The Merchant Hotel

Inside was beautiful and the staff at the cocktail bar were fab!

This is a five star luxury hotel in the heart of Belfast city centre. It is not cheap and we only used it as my wife had been given a very generous gift voucher on her retirement from her workplace for the hotel.

Reception:
A warm and friendly welcome from Finola. She was professional and very helpful. She had kindly upgraded us to a better room on the third floor. Our room was not ready on arrival but she took our bags from us and promised to call me when the room was ready. 30 minutes later we got a call and returned to collect our key cards. Our bags had already been sent up to the room.

Room:
Large and spacious and beautifully furnished with a small and narrow outdoor balcony. The room offered plenty of hanging space, a desk, two armchairs, and tea coffee making facilities. The bathroom was large and well appointed with a large bath tub and a separate walk in shower. The bed was comfortable. There was some noise from a nearby bar at night, but it was not excessive and the hotel is right in the heart of Belfast.

We were out for the evening and upon our return we found a balloon, small box of chocolates, and a card from the management, wishing my wife a happy retirement- a very nice touch and much appreciated.

Breakfast:
Served in the beautifully elegant dining room which is old fashioned but features stunning architecture, high ceilings, and beautiful furnishings. All the food is served to you at the table by a team of friendly and efficient servers, no self service here!. There was a wide choice on offer and everything tasted good.

Conclusion:
An excellent luxury hotel in central Belfast. This luxury comes at a high price but if you can afford it, and want to treat yourself, The Merchant will not disappoint.

Amazing stay at the Merchant hotel in Belfast, from the moment we walked in to the moment we left, we were spoiled! Staff were super, so helpful & professional. Will definitely be returning soon :-)

Love the merchant as it always provides first class service, especially in berts. The vibe is great.

I stayed for my 40th birthday in January. The hotel is beautiful and we were made very welcome.
The rooms are very comfy and nice big bathtubs. Felt luxurious.
The bar and the great room are beautiful. Good (but expensive) cocktail menu, and breakfast was fantastic. You are well fed!
Hottub and sauna lovely to have and it was nice and quiet when we visited mid week.
The staff are the crowning glory. Everyone was so lovely and kind. I was unwell on our second night and staff went out of their way to make me comfortable. I I felt so well looked after and valued.
It is a bit noisy at night with passing revellers etc, but not over the top and the hotel have earplugs available.
Well worth a stay if you’re in Belfast.

Greeted by a pleasant, helpful receptionist at check-in. We were offered a free upgrade to the Seamus Heaney Suite, which was sensational. Had a superb meal at the Cloth Ear, as part of the package we had purchased. Enjoyed the wonderful rooftop hot tub, while overlooking the Belfast skyline. Breakfast was lovely with a full cooked breakfast, as well as cereal, toast, fruit, etc. Would highly recommend and return.

Fabulous central location. Gorgeous boutique bedroom with huge bathroom including a free standing bath. Amazing architecture and history visible throughout the hotel. Delicious breakfast. Very friendly and attentive staff .

We booked a junior suite at the Merchant for one night to stay in Belfast before flying back to London the following morning. On initial booking we indicated there were two adults and one child staying and requested a travel cot for our room. A week before we were due to arrive I was contacted by reception and asked to confirm the age of the child and whether we were celebrating any occasion. I was happy to confirm we were in Northern Ireland celebrating my son's third birthday and so he was 3, having turned 3 two days before our stay at the Merchant.

I was informed that because my son was 3 a travel cot would not be provided and he would have to sleep in a single bed. When I explained that he has literally just turned 3, that he sleeps in a travel cot regularly and I would happily judge whether it was suitable on my arrival I was told in no uncertain terms that a cot would not be provided for him. When I queried via telephone if there was any flexibility given the fact had we stayed two days prior and had I been asked his age I would have said 2 - and so presumably a cot would have been provided - I was told that because he would be 'approaching 3' I still would not have been allowed a cot in the room.

I asked to query this with a manager as, having stayed in many 5* hotels throughout the UK, I was sure a 5* hotel wouldn't offer so little flexibility but I was prevented from speaking to anyone in management and again informed by 'Reservations' and 'Housekeeping' that they would not provide a cot.

Reservations staff were completely inflexible bordering on rude. I would not book to stay here again with my family, clearly not family friendly in any way. I cancelled my reservation and booked into the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast instead, which had no problem offering a cot for my toddler. I would highly recommend the Grand Central to anyone reading this and looking for a hotel to stay in Belfast.

The Merchant proved to be an excellent base from which to explore Belfast. A beautifully appointed hotel which has blended the modern with original features. Room was large and comfortable. Dinner one evening in the The Great Room Restaurant was good quality with attentive service. We would stay here again

Another excellent stay at this wonderful hotel. From the minute we checked in staff were so welcoming and friendly. The hotel also accommodated our request for a room we had stayed in before. Dinner in the Great Room on Sunday evening was beautiful as was breakfast on Monday morning. We had a few drinks in the Cocktail Bar after dinner. It was so cosy, relaxed atmosphere with a lovely roaring fire. A stay at the Merchant is our perfect way to spend a Sunday.

We love this hotel. Service and rooms are exceptional. Unfortunately, if you stay on a weekend the noise from from a nearby club doesn't stop until after 2am.

restaurants next to hotel are very usefull for us while waiting checkin

Everything

I don't write negative reviews as a rule but I feel compelled to on this occasion. Especially because nobody got back to me after I left an internal review of the food. I spent a lot of money here for 2 nights. I booked in for 2 nights on Christmas Eve, leaving on 26.12.2025.

Check in was standard 3 star and we were offered no help with luggage

Rooms were better than standard but nothing exceptional - same space as general hotels but more luxurious

Staff were very nice

We had an uninspiring dinner in the great room on Christmas Eve with no price on the menu. By the way, this cost £284 for the standard menu and a bottle of wine to share - they also decided to help themselves to a service charge of 12.5%. To say it was mediocre for the price is being kind

Christmas day lunch in the Cloth Ear Bistro was one of the worst meals I've ever had honestly. The quality of the food offered was dreadful. My almost full plate was taken away without comment. The bill here was significantly more than the previous night.

How did this hotel get 5 stars and how did it get 2 AA rosettes for dining?

Out first time visiting The Merchant and we loved it. Any staff we had dealings with were helpful and friendly. Had dinner in Bert's Jazz Bar on the first night and the Cloth Ear the second night. Food was excellent as was the service. Breakfast each morning was equally good. Room was clean, comfortable and luxurious. A really beautiful hotel with lovely staff. As others have said you can hear some noise from the stree late at night if you are a light sleeper but that is part of life and the hotel cannot be held accountable for that. We will certainly be back again hopefully.

It's tradition now for us to visit the Merchant Hotel, for our Anniversary in January. We went once, and fell in love with it so much, we just keep going back.
Everything is just wonderful in the hotel, the service, the rooms, the food, the rooftop sauna and hot tub, the Coctail Bar, The Cloth Ear bar.. the list goes on.
Always a warm welcome, and nothing is too much trouble for the wonderful staff.
We always book dinner as well in Bert's Jazz Bar on the ground floor. Dinner and a show, in Art Deco surroundings, just fab.
As a personal side note, The Merchant are very good for catering for Coeliacs as well. I always email in advance to let them know, just in case, but it's never an issue. Dinner is always amazing, and there's a separate Gluten Free menu for breakfast.
Already looking forward to our next visit.
10/10.