In the know

Our favourite rooms: Room 212 has a fabulous bathroom. All suites have roll‑top baths and several have fireplaces, but the Seamus Heaney suite has a beautiful antique four‑poster bed and perhaps the best view in the hotel.
Packing tips: The Emerald Isle is green for a reason: pack an umbrella.

Current offers

Smith card offer: An expertly prepared Mai Tai cocktail each

More photos

The Merchant Hotel

Belfast, United Kingdom[view map]

Style: Grand neoclassical bank
Setting: The Cathedral Quarter

Occupying the former headquarters of the Ulster Bank, The Merchant Hotel is a grand neoclassical building with vaulted ceilings, kitted out in rich colours and fabrics. This boutique creation makes you feel like a VIP from the minute you walk through the door. Bedrooms are opulent and complete with all the modern-day add-ons you can think of. The hotel bar, the Cloth Ear, used to be the bank's customer branch, while the fine restaurant occupies the former banking hall.

Need to know

Rooms: 26, including five suites.
Rates: £220–£600, including breakfast and VAT.
Check-out: Midday; later by arrangement and at a charge of £50. Earliest check‑in, 3pm.
Facilities: Free WiFi throughout, DVD/CD library. In rooms, flatscreen TV, DVD/CD player, King Koil mattresses, black‑out curtains, anti‑mist bathroom mirrors, rain shower heads and Etro toiletries.
Hotel closed: 24–26 December.
Also: The hotel can arrange for its chauffeur‑driven Bentley to pick you up from the airport (City Airport, £50; Belfast International, £80); alternatively, book it for a day’s sightseeing or a picnic outing.

Food & drink

Hotel restaurant: The Great Room was once the banking hall of the Ulster Bank, and is perhaps the most resplendent space in this lavish establishment. Chef Roly Graham’s menu focuses on local produce, including beef from County Fermanagh and venison from Downpatrick.
Dress code: Think informal but glamorous, like Katharine Hepburn-style trousers and polo shirts.
Top table: The cosy red booths at the corners of the dining platform are best.
Last orders: Breakfast: 10.30am; lunch: 2.30pm; dinner: 10pm. 12.45am in the bar.
Room service: A full room service menu (soups, sandwiches, steaks, fish, pasta, desserts and cheeses) is available until 11pm, after which there’s a snack menu of lighter dishes.
Hotel bar: Try the signature Merchant Ivory cocktail in the hotel bar; apparently they import water from Fiji to make the ice. The bar is very popular at weekends but you can wait for a table in the hotel's lively Cloth Ear pub, or the quieter members' bar.

Also worth knowing

Children: Welcome; under‑fives stay free. Cots, baby baths and monitors are available; babysitting costs £20 an hour. More…

Smith Members offer

An expertly prepared Mai Tai cocktail each

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