"I regret that I was not very satisfied by my three-night stay at Hotel Indigo Edinburgh. I’m a Platinum Elite IHG member and have stayed at many IHG properties throughout the UK, most recently at Hotel Indigo London in Shepherds Bush, so I had fairly high expectations for this property.
My first room, 109, was particularly poor. It was essentially in a dark basement, with a window overlooking a dirty drainage area that appeared to have either a dead animal or some kind of rubbish in it. The sink also didn’t drain properly. There were dusty, neglected areas that clearly aren’t part of the normal daily cleaning routine, such as the large gap behind the desk. Overall, the room felt more like a private room in a youth hostel than a hotel room at a Hotel Indigo property.
I asked to be moved for my second and third nights, and the front desk staff were friendly and accommodated the request. Unfortunately, the second room, 218, had its own problems. There was a strong smell of rubbing alcohol that never faded during my stay. A quick internet search about the possible source of the smell was not particularly reassuring. The mattress was also strangely worn and sloped so badly that I spent much of the night rolling downhill into the friend I was sharing the bed with. On both nights, there was also frequent loud door-slamming throughout the night, and the room door had large gaps (and the largest peephole I’ve seen) allowing a lot of light through, making it difficult to sleep.
The overall condition and design of the hotel also felt oddly inconsistent. There was no real sense of the cohesive, thoughtful design I’ve come to expect from the Hotel Indigo brand. The walls, furniture and baseboards were quite worn. The courtyard visible from my second room was particularly unkept.
There were some positives. The front desk staff were consistently pleasant and helpful, and it was clear that housekeeping was cleaning the surfaces that were actually being used each day. I also appreciated the room came with complimentary canned water, Irn Bru and chocolates. I was also fortunate that I spent most of my days and evenings out at the Fringe, so I primarily needed the hotel as a place to sleep. I could basically walked everywhere I needed to go within 30 minutes which was nice and there were nearby bus stops.
Unfortunately, while I felt very safe there (the guys on night staff were awesome too), I didn’t find the stay particularly comfortable or restful. Given my experience with other IHG properties, and especially other Hotel Indigo locations, this particular hotel simply did not feel up to the standard I’ve come to expect from the brand."
