Salem, United States

The Merchant

Price per night from$211.11

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (inclusive of taxes and fees) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD211.11), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

True original

Setting

Haunting Historic District

Casting a stylish spell over central Salem, The Merchant puts this city’s spirited delights on your doorstep. An 18th-century facade offers a crystal ball into this district’s mystical past; and inside, rooms and suites work their own kind of magic, with rich red and Colonial blue hues that nod to its original sea-trading owner. Your set of personalised, about-town activities give an equally enticing insight into this otherworldly East Coast enclave, too.

Smith Extra

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A lavender-scented massage balm or linen spray from Lather

Food and Drink

Photos The Merchant food and drink

Top Table

During the summer, take drinks up to the second-floor deck and in winter, secure a fireside seat for cozy nightcaps.

Dress Code

Dark tones and chunky accessories are best round these witchy ends.

Hotel restaurant

There’s no restaurant, but down in the lobby, a light breakfast of made-to-order plates and baked goods are available daily. During the day, you’re welcome to help yourself to coffee and snacks.

Hotel bar

There isn’t a bar here, but you’re welcome to bring your own drinks and settle in for the evening at the fire-warmed lounge.

Last orders

Breakfast is served between 8am and 10am.

Location

Photos The Merchant location
Address
The Merchant
148 Washington Street
Salem
01970
United States

The Merchant sits along Washington Street in the McIntire Historic District of Salem, Massachusetts.

Planes

If you’re arriving from overseas, Boston Logan Airport is around 40 minutes from the hotel by car and the nearest international option. For flights from within the States, Beverly Regional Airport is a closer 15-minute drive. Private transfers can be arranged from both airports, for an extra charge.

Trains

There are direct routes to Boston, Newburyport and Rockport from Salem’s Train and Bus Station. It’s a 15-minute walk (or five-minute drive) to The Merchant from there, and the hotel can arrange transfers for an additional charge. The Downeaster, which runs between Boston and Portland in Maine, also stops in Salem.

Automobiles

If you’re sticking to Salem, a car isn’t essential. But for those bringing their wheels, there are five parking spots at the hotel for $25 a night ($35 in October). If the hotel’s carpark is full, there are additional options nearby.

Worth getting out of bed for

Gen up on Salem’s macabre past at the Salem Witch Museum, where live reenactments and exhibitions teach you about the city’s infamous 1692 Trials. The 17th-century House of the Seven Gables and the Peabody Essex Museum are similarly colorful cultural pitstops. Self-guided walking trails around the McIntire Historic District take you past the storied architect’s 300 buildings, starting at the Witch House on the corner of North and Essex Streets.

If you’re looking for a break from all that sorcery, drive over to Winter Island Park and visit its historic lighthouse, or mooch around local boutiques and waterfront eateries along Pickering Wharf

Local restaurants

Wood-fired pizzas with your pick of toppings and wine pairings are the name of the game at Bambolina — a laidback, raved about spot on Derby Street. Tucked into Lynde Street, Settler is run by a welcoming husband-and-wife duo, dishing cooked-to-order, French-inspired fare. Make the most of your coastal setting and book a table at Finz Seafood + Grill, where fresh fish and sushi are served with a side of harbor views.

Local cafés

Feel like a local at Red’s Sandwich Shop, an award-winning joint down Central Street that plates cooked breakfasts, overflowing toasties and sandwiches — including the well-loved honey chicken melt, with Swiss cheese and fries. If you’re looking for a quintessential spot, the Ugly Mug Diner delivers all-American breakfasts (eggs, bacon, biscuits) right next door to The Merchant. 

Local bars

There aren’t many rooftop spots around Salem, but the aptly named Roof is one of the few where you can enjoy creative (and classic) concoctions against sweeping cityscapes. Get a taste of the East Coast’s booming beer industry with a visit to the East Regiment Beer Co — a local microbrewery with light bites and plenty of pints.

Reviews

Photos The Merchant reviews

Anonymous review

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this history-steeped hotel in Massachusetts and unpacked their broomsticks and sorcerers’ robes, a full account of their witchy break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside The Merchant in Salem…

A one-time jail during the Witch Trials, a wealthy trader’s townhouse, and now a polished boutique hotel, The Merchant has a unique story that’s undoubtedly its calling card. 

This storied stay’s origins date back to the 1680s, when it was established as a holding house, at Sheriff George Corwin’s command, for locals accused of witchcraft. Its first transformation came over a hundred years later, when the rum- and spice-trading sailor Joshua Ward commissioned architect Samuel McIntire to renovate the former jail into a home. 

As well as a grand floating staircase, the original fluted panelling that McIntire designed still graces spacious rooms and suites. Newer, cushy additions, such as soul-warming fireplaces and cossetting window nooks, bring coziness to its characterful interiors. And a raft of tech frills in rooms underline its 21st-century appeal. 

This trimly turned-out Merchant has so much more than just history to peddle…

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Price per night from $211.11