The Merchant — Hotel in Salem

Location is amazing, room is nice, quaint. Loved having the gas fireplace. Wood plank flooring. Shower and bathroom although small are very nice and new. Fantastic water pressure. Robes provided. Very comfortable bed, very clean linens. Very clean room. Kudos to the cleaning staff! Amazing shared lounging areas and area with variety of snacks, espresso machine, teas, beverages, fresh breakfast pastries, refrigerator for guest items.Central air and heat worked silently and efficiently. We were on the main floor in room 1. We requested the first floor as there is no elevator and one of us doesn't navigate stairs. Loved our stay and we would definitely book again. 1 star off for the following reasons: Could use a little updating. The rug in our room was beige and had some noticeable stains. The throw over the bed is knit and coming apart. Picky-but the drapes, lamps, tables don't really go with the room-more of a modern vibe. There's and armoire but there isn't a way to hand a long/formal dress anywhere (other than the bathroom) that I could find. There was an iron but no ironing board (maybe in the shared areas?). There's no place in the bathroom to put any toiletries or other stuff down other than the toilet tank (not a fan of that personally). Bathroom is small but a corner table would fit for toiletries, etc. The outside step in the back is really high-needs either a second step up/down or a railing. You jump up/off the step about 15-17 inches. The most concerning thing was that when we made our reservation (we let them know we were arriving after hours) we received the outside entrance code but never received the information about what room and where to find the key. We called the number we were given but no one ever answered. (It was still early evening-9 pm). Fortunately, we kept hunting and finally found an envelope with one of our first names with a key for room 1. We almost gave up and went looking for somewhere else to stay. Despite all that, we loved staying here and would definitely...

You know you’re in a good hotel when every time you tell a local where you’re staying they react positively … bougie! fancy! ooolala! And it was all that and a bag of chips, fresh scones, parfaits, overnight oats, sandwiches, etc. all available free of charge 24 hours a day on the 1st and 3rd floors. ||The lobby and bar area, if you can call it that, were handsome and clean. Well lit. A really nice place to relax. The staircases gave a very Hogwarts vibe to the place, you could go up one staircase and down another and be right where you started!||We stayed in room 8 facing Washington street and our room was beautifully appointed, including a working electric fireplace, a beautiful and comfortable sleigh bed (at least I think it was a sleigh bed, whatever it was, it was cool). The bathroom was modern and had heated floors, very cool! The pressure from the shower head was perfect, the towels were soft and plush. ||It was quaint, it was boutique, it was cool AND it had a real key for the room!! It had the feel of a B and B and I thought there might be a lot of creaking and ambient noise from such an old house but it was dead silent (and yes there were other guests!) ||The staff was very responsive to texting, answering all of our questions immediately. We checked out before checkout time but they let us keep our parking pass until 1PM so we didn’t need to move our car (Parking is off-site about a block away for a very reasonable $10 per night) ||It’s in a very walkable area, we walked everywhere we wanted to go, The House of 7 Gables (highly recommend the tour), over to the wharf, up and down Essex street where a bulk of the stores and restaurants are, and to our ghost tour which ended right across the street from the hotel at Rockerfellas (go have a Lady In Blue cocktail in honor of their ghost!) ||If you’re in town on a Sunday morning, pop across the street to Ledgers for their Brunch, be sure to make a...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Great Location, Cozy Vibes – just a few quirks held it from 5 stars!

We stayed at The Merchant while exploring Salem’s spooky, witchy heart—and it was a delightful base for our trip. The location couldn’t be better: just a short stroll from Peabody Essex Museum, the Witch Museum, and all the downtown shops and restaurants .

✓ Highlights: • The staff couldn’t have been friendlier or more helpful—seriously excellent service from check-in through checkout . • Daily freshly baked scones and chocolate chip cookies (and occasionally frittata!) were available in the lobby—such a yummy treat and thoughtful touch . • A communal lounge with an espresso machine, staffed coffee, and even light snacks in the fridge made it feel like a boutique home away from home . • Our room was spacious with a comfy bed, a walk‑in shower that didn’t drain back into the bathroom (a rare find!), and even a fireplace—so cozy and unique  .

✗ A few downsides: • The room cleaning was mostly great, but there was residue on the wall behind the sink and next to the toilet, and some of the throw pillows had stains—not ideal when they’re sitting on clean bedding. • The central overhead light in the room blinked continuously each time it was used, and the other overhead lights blinked occasionally. It gave us a little “haunted Salem” vibe—nice story material, but not the greatest at bedtime. • While amenities were solid, breakfast options are limited and not a full hot meal service like a traditional restaurant .

Overall: The Merchant is practically perfect in many ways—beautiful historic charm, a top-tier location, cozy and character-filled rooms, and that lobby lounge vibe is adorable. If coming back to Salem, we’d happily stay here again—with just a few small tweaks, it’d easily be a...