After reading the reviews, I was a little nervous about staying here. Our room was paid for by someone else and was better than I thought. I was in room #409 facing Lothian Rd. and the castle. The furniture looked a little dated, but the room was spotless, housekeeping was quick, linens were clean and a sofa, desk and two other chairs were in the room with the king size bed. The breakfast buffett was delicious and felt like an American meal. If you try the traditional black pudding, don't ask what's inside. Taxis are ready available and the bus stop is just outside the hotel. For 3 pounds, you can ride the bus all day, and that's what I did. No fears at all, clean, double decker and as long as they say "Princess Street" you can get back to the hotel easily. Princess Street is a mess due to the construction of the tram. Hotel staff was nice. They can convert American money to pounds, but you must show them your passport. For $100 I got only 53 pounds. No vending or ice machines but irons and ironing boards are in the room. On my floor, it was obvious their were rooms being renovated. TV stations were just ok, but they were all in English. Closet space was small. Elevators were quick and a room key is needed to push the floor button to your room. Dinner at the hotel was excellent. Wednesday evening was Lebanese night and it was almost like American food. I was not very hungry, so the staff allowed me to just get a one course meal from the buffett and it was reasonable and had a large selection. Bottled water is left in your room daily. I did not notice a hotel store, but everything is nearby. Starbucks is at the top of the street.. A bar is beside the hotel and a small grocery store is one block up.The bar inside the hotel had great sandwiches at lunch and excellent hot cocoa and cookies late at night. Unsure of the cost of this hotel, but I would rate it as above average, but not excellent. The concierge was wonderful at setting up a t-time for a golf course in the country. Also, they were very helpful at giving us instructions about taking the train to Glasgow and getting to Kelvin Hall Sports Arena to see Scottish Pro-Basketball where we visited a former UNC tar-heel player. The train also goes to London.

We spent a week-end mid-July in Edinburgh (and enjoyed pouring rain...), but we liked the hotel. Nice and large business rooms, good breakfast, and good service.
The only curious thing was the absence of receptionist on Sunday early afternoon for check-out. We had to wait a bit before two persons finally came at the desk...

We stayed in a Club room and cannot fault the decor or fittings, we were down for the Billy Connolly concert in the Usher Hall so location was also perfect, staff in all areas were very polite and friendly.

I stayed here on business for 3 nights in August, and having booked months in advance I got a special cheap rate. This is a very elegant hotel where you almost feel guilty for wandering through the lobby in jeans, but the staff I encountered were all very friendly and down to earth.

My room was a double on the second floor (which is actually really the first floor from the front of the hotel) , which was really nicely decorated and had a decent bathroom. The bed was comfy and the floor was quiet at night, so I slept well.

I had a room only rate but did have breakfast at the hotel one morning, just to try it out. Lots of choice and very nicely done, but for the price there are plenty of other places to eat just down the road. The restaurant (the one to the left of the revolving doors - the name escapes me) was great and very popular. Every night during my stay, it seemed to be full.

Location wise, this hotel is great. It is a healthy 10 minute stroll up to Princes Street and 20 minutes up to the castle. I walked to Holyrood and that was a good long walk but if you've 40 minutes to spare, it is a nice stroll.

I didn't get time to try out the spa, which was my one disappointment with the hotel and not their fault at all - I was just too busy. I'll definitely come here again and am looking forward to staying there for pleasure rather than busines next time!