The 146-bedroom Etap opened its doors in 2013. In January 2015 Etap it was sold in a deal worth £6.6m and the sale also included a ground floor retail unit which is currently occupied by the, unusually named, Filthy McNasty's pub.

A local once told me that this building was designed to be a carpark but at the last minute it was decided to convert it to a hotel and that is why there are no windows on the street facing side of the building ... of course I cannot find any evidence to support the claim and doubt that it is true.

Back in June 2014 I decided to visit Belfast on a strict budget and the ETAP [owned by the same group as IBIS] was by far the cheapest available. Many reviews at the time mentioned location as being a major positive but I cannot agree as the location was at best very downmarket and seedy.

As already mentioned Filthy McNasty, pub night club, is located next door to the ETAP hotel and to some degree the name describes the location which does not present the city at its best. I suspect what they, the reviewers, actually mean is that the hotel is well located relative to all places of interest in Belfast and I cannot argue with that. However, because of noise throughout the night coupled with anti-social behaviour within the immediate area I decided to move, after two nights, to the Europa at great cost.

Since 2014 I have avoided budget hotels in Belfast but, unfortunately, good hotels in Belfast are very expensive.