The Merchant Hotel

Have been here few times. It has always been fantastic. So much so that we buy each other vouchers for Christmas/Birthdays etc. Big shout out to Ryan on reception (our new best friend lol) for navigating his way through our numerous vouchers. This is just a fabulous experience. Rooms are amazing. Staff are fantastic and you won’t get a better breakfast anywhere. We cannot wait to go back.

Gorgeous, spacious and comfortable room! Meticulously clean! Ample lighting, comfy seating and work spaces. Plenty of electrical outlets and conveniently places switches. Large closet with brightly lit vanity mirror. DEEP soaking tub and large walk-in shower. Delicious complimentary coffees, teas, and shortbread cookies! EXCELLENT service. Perfect in every way. LOVED it. Thank you for making us feel at home.

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.

I booked this hotel for myself and my wife to stay on Sunday, the 29th of December. I also booked a dinner at 6pm that night in the Great room. On arrival to the hotel we were greeted by the reception staff which we then proceeded to our room which was very nice. At 5.30 we headed down to the cocktail bar for drinks which we had to wait 15 minutes for a table to become available which was no problem. At 5.45 we got a table and ordered 2 drinks one of which was a cocktail for my wife. My drink came within 10 minutes as I ordered a bottle of beer as they don't serve pints in the cocktail bar or in the Great room but with no sign of my wife's cocktail we had to leave and go to our dinner booking at 6.15 so we didn't loose the booking. It wasn't until 6.30 the cocktail arrived at our table. The dinner and service itself was very good in the Great room. As I couldn't get a pint there we headed to the Cloth Ear and on arriving there we noticed 3 empty tables when we asked for a table for 2 we got told by the staff they were for food only. As residents of the hotel and had just finished a very expensive dinner in the restaurant we were shocked by this. We had no other choice but to go into the city and find a bar to drink in. When we arrived back at the hotel around 10.30 we headed back to our room we got greated by VERY LOUD MUSIC, which came from the national bar outside our room until 2 AM with no chance of sleep until it finished. After our stay I emailed the hotel about the problems we had which there response was that it was a busy weekend for them but not that busy that the hotel bar which we wanted to drink in and were refused had 3 empty tables in it when we arrived. As this stay for myself and my wife was going to be real treat for us other that the dinner that night everything else we extremely disappointing.

I gave my daughter and her husband a voucher for this hotel they asked for an art deco room but got a dark Victorian one looking out onto a wall. They booked breakfast the previous evening and in the morning were told to stand aside. They left and got breakfast elsewhere.very disappointing experience,

This is the first hotel regardless of star rating that I have been told I had to wait until a table became available in the bar. Totally unacceptable for a 5 star hotel. We actually left and got a drink in a bar on the street. If the hotel can't cater for the number of guests in January they really need to look at alternatives.