Review: Titanic Hotel Belfast is a boutique masterpiece

This themed hotel expertly steers clear of tackiness and provides an authentic historic experience.

Anywhere else, a Titanic-themed cocktail would just seem cheesy. But sitting under the cavernous, domed glass ceiling of what was once one of two Harland & Wolff drawing offices, where RMS Titanic was designed, it seems fitting. My pretty Punch Romaine, made with Bacardi Carta Blanca, pinot grigio, lemon, orange and prosecco, was supposedly the last cocktail served on the Titanic the night she sank on April 15, 1912.

It’s one of many links you will find to the doomed liner at Titanic Hotel Belfast. Some are obvious, like the framed Edwardian posters that line the corridor walls advertising passage on a White Star Line ship from seven pounds. Others are harder to find, such as the Villeroy & Boch tiles that line the main bar where we sit for our pre-dinner cocktails, matches for those used in the Titanic swimming pool and first-class bathrooms.

Titanic Hotel Belfast opened in 2017 following a two-year restoration project that included conservators, architects, historians, builders, archaeologists, engineers, researchers, surveyors and geologists to ensure the heritage of this once grand and important building was preserved. Originally built in 1885, the Harland & Wolff headquarters was where most of the world’s largest and most-innovative ships were designed until it closed in 1989. A tour with concierge David Goodwin, who hails from Moree in northern NSW, took this self-confessed Titanic nerd behind the scenes of the famous building.

While these days guests arrive at reception via the large glass-fronted entrance on Queens Road, the original floor-to-ceiling marble lobby is at the rear of the building. Here you’ll find the telephone exchange where the SOS call alerting management to the Titanic sinking first came through. Along the corridor off the lobby is the preserved office of Thomas Andrews, who designed the Titanic and at the top of the heritage staircase nearby is the presentation room – a large, high-ceilinged space where clients were taken to view the plans of ships they had commissioned and from where they could look down on the two drawing offices to watch the draughtsmen hard at work. It’s the best spot to experience the beating heart of the building – the grand drawing rooms designed so an abundance of natural light could stream in through the domed glass ceiling. These days, the presentation room is a great spot to curl up on a leather armchair and read a book.

The grand drawing rooms were designed so an abundance of natural light could stream in through the domed glass ceiling. Picture: Supplied. 

The guest rooms of Titanic Hotel have impressive double-height ceilings and picture windows. Once mostly offices of Harland & Wolff management, they are unusually large compared with standard-sized European hotel rooms. Chic nautical styling can be found in the 119 rooms with wheelhouse pendant lighting beside the beds, walls punched with rivets and, in the bathroom, black and white tiled floors and exposed under-sink plumbing. The luxe factor is increased by exquisite bed linen, plush carpeting, plump dressing gowns and fluffy, oversized towels.

Be sure to have at least one meal at the hotel’s main restaurant, Wolff Grill, which elevates local produce, offering the likes of lamb rump with beetroot, celeriac purée and whiskey blackberries. Be warned, though: it’s not a menu that caters for fussy tastes or children.

Room 9/10

The guest rooms of Titanic Hotel have impressive double-height ceilings and picture windows. Picture: Supplied.

Larger-than-average guest rooms cater to a variety of groups. Choose from family, accessible or interconnecting rooms, if you are travelling with more than the standard number of people.

Food 8/10

Be sure to have at least one meal at the hotel’s main restaurant, Wolff Grill. Picture: Supplied.

Wolff Grill offers elevated dining that can be unsuitable for family groups. Choose the glassed box room at the centre of the restaurant – once the chief draughtsman’s office – for special-occasion dining.

Location 10/10

Titanic Hotel Belfast couldn’t be more central. Picture: Supplied.

Set in the heart of Titanic Quarter near Titanic Belfast museum (with a state-of-the-art exhibition that brings the Titanic to life via 11 experiences), and walking distance to Belfast’s CBD, it couldn’t be more central.

Verdict 9/10

This boutique masterpiece is more than just a place to stay, it’s an authentic historic experience. Picture: Supplied.

A hotel that is themed around the Titanic could have veered into the chintzy or gaudy, but this boutique masterpiece is more than just a place to stay, it’s an authentic historic experience.

Rates start from £234 (around $445) a night for a Standard Double Room.

What is the best room to book at Titanic Hotel Belfast?

Unlike in most hotels, it’s not necessarily a suite that offers the best accommodation option. Here, the four premium executive corner rooms have 270-degree views through big box windows.

Where can you book a tour of the Titanic Hotel Belfast?

Book a free tour of the hotel with the concierge when you check in. They can point out all the fascinating little links the building has to the Titanic.

What is the best place to have a drink when staying at Titanic Hotel Belfast?

Visit the cocktail  bar for a Punch Romaine, or try the Jack & Rose with Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey, banana liqueur, lime and sugar, served with a shot of rose liqueur.

Originally published as Review: Titanic Hotel Belfast is a boutique masterpiece