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About
4.5
#23 of 50 hotels in Belfast
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Hastings Grand Central is more than a hotel. It’s an ode to a city. Standing tall in Bedford Street, this impressive jewel fuses glamour and grandeur with a uniquely Belfast spirit. Perfectly placed in Belfast City. Just as Belfast is at the heart of the Grand Central, the Grand Central is at the heart of Belfast. Set in the up and coming Linen Quarter, the hotel is a spectacular hub for exploring Titanic Quarter’s history or Cathedral Quarter’s charming cobbled streets, pubs and eateries. Theatre buffs, shopaholics and historians alike will all be spoiled for choice, with a host of options right on their doorstep. Conveniently located for all transport access, the Grand Central is perfectly placed for every city centre endeavour – from business to leisure and everything in between.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Northern Ireland Tourism.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
This summary was created by AI, based on recent reviews.
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The Grand Central Hotel boasts an advantageous central location that garners appreciation from guests for its proximity to city attractions. However, opinions on the rooms are divided, with praise for their spaciousness and views being tempered by concerns over cleanliness and noise. While the hotel's atmosphere is generally lauded for its elegance, the value proposition has been called into question, as some guests feel the services do not justify the costs.
Amenities receive a mix of feedback, with the observatory earning accolades, yet some expectations remain unmet. Additionally, service inconsistencies, particularly in dining areas, have not gone unnoticed.
Location
Central
Atmosphere
Elegant
Rooms
Mixed
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Underwhelming
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The Sir William Hastings Suite on the 21st floor is superb! It is spacious with a floor to ceiling wall of windows on the external wall with an breathtaking view, not to mention the incredibly high standard of everything in the suite, from the beautiful bathroom to the gorgeous blue sitting room and also living room and dining room area to having two very large TVs on the walls, a Nespresso and a King size bed to myself. I only stayed for one night but would love to back to this suite for a week. The rest of the hotel is a treat for the eyes also having two bars, one on the 23rd floor with a view not to be missed, a cafe and stunning looking double floor height foyer. I felt like one night in this luxuriously expensive suite did more for my relaxation and stress levels than a fortnight on any budget holiday could ever do because of the intense level of comfort.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Â The suites on the upper floors are worth the extra spend
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from StephenM5790, Front of House Staff at Grand Central Hotel
Responded Apr 1, 2020
Dear 661maryelizabethm, Thank you for leaving us such a lovely 5* review! I'm so happy to read that you loved our Sir William Hastings Suite, and that we were able to provide you with relaxation and help ease stress while you were with us. That's exactly what you need in a hotel! We hope you are able to come back and stay with us again soon. Kind Regards, Rebecca
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My partner and I stayed here on Saturday night to celebrate a special occasion and we were left a little deflated with the experience.
Check-in was a little slow given that a number of us had arrived at the same time. Understandable. We were served by a very pleasant young male who informed us of all the basics (that breakfast was included in our stay etc.) and wished us a pleasant stay. Before leaving the front desk I enquired about the Observatory bar - As this was the main selling point for me booking. The member of staff told us that unfortunately they do not operate a reserving system and when we wished to avail of the bar to come down to the ground floor and we would be ushered up.
We arrived to the ground floor to go to the Observatory at approximately 18.45pm. We were told it would be a maximum of 15 minute wait to which we were a little disgruntled. Being hotel residents we thought that getting a seat would not be problematic. Apparently not. We waited for approximately 35 minutes before being shown the exclusive lift. During that time, there were a number of parties who were also unimpressed and as a result decided to go elsewhere.
Once on the Observatory floor, we were ushered to a half empty room? I guess the reason for the delay is to create some aura of exclusivity, however it really just serves as a massive anti-climax. Furthermore, the table beside us ironically had a RESERVED sign and detailed 18.30.. bearing in mind it was now approximately 19.30 to which the table remained vacant. What happened the policy of not reserving tables?
Granted, I cannot fault our hotel room. It was lovely.
The following morning we went down to avail of the breakfast that was included with our room to which the front of house staff informed us that in fact we did not pay for breakfast and that if we wished we could proceed into the room but it would be at an additional charge per person. We questioned this and were told it must have been an 'error with reception'. The experience was a little unprofessional and embarrassing for myself and my partner.
