus for lunch and dinner, though
better options exist in downtown Chamonix. The lounge and bar area, though, are
an excellent place to unwind in the evening, stocked with plenty of comfortable
chairs and couches, billiards, foosball. The hotel offers it’s own free shuttle
into Chamonix for guests without cars or those who do not wish to use the
public buses, and outdoor parking is also free. There are attractive five
meeting and events rooms on site with audiovisual and catering services
available as well. Babysitting services are available for guests with small
children and there is a playground on-site. Wi-Fi is free throughout
the hotel, and the 24-hour front desk can provide concierge and business
services.