The Merchant Hotel

There's a huge difference between what's said and what's done. This rings true in the hotel industry, particularly at the Five-Star Merchant in the Cathedral Quarter. Their commitment to guest satisfaction is evident in every department. During my recent stay, I was impressed by the efficient check-in, excellent concierge service, stunning rooms, and superb cuisine. Dinner at The Great Room was a highlight, with exceptional food, service, and incredible architecture that felt almost European, yet I was in vibrant Belfast. The Great Room Restaurant truly stands out, featuring the best local produce, an exquisite wine list, and a remarkable dessert. The experience was outstanding, and even breakfast the following morning was top-notch, thanks to Mal and Ben’s exceptional service. An unexpected touch was the birthday cake with a candle, graciously provided by the amazing staff. Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?

I booked this hotel as a 70th birthday surprise for my husband. It cost considerably more than I would normally have spent on accommodation, but it was a very special occasion. The hotel is in an excellent central location, although there is a large and noisy bar opposite which did make a great deal of noise - especially, I think, as our visit coincided with Pride week. The room was well appointed, though I was surprised that they only provided coffee bags, no coffee machine. The main problem was that there was a great deal of limescale on the grout of the shower, together with quite a few spots of black mould. I complained and they were very apologetic, saying that the shower was due to be re-grouted. If that was the case, surely they shouldn't have put us in that room? We went out to dinner and on returning to our room we were overpowered by the smell of bleach and cleaning products which took many hours to dissipate. They had managed to remove all the limescale & mould, which, of course, suggests that it could have been properly cleaned - and aired- before we arrived. The excellent breakfast was served in a magnificent dining room. All in all, the mouldy shower issue was a considerable blot on an otherwise lovely weekend. I was surprised to be presented with the full bill at check-out with no reduction. I had to ask for one, and £100 was taken off, but that was less than 10% of the total. Quite frankly I was expecting the first night's stay to be be taken off, but no.

The best part of the stay was the staff. They are exceptional! Courteous and kind and they almost make up for the hotel itself. This is not a 5 star resort, rundown, and very shabby. Our room bathroom was a complete nightmare, shower flooded, pipes would scream with the hot water piping through. Luckily our suite had two sinks so we used the other one. The bathroom floor was stained in various place and the toilet area was simply gross with what we could only surmise were old urine stains. Horrible. Last it’s a busy area and a club across the street started a live show which blasted through entire room through midnight: Maybe she was grand dame once upon a time, but that time is long gone. It needs a drastic refurbishment.

Our stay in The Merchant Hotel was exceptional! From the moment we arrived we knew it was going to be a special stay! Immediately greeted by welcoming staff with a friendly smile! We arrived early as we had made a reservation for Afternoon Tea. Staff kindly stored our luggage and transferred it to our room while we had afternoon tea. Afternoon tea was fabulous! Service impeccable and all the food was divine. Staff were all so friendly and attentive. It really was the staff that made our experience outstanding. They even brought a beautiful cake to mark my husband's birthday. Afternoon Tea in The Merchant feels like such a luxury experience and it exceeded our expectations! We spent some time in the spa, it was small but not busy at all. Very nice and the views from the roof top hot tub were amazing! Our room was clean, comfortable and had all the necessary facilities needed to have a relaxing and enjoyable stay. The toiletries were gorgeous! We had a wonderful night's sleep! We had drinks in the bar before dinner and they were amazing! Really fabulous choice of cocktails and they were delicious. Staff regularly topped up glasses of water and checked in to make sure we had everything we needed. Even though the bar was busy, staff were always available and very friendly. Dinner was in Berts Jazz Bar. Atmosphere was amazing! Food exceptional and staff outstanding! We had such a lovely meal, faultless! Breakfast the next morning was perfection. Once again, staff were exceptional. Choice of food was great and everything was cooked perfectly! Overall, we had an amazing stay. We had booked an overnight with breakfast and dinner package was very good value for money. We cannot wait to stay again!

The building is absolutely stunning from the outside and when you go inside it is even more incredible. We decided to come here for tea time. The service was impeccable and the tea and treats were incredible. It is not inexpensive though in comparisons to other tea times I have experienced but if you settle in and enjoy the experience for what it is and where you are at, it is all worth it.

This was an extremely disappointing experience in terms of food and in particular, service. It definitely does not meet expectations for a 5 star hotel meal. I ordered lamb which was very grissly and inedible.. The service check came before we had started eating and there was no further contact. When I politely commented on receipt of the bill, the waiter did not know what to do. We refused the gratuity which was automatically applied and when the supervisor came over, he accused me of eating it (which I had not,), offered no apology and did not appear to know how to deal with feedback. Service overall was poor and slow. The others in my party were satisfied with their food, not it was not up to our expectations having been before.