Check out on a Sunday was 11am? I frequently stay in hotels and I have never checked out on a Sunday before 12.
Upon check out, not once were we asked about how our stay was. I find this to be basic hospitality.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from StephenM5790, General Manager at Grand Central Hotel
Responded Mar 3, 2020
Dear jaynen308, Thank you for your recent review and for your comments pertaining to your recent stay. We genuinely appreciate you providing us this feedback and sharing your experiences. In the Observatory lounge we only take bookings for Afternoon tea, for our Observatory members and should residents over dinner indicate that they would like to avail of an after dinner drink. We have tried and tested various booking systems and feel that our current one is the fairest one for our guests. I apologise if you were disappointed with having to wait. It is hard for me to be fully accurate however I believe from your comments and similar comments received that you booked via one of the 3rd party booking sites. The package which I believe you booked was room only. This however does not excuse if the incorrect information was conveyed at check in and I apologise for any embarrassment caused. I also apologise that you were disappointed with our check out time. This is the same as all our sister properties and we ensure our check in and check out times are clearly communicated via our various online and offline platforms. I am pleased however that you could not fault the room. Once again thank you for your constructive feedback which the team will use to better improve the guests experience. Best wishes Stephen
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My husband and I booked a winter package offer consisting of 1 x night in an executive room with complimentary cocktail and breakfast. On arrival at the hotel check in was pleasant and we were advised on where to redeem our cocktail, have breakfast etc. As it was a stay for my birthday we had noted this on the reservation and requested a high floor.
Our room was on the 14th floor and was nicely furnished with a great view and an exceptionally comfortable bed! Larger size espa toiletries in the bathroom along with robes was a nice touch.
We enjoyed our cocktail in the seahorse bar which was great. For the spectacular views you’ll need to go to the observatory - where you can also expect to pay a hefty bar bill.
Breakfast the following morning was excellent - all produce was local and there was an excellent selection. Staff were professional and pleasant. The only thing they missed a trick with in this hotel was not putting in a pool/spa area. That would really set it apart in Belfast where there are several luxury hotels. Would stay again at a similar rate
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from StephenM5790, Front of House Staff at Grand Central Hotel
Responded Mar 26, 2020
Dear colinsgal, Thank you for choosing to stay with us at Grand Central Hotel to celebrate your birthday, and for leaving us your lovely review. I'm pleased to read that you enjoyed your stay, and got to appreciate the spectacular views of Belfast from both your room and our Observatory Lounge. We hope to welcome you back soon. Kind Regards, Rebecca
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Staying on the 21st floor views are spectacular.On arrival we were checked in by friendly efficient staff telling you everything you need to know. The rooms are a credit to the house keeping staff they are spotless well equipped with everything you would need for an enjoyable stay. No trip would be complete here without a visit to the observatory it didn't disappoint city hall was lit up and the whole of Belfast looked so beautiful . We dined in the grand cafe staff were attentive without being intrusive and the food was beautiful. Overall we have had a wonderful stay will definitely return and recommend to friends and family. Keep up the great work all staff we encountered are a credit to the hotel.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from StephenM5790, Front of House Staff at Grand Central Hotel
Responded Mar 28, 2020
Dear Bubbahus, Thank you for commending our Reception, Housekeeping and Grand Cafe staff - I know the entire team will greatly appreciate your kind words. I'm so pleased to read that you enjoyed your time with us. We look forward to welcoming you back, and thank you for recommending us to your family and friends! Kind Regards, Rebecca
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We stayed for one night a deluxe double room. It was lovely although the window is smaller than some of the photos appear and the curtains don't completely block the light so were were woken in the early hours by the light. We requested a later check out for 2pm to make our trip easier which was granted for an additional £40. Which I do think was worth it.
There was a slightly bad smell from bathroom drains which wasn't great but fine for a night. Unfortunately for us the breakfast really brought down what would otherwise have been really great service and standards. We ordered breakfast to our room which arrived over 30min late and was almost inedible, we were thankfully offered a refund of the room service charge. We have stayed in many hotels all around the world particularly in the past two years when we have travelled extensively and this was probably the worst hotel breakfast we have ever had. That was disappointing as I choose the Grand Central as I thought it would stand out in food. We had been planning to have lunch there as well but after the poor breakfast we decided against it.
