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The Merchant Hotel Review

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The Merchant Hotel

Address: 35-39 Waring St., Central District, Belfast, BT1 2DY
Phone: 028/9023-4888
www.themerchanthotel.com

Price range: $$$$
Location: Belfast

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Fodor's Review:

Historic and yet mod enough for the likes of Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, and Liam Neeson, the Merchant brought a new level of luxury to accommodation in central Belfast when it opened in 2006. Made of formidable Giffnock sandstone, the architecturally opulent structure was built for the headquarters of Ulster Bank in the mid-19th century. Set with grand columns and crowned with a dramatic group of sculptures depicting Britannia, Justice, and Commerce, the exterior is exuberantly Italianate in style. Inside, a riot of tall urns, fruit, foliage designs, and plump ebullient cherubs are on show, climaxing in the Great Room restaurant (the former banking hall), so magnificent it puts most of England's stately halls to shame. The ornate guest rooms—color schemes are burnt-orange, dark gold, and deep red—come with antique furnishings, works of art, rich fabrics, and enormous plasma-screen TVs. Subdued lighting on the second floor leads to airy and high-ceilinged suites named after literary figures with Irish connections: Louis MacNeice, Seamus Heaney, Brian Friel, C. S. Lewis, and Philip Larkin. Pros: an opulent place with attentive reception and bar staff; the deep mattresses leave a mellow afterglow; history and architecture buffs will love it. Cons: revelers from pubs and clubs in the surrounding streets detract from the internal serenity; at £15, breakfast room service is for high rollers only.

Hotel Details: 21 rooms, 5 suites
In-room: refrigerator, Wi-Fi.
In-hotel: restaurant, bar, parking (paid).
Credit Cards: AE, MC, V

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