Although I had been satisfied with Ten Square and The Fitzwilliam hotels on my previous two visits to Belfast, once again I wanted to try somewhere different, and there are several shiny new hotels in the revitalised Northern Irish capital to choose from.  We chose to stay at the now well-established The Merchant.  The Merchant is as close as you’ll get to a grand 5 star property in Belfast; a Grade A Victorian neo-classical sandstone-fronted building re-purposed from the former Ulster Bank HQ, it’s a famous landmark in the city’s fashionable ‘Cathedral Quarter’, just 15 minutes in a taxi from George Best Belfast City Airport and walking distance to myriad attractions, bars and restaurants in the city centre.

The grand entrance on Waring Street is actually used to access the Great Room restaurant and the Cocktail bar – staying guests check in via a more obscure entrance on Skipper Street. Our arrival was warmly welcomed, as you would expect, because everyone in Northern Ireland greets you very warmly! I had booked a Junior Loft Suite from their website at £300/night B&B, but they generously upgraded us to one of their ‘full’ suites, which are named after writers. The Brian Friel Suite, which took up half of the Waring Street facade, was on the 3rd floor.  The suite was “in the Victorian style”, which would appeal to overseas visitors searching for a taste of  ‘historical Britain’.  Think guilded-framed old paintings, marble fireplaces, patterned fabric all-coverings, antique furniture.  If this is too old fashioned for you, the Merchant also has rooms in a slightly younger Art Deco style.

We entered the suite’s hallway to find a spacious bathroom in front of us, which had a free-standing bath tub and a cosy shower cubicle. But despite the size of the room there was only a single sink. Ulster benefits from good, clear, soft water, yet the toiletries provided didn’t lather up at all well.

To the left of the bathroom was the sitting room, with a 3-piece suite, a low table, some occasional furniture and a large wall-mounted TV. Tea and Coffee making equipment was provided, but the French Press for the coffee was mis-shapen and our cups of coffee contained many coffee grinds, which isn’t very nice!  There was no fruit.

Just like the sitting area, the bedroom had a ‘compact’ feel to it. The suite is indeed spacious, but the decor and furnishings make it feel ‘cosy’. The bed was pleasantly soft and it had an impressive headboard and a dramatic wall feature behind it to emphasise its luxurious appearance.  The hotel offers a choice of pillow types, and for the first time in my life I took advantage of this because I was suffering with a sore and stiff neck. But the next day the housekeeper disregarded my choices and made up the bed with her choice of pillows!  She also liked to move our things around.

Each evening we were left a chocolate and 2 x 330ml bottles of water. For me, that’s not sufficient for rehydration, and it appears just a bit ‘tight’ in a suite.  I really hate being dried out in an hotel, so I usually turn the aircon off when I go to bed. But at The Merchant the aircon turned itself on again by itself!

Breakfast was included in my room rate, and we took it each morning in the “Great Room” restaurant.  And what a great room it is, with the most amazingly decorated and adorned high domed ceiling.  It was when I had lunch here on my last visit that I started thinking I wanted to stay in this hotel.  Breakfast was entirely a la carte and of a very good quality, including Northern Irish specialities.

The staff we interacted with were all very friendly and warm. We particularly liked chatting with Martin and Ryan, two of the Concierges, who looked after our needs very well indeed.

The hotel has an Elemis spa on the ground floor, and on the 6th floor there’s a gym, sauna, steam room and a roof-top open-air hot tub. We didn’t use these facilities, but we were given a tour of the 6th floor and took this photo through the rain.

Overall I enjoyed staying at The Merchant. My suite was good, the location was perfect for me, and the staff were very nice. But just a couple of niggles in the room mean I score it 8/10