It has to be said though that the hotel staff we came in contact with were all great.
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Date of stay: July 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Stephen Meldrum, General Manager at Grand Central Hotel
Responded Aug 10, 2020
Dear Kate M, Thank you so much for leaving us your review on your recent stay with us, and for also choosing to stay with us once our lockdown was eased. I'm pleased to read that you found the room to be lovely, and our staff to be great. I do, however, apologise for the smell in your bathroom which I hope was able to be rectified during your stay. I am also disappointed to read that your breakfast was late and you found it to be inedible, I know that this wouldn't be our usual feedback of breakfast so thank you for bringing this to our attention. I'm glad that you were able to get a refund issued - but if you would like to discuss your issue any further, please contact our Food and Beverage Manager on bars@gch.hastingshotels.com We hope to see you again in the near future. Kind Regards, Rebecca Front Office Supervisor
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Still probably the best spot for a Belfast stay. Beds are comfy and the service is almost perfect. You’ve stopped leaving water for guests in the room, something I realised what I was tucked up in bed. When I called reception I was told I now had to go down there from the 15th floor for my free water. I understand your policy on plastic which is fine, but when you change, you need to tell returning guests upon check in, or when I called you should’ve brought the water up as a one off. Aside from that, i love the place. The valet parking was excellent too by the way. My wife loved the bollinger too.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from StephenM5790, Front of House Staff at Grand Central Hotel
Responded Mar 29, 2020
Dear Paul O, Thank you for leaving us your wonderful review and saying that we are the best spot for a Belfast stay! Your comments about our new policy with the water has been noted, and thank you for bringing this to our attention. We hope to welcome you back again soon. Kind Regards, Rebecca
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A Fantastic hotel in a brilliant location. Although expensive it is Worth Every Penny and the view from the room alone makes you glad you booked it. We stayed in a family room on the 14th floor and the room was massive with a little separate corridor to the luxurious bathroom. The view looked down on the city hall and at night the city lights were just mesmorising! We had dinner in the cafe which was excellent. Vegan options were superb too.The ambience and decor in the cafe is fantastic and the friendliness of the staff was among the best we have experienced. Travelling with 2 kids that have stayed in well over 60 hotels around Ireland so far!they agreed that this was the best by a mile for many reasons. Parking was easy and located a 5min walk away at a car park at the Europa hotel and discounted by booking at reception. Breakfast was delicious and again lots of options and I must give the chef a special mention because she went out of her way to cook pancakes for the kids when asked, very kind of her!However in terms of the buffet selection on offer,some pastries or croissants would be a nice addition. We really cant sing the praises of this place enough and overall the highlights of staying at The Grand Central Belfast are:The location, the view (especially from the observation bar),the comfy beds,spacious, warm soundproof rooms,friendliness of staff, cleanliness of the hotel, all of the food on offer, the ambience and opulence of the place and the overall welcoming vibe. For our first family trip to the city your hotel has left a lasting impression on us and we will definitely be back.Thank you Belfast and thank you Grand Central Hotel.
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Stephen Meldrum, General Manager at Grand Central Hotel
Responded Jun 29, 2022
Dear Guest We appreciate your wonderful feedback. It is great to read that it was worth every penny and that you will definitely be back. Thank you Stephen
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We stayed here with friends on a night out in Belfast, it was amazing from start to finish, reception are so friendly. The bar men in the Lobby bar also had great banter, rooms are spotless and very comfortable and breakfast was delicious. i do not think i would stay anywhere else in Belfast now.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Stephen Meldrum, General Manager at Grand Central Hotel
Responded Jul 13, 2020
Dear Tugboat_11, It was our pleasure to be able to welcome you to Grand Central. We take pride in offering warm hospitality to all our guests and we are delighted that the bar tenders stood out during your time with us. It is wonderful to know that you have enjoyed a first class experience and we do hope to have the opportunity and pleasure of welcoming you back in the very near future. Kind Regards, Ciarán
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Stayed for one night in an entry level executive double, b and b. For an entry level room, it was excellent. The bed was huge, comfy and great pillows. Modern decor/furnishings with plenty of storage and a large smart tv which actually worked as it should and had all the catch up tv hubs etc.
The ensuite is well equipped with a great rain head and flexible head shower system which produced good pressure. Whute fluffy robes and slippers included and espa range of complimentary products.
