We used this hotel for a large fishing competition at the end of August where our boats left from Stromness. Everything was booked for us, so we got what we were given.
I found that the staff were helpful and friendly and the food we had there was excellent. A carvery served on our arrived was stunning. Especially those salmon!
It's a great location, right on the harbour and has good local ale and whiskey bar.
The disappointing thing was the room was a bit dated and some of the work very shoddy. It seems that en-suite was added some time ago and in our case built in the middle of the room where it blocked out the light from the window. The handiwork was appalling! Towel rail and soap dish falling off, bodged carpentry, peeling wall cladding and most of all NO SHOWER!. Ir would be good in the winter months to re-fit some up to date bathrooms in my opinion. The window is lethal! If you can lift it up at all. The sash weights have long gone and so will drop down and have your fingers off in a second.
If you are in Orkney you don't have much choice and if you can put up with a few issues like the bathroom, then it's a great place to stay and I would go again.

I recently spent a week in this hotel whilst working in the Orkneys, I found the room old fashioned but it suited me, I like a bath rather than a shower and I have rarely slept better in a hotel. The food ( I ate sea food most nights ) was good and the view out of the window across Scapa Flow lovely , the cost was about the same as my usual Premier Inn so no complaints there, all in all a good place to stay if you're not into modern chain hotels with free wifi etc.I would definitely stay here again

My husband was not feeling all that well, so we needed a place to stay in Stromness and ended up here for 2 nights. I ended up running out of the place when we left.

The rooms are old and shabby. I got the feeling they were not too clean. And the furnishings are very out-dated.

And the bathroom had such a moldy smell to it, I gagged going into the bathroom, brushed my teeth outside the bathroom and had to keep the bathroom door closed at all times. I thought I was catching my husband's cold, but curiously, I felt OK during the day when I was out of the room and was OK when we left the place, so I figure the mold must have been firing up my not-too-active allergies.
The hotel was full so this was the only room we could get.

One night we ate at the pub in the hotel and really, it was one of the worst meals in my life. I had their fish special of the day and it was revolting.
Since we are not used to UK beers, we had been used to getting small samples of beers we were interested in drinking to see if we liked them at all before ordering. Every other place we went they were just fine with this. But not here. They did it for us, but very begrudgingly.
I'd sleep in the car before I stayed here again.

Twice recently (July 2009) I dined here with friends. The food was good, plentiful and perfectly cooked; service was first-rate. The first time we hadn't booked, the dining room was full, but we were given a comfortable spot in a nearby bar room. On both occasions the maitre d'hotel was attentive, friendly, and without pushing himself ready to converse.

There have been crticisms of the decor, but to us it seemed pleasantly suited to the style of the building. Not for the ultra-trendy!