The Malmaison tries hard to to be distinctive and unusual but whether or not its gloomy ambience and the mock-gothic bedroom furnishings appeal will depend on your taste. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful and the beds were comfortable; the standard of breakfast was excellent with plenty of choice. Our room was above the bar and the soundproofing was non-existent which rendered it uninhabitable. In fairness the staff very promptly facilitated our relocation to a quite room- but this is a potential nightmare for the unwary.Finally, the price reflects the Malmaison's estimation of itself as an upmarket boutique hotel rather than the rather
less impressive reality.

My husband and I had an overnite stay as we were attending a concert at the Waterfront Hall. My son had bought this as a Christmas present, this was as a package, eat, drink and stay. The hotel was comfortable and the staff were very friendly. We had a meal in the restaurant but were very dissappointed as there wasn't much choice, we had a choice of 3 starters and 3 mains, wether this was a package or not a choice of 3 does not rate highly in by book. We left the restaurant dissappointed but I have to say overall expierence was good.

Just back from a 2night stay with my girlfriend. Have stayed before and this visit was just as good. Great location close to shopping and bars.

Had dinner in the hotel both nights. The waitress (elaine i think?... from limavady) was top notch. Very approachable and did everything with a smile, made time to speak to us even though she was mostly multtasking and never had to ask twice, (the restaurant manager might take a few tips from her as he did ask if we needed anything else and disappeared seemingly forgetting all about it. From what we could see he seemed to ask elaine to do most things anyway... just a small point) . Highly recommend the cocktails in the bar, we had quite a few! Found the hotels bouncer to be approachable and pleasant and helped out with parking times and places to go.

All in all, would recommend and will most likely be back for another visit.

If Tim Burton was designing upmarket hotels, he would probably fashion something like the Malmaison. It's a gothic world of candles, dark furnishings and velvety cushions. This one in Belfast is a real treat albeit beginning to look the tiniest bit worn around the edges with slightly grubby carpets and worn fittings.

Location - Ideal beside Belfast's Cathedral Quarter (the city's nightlife centre) and the Victoria Square shopping plaza. Also about 10-15 mins walk to the Odyssey arena and the Titanic Quarter, where the tourism chiefs would have you believe is THE place to be in 2012.

Style/character - Luxury boutique hotel with a clientele of mainly young couples and groups of girlfriends. While it is a chain, there's a nice nod to the local area with pictures of Belfast landmarks and a great canvas of the loyalist/republican murals on the first floor.

Service - Excellent, efficient, friendly. When you check in they take an extra £50 from your card in case of breakages and bills you clock up during your stay. It is refunded on check out

Rooms - We stayed in a standard room and were offered a £15 upgrade on arrival to a superior. We didn't take up the offer and glad we didn't as our room was lovely. Colour scheme dark brown, orange and cream. Massive bed, mini bar and all the amenities such as coffee/tea and the trademark Malmaison toiletries. The only problem was we were on the first floor near the lift and could hear all the party animals coming in during the early hours of the morning. So maybe avoid room 109 solely for that reason. The room overlooked the road but we didn't find any noise from this whatsoever.

Food and drink - We didn't eat here (save for some rather greasy and not-too-great chicken wings at the bar) but we spent a fair amount of time in the fabulous cocktail bar. They are pricy £7.50-£9.00 but worth it for the experience.

I'd stay again.