The observatory bar is worth the visit, even if you dont drink. We had a coffee and the floor to ceilling windows offer probably the best views of Belfast and surrounding area you will ever get.
Staff are friendly and attentive. The rooms and public areas are spotless and a credit to the team. Due to restrictions breakfast was a table service affair not buffet. It was average, with small unexciting sausages and black pudding ( considering what wonderful meats are available in all good N.ireland butchers). We felt it was underwelming especially if you were a new visitor to N.I. This one small factor aside, this really is a beautiful hotel or as they say themselves, Beautifully simple, simply beautiful.
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Date of stay: June 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Unless you particulary want to be on a top floor and have bath tub, the executive rooms really...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Stephen Meldrum, General Manager at Grand Central Hotel
Responded Jun 4, 2021
Dear Guest, Thank you for your very kind comments. I am really pleased that you enjoyed your stay at the hotel and commented on the friendly and attentive staff, the great executive bedroom and the Observatory lounge. I am sorry breakfast was disappointing. All our products are sourced locally from across Northern Ireland. We hope to be able to welcome you back to the hotel in the very near future. With Best wishes Stephen
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My wife and I stayed in this hotel for one night for our 25th wedding Anniversary. I wouldn't normally book a hotel at this price and especially without their own carpark but it was a special occasion and I wanted to see what all the hype was about on this hotel. The hotel offers parking at a nearby multi story £25 pound for 24hrs, however if you search you will find cheaper. The Victoria centre is £21 and the Great Northern is £23, however if your only staying for one night, there is on street parking in the streets around the hotel and is free from 6pm to 8am. We booked this hotel through booked which cost £153 for one night, breakfast would cost another £15 per person, anyway we arrived at 6pm taking advantage of the on street parking, we were greeted at reception by a pleasant young lady which is always a good start, who give us our keys and swiped my debit card incase there where any extra charges to be added, then told us we had a lovely room on the 5th floor in the corner of the hotel and that we would have lovely views of Belfast city hall. Once we entered the room, we found it to be nice, modern and roomy and the bathroom was well finished with separate bath and shower. We had a look out our window to see the beautiful sites of Belfast and especially Belfast city hall but all we got was a high rise office block facing us no sign of Belfast city hall. We did have a good laugh at this, we live just outside Belfast and I worked in Belfast for many years so we weren't there for the view, but if we had been tourists and told we would have great views of Belfast and got this then we would have been very disappointed. We eat out in the city as we found the hotel menu was small in choice but big in price, we headed back to the hotel bar for a few drinks but found the bar menu was as small in choice as the food menu. We both opted for the only two bottles of cider on the menu which cost £11.50. We where both very disappointed at this and left after one drink, we had wanted to go up to the observatory which is one of the reasons we booked this hotel at the price of £153, but the small bar menu and extortionate prices we decided to just go to our room at just before 10pm. The bed was nice and comfortable although it's two beds pushed together with a large dip in the middle which didn't bother us really. Both of us had an on off sleep the whole night, we don't know why, it was maybe the thought of sleeping in after 8am and getting an expensive ticket on our car, we dont know. As it was, we got up at 7.30am so that we could run to the next street over and put a few pound in the ticket machine then stay and have our breakfast. The hassle of doing this then paying £30 for two frys, we decided just to go on home and have breakfast there.
All in all nice hotel, nice staff, great location, but for us we wouldn't stay again, it is no better than other hotel's we have stayed in. Well over priced, too little menu and no carpark.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Stephen Meldrum, General Manager at Grand Central Hotel
Responded Aug 8, 2021
Dear Guest, Thank you for your review. I think there was a slight confusion with the parking situation. We do Valet car parking for £25 per night, we have a deal with the great northern car park at the Europa for £12 per night and also the value car park for £17 per night. I am sorry to hear that you thought our hotel was too expensive Kind regards, Katie Galway Assistant Front office Manager
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I'm sorry I'm not sure about the couple of hours,I would look at the dayuse app,hotels can be booked for daily use. Any decent hotel will book u a taxi
There are more places to choose from in the Belfast area.
PRICE RANGE
C$253 - C$353 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United KingdomNorthern IrelandBelfastGolden Mile
NUMBER OF ROOMS
300
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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