The Scotsman Hotel

Be careful with this hotel, it’s a three star hotel (at best), trying to masquerade as a four star. We stayed at the hotel mid-September 2026. The location is superior, and that’s where it ends. Breakfast was average as they continually ran out of eggs & fruit (multiple days). Thank goodness another guest informed us that you can order off a small menu. The room we paid for (about $800 per night) was in the basement, with a view of a wall, it smelled of mold (like your basement at home with too much moisture), the carpet and chair in the room were stained. When asked for a different room, I was told they were full and no other rooms were available. When we attempted to eat at the restaurant, we were informed there were no seats due to hosting a party from outside the hotel (no room for guest unless you want to sit in the lower level. In summary, if location is more important than price, pick this hotel, otherwise avoid, try the Raddison, it’s only a few feet away.

This is probably the first time I have reviewed a hotel while still staying here. And no, thats not a good thing. I had high hopes for this hotel given it cost me an eye watering amount for 6 nights. Alas it is so disappointing. Upon arrival we were told we were upgraded. Great. Given keys only to get to the 8th floor and realise we have been given an attic room - with a city view. Except there are 3 sets of stairs and I use a walking stick, no one bothered to ask if this would be a problem, reception saw me walking in with a stick, its not rocket science. But this hands off approach seems to infiltrate every aspect of this hotel. Room cleaning is haphazard, our room is done last at 3pm and wasn’t done at all today. No explanation as to why. Chocolates or cake are often dropped off during the day which is lovely except then the plates sit there for a couple of days because housekeeping don’t take them. The beds are so high off the ground my daughter and I struggle to get into bed and they are literally mattresses on a wood platform that slide around. It is ridiculous. And the sheets haven’t been changed since we got here. The beds are literally just tidied up. Yes really. This isn’t a 4 star hotel. It is a 3-star hotel. I didn’t ask to be worse off or forgotten with an upgraded room in an attic like Rapunzel.

Didn’t get the chance to stay or even book our planned 2 night stay to attend our friend’s wedding in November. We phoned “three times” to make a 2 night reservation for end of November 2026 and on all three occasions we spoke with various members of staff. We were assured us that we would receive a call or email with attachment to enable us to book our room with the rest of the wedding party. Nothing! No call back or emails! Very poor, it’s not like they are giving away free stays! We would be looking to spend over £700 for our two night stay. Reception staff very poorly managed.

After nearly three weeks traveling around Scotland and staying in all kinds of lodging, we saved our final night in Edinburgh for what was supposed to be a special splurge: a suite at The Scotsman. Unfortunately, it ended up being the most disappointing stay of our trip. The check-in experience set the tone. The first front-desk associate suggested we finish checking in after moving our vehicles and kindly offered to take our luggage. She tagged our bags and assured us they would be taken care of. We were gone for only a matter of minutes. When we returned, a different associate was at the desk and had no idea where we were in the check-in process. When we asked about our luggage, she pointed toward a sign in the lobby—where our bags, containing all of our valuables, were simply sitting unattended. The second associate's response was essentially, “Oh, these? We wondered whose they were.” That was a pretty shocking moment. For a hotel charging over £1,200 for a suite, we expected the level of service and attention to detail to be considerably higher. In fact, the luggage handling felt less secure than what we experienced at a much more ordinary airport hotel earlier in our trip. To be fair, the suite itself was perfectly fine, and the view was good. But at that price point, “fine” isn't really what you're hoping for. The room felt overpriced for what was delivered. Breakfast was another missed opportunity. It seemed designed to feel elegant and upscale, but the food itself was surprisingly bland. Given The Scotsman's reputation, we expected considerably more. We've stayed in everything from charming inns to higher-end hotels throughout Scotland on this trip, and some of the less expensive properties delivered a much warmer and more thoughtful guest experience. We chose The Scotsman because we thought the location, reputation, and experience would make our final night in Edinburgh memorable. Unfortunately, the price created expectations that the hotel simply didn't meet. For anyone considering The Scotsman primarily for its location, we'd encourage you to compare it with other options nearby. There are plenty of places where you may spend considerably less and potentially receive considerably more attention to the guest experience. I'd genuinely be interested to hear from management about whether this is considered the expected standard for a £1,200+ suite, particularly when it comes to the handling of guests' luggage and valuables. We really wanted our final night in Edinburgh to be the highlight of our trip. Sadly, it wasn't.

Location, Location....Our first time to Edinburgh. The Scotsman was a lovely hotel. The room was beautifully decorated and the bed was amazingly comfortable! We originally had reservations at the Intercontinental on George St. in New Town. So happy we chose the Scotsman! Being new to Edinburgh and seeing the major sights for the first time, it was a great location. Right next to the Royal Mile, we walked to the Edinburgh Castle one day and enjoyed the pubs and the Scotch Whiskey Experience tasting. The next day we went to the Holyrood House and continued to a planned walking tour. Our hotel was an easy stop off and dropped off any purchases we made. We stopped back at the hotel to take a bathroom break, grab waters and we were off to the next tour. The "included breakfast" was delicious! I love veggies and they made me cooked spinach to go with my eggs! Every morning was an absolute feast! Champagne offered as well! The room had beautiful chandeliers and the staff could not do enough for us.! John, the Breakfast manager, was so attentive. There is the traditional Scottish fare plus you can order off the menu. I wish I could remember everyone, but trust me they all were great! One thing to know... (if you like to get up earlier than 7am and get coffee without waking anyone with you)... they don't serve coffee in the hotel until 7am. Yes there is a small coffee maker in the room, but at 6am I did not want to wake my spouse. There is a Starbucks on the Royal Mile that is a short block from the Hotel that opens earlier than the other Scottish coffee shops. (They all open at 7am). We celebrated our 37th anniversary and Paulina, the reception staff, brought us a beautifully decorated plate of chocolates and complimentary champagne! We were so touched! The bellmen were very helpful when storing our luggage for an early 8am arrival. We returned from touring at 6pm and our luggage was brought to the room while away. The bathroom was beautiful and they had all you need, no need to pack a hairdryer. Definitely pack the right power plug. Scotland has different electric outlets than Italy. So we had to buy one while there. Bring two if you have a white noise machine with you! You might want to use one just in case you are a light sleeper. We were on the 7th floor and it was quiet, except at night a few times we heard the traffic from the street below. I grabbed the baby noise machine I have for my grandson and it was a life saver the whole trip! I would definitely recommend this hotel for the beds, the overall room , the location, the staff and the breakfast. Oh and by the way... there is a restaurant attached to the hotel that is beautiful! We did not eat there, but it was always packed and looked amazing! If you are a first timer and seeing both castles .... stay in Old Town versus New Town. Your feet will thank you. Thank you to the staff at the Scotsman, you made our trip wonderful! We will be back!