This hotel is far over-priced and a bit run down for the price. I received a discounted price of $140 per night. The carpets were stained, furniture with cigarette burns, individual climate control worthless, room was hot despite being amidst one of the worst storms in Algiers' recent history and a very bad smell in the rooms and some of the public areas. Couldn't connect to internet in the room either, although you were supposed to have access. The service was good and they tried to accomodate but were constrained by the hotels limitations. Breakfast over-priced for what was on offer as well.

I stayed at the Hotel Mercure 4 nights in the spring of 2003. Because of the security situation in Algeria, most international hotels are like fortresses. This one is no exception. This is a very minor inconvenience. Basically, you have to have your luggage checked both by hand and through a scanner. Yep .. just like at an airport. Once you're inside, however, you feel like you're inside a Hilton anywhere in the US. Everything is clean, the place is not crowded, they have a nice piano bar in the middle. I ordered a black russian at the bar. I told the waiter "black russian" in English and he knew exactly what I wanted. That was good, but expensive (about $8). The hotel is very quiet, the rooms spacious, but the beds are on the hard side. The area around the hotel is rather boring. Taking a taxi *from within the hotel* to the city (i.e., Alger Centre) is going to set you back about $6 or $7. If you walk outside and catch one outside the hotel, it will cost you about $2 or $3. They have a very reliable shuttle to the airport. Overall, this is a nice hotel, I would rank it 4 stars easy, but not 5 (I am using US standards, here) , and it is cheaper than other luxury hotels in the Algiers area.