商業酒店(The Merchant Hotel)

We booked an accessible room for our anniversary. Double checked on arrival. It’s pretty obvious that we need a room that can accommodate the one of us in the mobility scooter. The room was large but there were accessibility issues. The door to the bathroom opens into the person opening it and is difficult to manage if the traveller was alone. There was no handrails at the loo and it would be impossible to use as a disabled person. The room is opposite a bar which plays very loud music until 1 am. The management informed us that they had rooms in the art deco wing which were more suitable!! They are experimenting it’s soundproofing in some rooms to deal with the noise issue. Not much use to be told this on checkout. We made our views known on departure and are voting with our feet.

I have frequently stayed with the Merchant over the years and I have never been disappointed but my recent stay was extremely dissatisfying especially for the price paid. We were checked in to our room and there was used towels not taken out of the room and hairs on the bedsheets. We understand this happens so upon informing the housekeepers this was sorted. We came back after going for a meal and they just removed the towels but did not bother to replace with new ones!! When I let reception know it seemed as if I was an inconvenience to them and was bothering them and they did not even bother to apologize. I went to breakfast the next day and spoke to the duty manager to be met with a dead stare and after saying nothing all they said was sorry and no explanation or compensation given. I don't think I will be staying here again in a hurry.

I spent 2 nights in The Merchant Hotel last week, I will not be visiting again. My daughter who is coeliac was unable to have breakfast there so despite spending a LOT of money on our stay including breakfast, we were forced to go elsewhere to find her food. The hotel has a GF breakfast ‘menu’ and this in part informed our decision to stay there, but in reality the menu is simply a listing of the items from the regular menu that do not contain gluten, think eggs bacon etc (no sausages). That’s fine if you like eggs & bacon, my 13 year old daughter doesn’t and she had the not unreasonable expectation that she might be able to have pancakes, or pastries, or French toast (all of which were offered on the regular menu, though there was some smoked fish available to her - a definite favourite for kids!). We were, after all, paying the same price for her breakfast and she was a guest of the hotel too. What was truly astonishing to me was that after our experience where our daughter could only have half a grapefruit for breakfast on the first day, and we highlighted this to staff, no arrangements were made to have anything available for her on the second morning. To add insult to injury we were informed that there was a French Toast special that day just not for people who have a gluten allergy! I was genuinely shocked at the poor level of service received at this hotel, it’s listed as a 5 star which is supposed to be characterised by excellent service. Our experience here was quite the reverse. My strong feeling is that if you are coeliac, or a child at The Merchant they simply do not feel that you should expect to have the same quality of experience as other guests. The hotel staff seemed not to understand that when a family member is reduced to tears on the second morning of their stay because they have no breakfast AGAIN, that this affects the whole family. Staying in a luxury hotel for our family (which we rarely do) is about enjoying the room and enjoying the breakfasts. This experience completely ruined our stay. Do better please.

I visited The Merchant with a friend for afternoon tea. This was a birthday gift for myself. The hotel exterior is grand, which just gets better when entering. So much to admire on the inside, the decor is stunning. We were seated quickly in a nice corner booth, plenty of space for us. All the people serving were professional and helpful throughout. The food was so fresh and so tasty. Not your usual afternoon tea, a lot of effort had gone into this; we had mouse with chocolate sphere, chocolate tart, lemon cheese cake, none of the usual standard items. I really appreciated the effort from everyone here. And then out came a birthday cake!! Amazing touch. We spent around 3 hours in the venue admiring and taking our time with the tea. The toilets here are stunning too.

I had a completely horrible experience with both reception and door staff late last month. I was planning on booking a room for my grandmother and her sister as it was coming up to anniversary of the death of her husband. I have previously used the Merchant for booking stays for my family and it has been great but I have never dealt with staff front facing. I had just left the gym and was in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and was walking past Cathedral quarter and rather than do it online I thought I would pop in and speak to the desk to see if they could advise which was the best package to book as previously I have did it online. It was very difficult to find reception as when I originally walked towards the restaurant it directed you around to a side door with reception signs and the door was locked - I then continued around the corner towards the entrance of the hotel after following further signs. As soon as I walked in the reception girl was busy with a guest and as working in a hotel myself I didn't want to queue and put pressure on her. As I had never been in the actual hotel before I walked in and went towards the right to realize there was no seating and I then walked towards the left to the seating area provided. I could see reception staring at me probably due to the fact I was in shorts and a t-shirt (bear in mind it was 22 degrees outside). I was then confronted by a security man named Alistair who came over and told me I had to leave - when I asked why I was told it was reported by reception that I was being drunk & disorderly. Completely shocked I asked what he meant be this and he informed me that there had been reports by reception of someone drunk and disorderly and causing havoc on the lobby (Can I also add than in the 10 minutes I sat there no one else entered the hotel as I was watching reception to go up and speak to her when she wasn't busy). I explained to him that I had not had any alcohol and had just left the gym and I would like to speak to a manager. When I approached reception and asked the lady at the desk the security guard started losing his words and tripping up on his lies and now changed his story to it was not reception that reported it that it was someone from outside the hotel called in and said that someone drunk and disorderly was coming into the hotel (someone cares that much about the merchant that they called in to report someone walking in). As if anyone believes that. The fact of the matter is they did not like what I was wearing and immediately profiled me the second I walked through the door and instead of having the guts to come over and ask me did I have any business in the hotel or did I need help with someone they made up a complete lie to try and intimidate me and make me leave. They all couldn't keep up with their lies when questioned about it and kept changing their story and as soon as I mentioned I worked for another hotel they started back tracking and changing their stance and

From check in to the moment you check out you will know you are in a fabulous 5 Star hotel.The staff in all areas of the hotel including Berts Bar are wonderful welcoming,helpful,friendly and kind.The rhubarb crumble we enjoyed there was 1st class.Nothing is a bother to them. It was very clear to us that they are very happy and enjoy their work the gold key to having a fantastic hotel like The Merchant.

This was one of our stops on our Tauck tour or Ireland. Such an incredible property! Stunningly beautiful inside and out. The rooms are among the best I’ve ever stayed in. Very large and well appointed. The main restaurant is a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds. Great, food, drink and service. Absolutely nothing will disappoint you there!

We popped into the Merchant Hotel before heading home. The staff were warm and welcoming, and the bar had a good range of cocktails and spirits. Special mention to Ashleen (hope I spelt that correctly) for looking after us and making some great recommendations.

Had a birthday afternoon tea and it was nice and quaint. The drinks were good but the nibbles were a bit of a let down. Sandwiches weren’t the best as you couldn’t really tailor them and the treats were a bit sickening.