The Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast

We stayed at the Fitzwilliam last night and while the hotel looks impressive when you walk in, especially with all the Christmas decorations and the Belfast Christmas Markets close by, the experience didn’t really match the 5-star label. The room itself was fine, but a few things felt off. The TV is positioned on a wall that neither the bed nor the sofa actually faces, so watching it is awkward. The antique-style mirrors look gorgeous, but they’re practically useless for getting ready. There’s no proper mirror at the desk where the plugs are, and only one side of the bed has sockets. At this price point, not having a coffee machine in the room was also a disappointment. They do provide a kettle and tea and coffee, but you would get that in any hotel. What really left a bad taste was the cocktail deal situation. The in-room TV and every other tv in the building from what we saw advertised 2-for-1 cocktails every Friday from 4–7pm. We checked in during that window, went to the bar, ordered 2 cocktails, then another 2 (over €60), and when we went to pay, we were then told the offer wasn’t running, apparently it only happens in the run-up to Christmas. This is what the waiter told us when we queried it. But we are in the run-up to Christmas, the markets are on, and the hotel is fully decked out for the season, so I'm not sure what is considered "the run up to"... When we questioned it, staff switched the TV off in the bar — even though the same offer kept rolling on the TV in our room. We went back upstairs to get ready for our event, returned to the bar a while later for another drink, and the TV had mysteriously been switched back on again showing the same deal. Clearly it was only turned off when we asked about it. At checkout, we asked about the cocktail saga again and we were given yet another explanation — that it only applied to specific cocktails, two of which we had actually ordered. We run a business ourselves, so we understand how small gestures can make a huge difference. This whole thing could have been sorted instantly by honouring the advertised offer or even giving a complimentary drink. Instead, we were asked if we wanted to “open an investigation,” which is honestly a ridiculous use of staff time over a £14 cocktail. The cost to the hotel would have been tiny compared to the time spent dealing with it. It wasn’t about the money at all; it was the fact that the advertising was misleading. Being asked if we wanted to “start an investigation” over £14 felt ridiculous. A simple apology and a small gesture would’ve fixed it. Breakfast was around a 50-minute wait for avocado toast and a full breakfast. Tasty once it arrived, but far too slow for a hotel at this level. For nearly £600 for two rooms, we expected more. The bed was comfortable and the umbrella in the room was a nice touch, the fridge was broken, the entire electric panel came off when I tried to open it, people obviously pull it open from the top like I did, but it pulls out the electrical components instead of opening the door which you can open down the side. Not obvious as its squashed into a cupboard. Again not 5 star standard in my opinion. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend the hotel. The quality and the service just aren’t 5-star. We stayed in a 5-star hotel in Cork two weeks ago and the experience was miles better—and they didn’t advertise deals they weren’t actually running. If something isn’t available, it simply shouldn’t be advertised.

Friendly, engaging and welcoming staff. Rooms clean, with lots of amenities - eg. water, coffee tea, biscuits etc. Breakfast very good, plenty of variety and excellent quality.

So glad we chose this hotel, the location is excellent the staff (team) were friendly, helpful and a credit to the company. Cleanliness was excellent and the executive king room which I understand is the basic in this hotel was far from it. Due to the Xmas lights switch on the city centre restaurants were very busy and pre booking, with hindsight, would have been the sensible thing to do. Having said this we dined in the hotel bar on several occasions and the food, service and ambience were excellent. Great price for a great hotel which made for a great weekend in Belfast.

Beautiful hotel with the most friendly and helpful staff, Excellent location for bars, restaurants and shops. Breakfast was fabulous. Great cocktail menu and bar staff really know their stuff. Will definitely be back!

Another wonderful break at this quality hotel. We arrived very early for our stay but were accommodated for breakfast & we were checked into our room an hour early. The staff are superb & reflect very well on the hotel & the wider city of Belfast also. It’s appointed really well to access all the city has to offer. Breakfast is outstanding & we had dinner one evening & were looked after so well & had a lovely meal. The room was luxurious & well designed & we had 2 very restful sleeps. It won’t be long before we comeback for a third stay I’m sure, thank you to all at the Fitzwilliam Hotel & the City of Belfast 5⭐️