The Merchant Hotel

Great location near pubs and restaurants. A short distance from sites to visit and nice walk to Titanic Experience. I booked a Deluxe Art Dec Room, and this was amazing. Perfect sleep aside from the music you could hear until 11pm but this didn't bother me as I put my ear pods and still fell asleep. The restaurant and the bar on site are a must try! Food and cocktails was so nice from breakfast to dinner. You can't go wrong! One last thing... went to see Sonny Fodera at the Custom House Square, so this was a perfect hub to be able to enjoy the show at a walking distance.

We ate here on the last bank holiday in August. The turbot was absolutely sublime. Easily the nicest fish dish I’d ever had. Presentation and flavour was exquisite. We do come here regularly and Horia, amongst other staff, always look after us very well.

We chose the Merchant hotel to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We had heard so much about the Merchant and had high expectations. The experience did not let us down. From the moment we arrived until we left we felt like special guests. The ambience is perfect. A balance of luxurious surroundings, quality service, great food and drink, live music in Bert’s bar along with friendliness and a warm welcome. It is worth the extra expense. And it is expensive. But for a special treat you’ll probably not be able to top it. Only one or two hotels in the world that we have been lucky to stay in would slightly better it but it’s close to the very best. Our experience was slightly soured by being on the floor just above and in the end room right over the Roof garden where there was a party going on. The music was very loud but as the music was good and it finished at 12 we didn’t complain - then there was a fire alarm at 12.40! Spoiled the experience a bit but we will soon forget this and remember the overall sumptuous surroundings, great food and warm welcome everywhere we went in the hotel.

We had high expectations for The Cocktail Bar at the Merchant Hotel, especially as it came recommended by the staff at Bert’s Jazz Bar. Our evening started well with a lovely dinner at Bert’s, though it felt rushed since we had to give up our table earlier than expected. Unfortunately, when it came time for after-dinner drinks, Bert’s was full and we were directed upstairs to The Cocktail Bar. We sent a colleague ahead to check availability and they came back saying seating wasn’t an issue. However, upon arrival with our group of 15, we were turned away, being told there wasn’t enough space. While we understood this reasoning, when our group reduced to just 6 people, we approached again, noticing an open and seemingly unused area in the bar. Despite this, we were denied entry once more. What made the experience particularly frustrating was being told by the manager that we were too drunk. This accusation felt unjustified, as none of us were behaving inappropriately or excessively. When I asked the manager to address the group directly, he declined. Feeling unwelcome, we returned downstairs to Bert’s Jazz Bar, where we were promptly served without issue. This was our first work Christmas night out in 10 years and we were hoping for a memorable evening. Unfortunately, the treatment we received at The Cocktail Bar left a sour impression. It felt as though the staff made an arbitrary decision to deny us entry without clear or consistent reasoning. A more transparent policy on group sizes and a respectful approach to handling customers would go a long way in improving the experience. The only thing I could find on the web about their policy was this “The Cocktail Bar is open to both residents and non residents. Unfortunately we cannot take reservations, however our staff will endeavour to seat you as soon as possible on arrival.” There was no effort made to seat us at all. Based on this visit, I cannot recommend The Cocktail Bar and I hope upper management addresses these concerns moving forward.

Bar Manager is extremely rude. When questioned he got very aggressive, squared up to me and had zero respect for customers. Made complaint to the hotel manager…who just ignored. Not acceptable for a hotel trying to be at this level. Very disappointing.

I went here with my friend and got spa treatments spending £100 each, as well as having food and drinks in the bar beforehand. The treatment was nice and the spa therapist was lovely. However I had a few issues previously with trying to book a treatment and the manager did not handle this well. We were also told there was a extra charge to use the TINY, very basic hydrotherapy suite and no access to the jacuzzi on the roof. When I told her this was ridiculous, especially after the money you’re spending on treatments I was told she could do nothing about this and that she would ensure we had the best experience on the day. There was no evidence of this apart from the nice spa therapist. I felt the manager wasn’t experienced in handling complaints and did not go out of her way to resolve my issues. The relaxation room was cold and uninviting. No magazines- just a jug of water. We left straight after our treatments. The whole experience from start to finish was disappointing and not what I would expect of a 5 star hotel. Won’t be back.