Kimpton Charlotte Square

outstanding experience. Great hotel in perfect location to enjoy Edinburgh (very convenient to Fringe, Castle, Military Tattoo, restaurants (plus in-house Baba) and Johnnie Walker experience). Front desk amazing - Ruby and Samantha!! Hotel has fun decor; and the pool and gym were a great treat to unwind from touring.

I’ll list here everything that needs improvement. Not because there’s nothing positive, but because the positives are fairly obvious for a five-star hotel and, at this price point, they’re simply expected. Nothing particularly noteworthy. Instead, I would urge the hotel management to carefully review each of these points. The property has strong potential, but it must be run with a true excellence mindset. Right now, it clearly isn’t. My review may sound especially harsh because we had just come from another five-star stay elsewhere in Scotland. Same price range, but in every measurable dimension, the quality was on a completely different level. Positives Breakfast is excellent: abundant, with attentive service and good quality. Some of the staff (not all) stand out for their kindness. The room size is reasonably generous for a city-center hotel. And the interior design choices are original and interesting. Unfortunately, all of this gets drowned out by the long list of shortcomings. Check-in We arrived at 2:00 pm. Official check-in is 3:00 pm. Fair enough, we didn’t complain and sat at the bar to wait, ordering (and paying for) drinks. In any proper five-star, staff would at least try to prioritize the room. Not here: we got the room at 3:05 pm. To add insult, the bar waiter actually came to kick us out of our table just before 3:00 because the area had to close. Pool With two kids, we booked this hotel because it had a pool. Only on arrival did we learn that from August 1st children are allowed in the pool only three one-hour slots per day, one of which overlaps with breakfast and another with lunch… That’s misleading, to say the least. Even setting that aside, the pool itself is underwhelming: small, poorly lit, not especially clean (see photo of the white foam floating on the surface). No loungers, no proper chairs – just two damp fabric benches against the wall. When I raised the foam issue with the manager, the explanation (“just air bubbles”) was frankly implausible. Steam room & sauna Neither was set up correctly. For example, sauna humidity should stay below 20%, here it was well above 30% (see photo). Both facilities are tiny, with usable floor space barely a couple of square meters. Hygiene is questionable: the steam room drain had paper scraps, hair, and debris. Room In the wardrobe cabinet with cups and tray, there were sticky remnants and dried stains of some unidentified substance, with a rancid smell. Thankfully, we had sanitizing wipes with us. Again, something you’d never expect at this level. Bathroom Far too small for a five-star, especially a family room. No proper shower, only a small bathtub (see photo). Simply not acceptable. To their credit, staff offered us a room swap, but the alternative was so cramped that, with both beds open, you could barely move around. The only “upgrade” was having a shower. At a five-star, you shouldn’t have to choose between decent space and a shower. Wi-Fi Coverage is good, but the line drops literally every 10 minutes. Constantly reconnecting is unacceptable in 2025. Decorative cushions It’s 2025. No upscale hotel should still place old, dirty decorative cushions on freshly made and clean beds. Industry best practice has long moved on from this. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect in a cheap roadside inn, not here. Room chairs Again, for this category and price point, stained upholstery is a complete no-go. Everything should be spotless. See photos. Common areas Throughout the day, cleaning equipment and supplies were left lying around the corridors. Not catastrophic for a two-star. For a four- or five-star, totally unacceptable.

We arrived around 8:00 a.m. from the airport. Ruby at the front desk was very welcoming to our family. She and the bellman assured our luggage would be delivered to the appropriate rooms when they became available. She notified us by text when we could return to our rooms. In the evening another person helped arrange spa reservations for my wife and one daughter. The front desk also helped with making a lunch reservation for us. The breakfast buffet features typical Scottish specialties. All staff at all times displayed a high degree of professionalism and were always attentive to our needs. It feels like a boutique hotel experience.

The hotel lacks the service and quality of amenities expected of a 5-star property. I booked a deluxe room but was given a small, cramped room facing a courtyard with windows into other rooms. The furnishings were fairly basic, and the bathroom was extremely narrow with no natural light. Overall, I would consider this a clean, satisfactory 3-star hotel at best.

The hotel was convenient to the castle, BUT totally lacks the look and ambiance of a fine Scottish hotel. Noisy and tries too hard to be "hip". No quiet places for cocktails and conversation. No elegant dining venues. Disappointing.