I visited the Hotel Mercure in June 2012, and paid about US$50 a night. I must disagree with "LoveFree" and "StevenBKK" -- I found the Mercure to be clean and convenient, and the staff to be quite helpful. While it does not offer (nor claim) five-star luxury, it is perfectly safe and convenient for the business traveler or the experienced tourist. I have stayed at MANY other hotels in and around Batam, and so far this rates as the best in my price range.

As you can see from the attached photos, my room and that of my associate were large and clean, with just a few burn marks in the carpeting from careless smokers. The furniture is somewhat spartan, but the desk was comfortable and the TV worked fine. The bathroom was clean and included a giant bath tub; not sure who needs a tub as long as the Queen Mary, but it's there if you are a basketball pro.

When we checked in, the lobby was busy. Check in speed was a bit slow, but it was rush-hour, and the manager brought everybody a glass of juice which I thought was a nice touch. The elevators were slow but so is almost everything else in Batam, so no complaints there.

"Lovefree" is right about one thing -- don't try to walk from this hotel; you'll get run over by the wild traffic of Batam. But taxis are plentiful and cheap, and the two big malls are just a few dollars away. We asked one driver to take us to an outdoor dining area, which he did, and ended up joining us for dinner and we had a lovely night chatting away.

The dining room is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and I particularly enjoyed the breakfast buffet. It was large, with a decent variety of food styles, and a cook made fresh omlets to order. I also was able to get coffee for free while working on my laptop, so that made me happy -- it drives me nuts when hotels nickel-and-dime you for 25 cents of coffee.

I did not try the wired internet service in the hotel room, but the wireless service in the lobby area worked very welll and was very convenient. I sat there in the evening, sipping Batang beer provided by the charming young lady at the bar, and did emails for hours.

Lastly, for those so inclined, there is a handsome exercise room and a delightful swimming pool on the second floor.

nothing special with the hotel, the service and others is just like other hotel in its class,