Novotel Edinburgh Centre

"We enjoyed our 4 night stay during the Fringe Festival. We have stayed at more expensive and pretentious hotels in this city but this hotel to be far superior. The location is also good especially for Fringe events at the university and indeed in the Old Town. Our 'standard' room which was very comfortable and clean. A desk one can actually write on. The lay out of the bathroom and separate lavatory is good. The entire hotel is clean and one gets the impression of it being well-run. The buffet breakfast is plentiful, well-stocked and offers a great variety of hot food, bread, pastries, fruit, cereals, yogurt, nuts etc. and even waffles. Unusually for us, we dined in at the hotel every evening during our four night stay. We particularly enjoyed the salmon fillets with a delicious sauce, not to mention the puddings. The restaurant manager looked after us and all the staff are helpful. I very much enjoyed swimming in the pool every day and also the sauna. This area is also spotlessly clean."

"Fantastic location. Great facilities. Everything is in wonderful shape. Sadly, We arrived at the hotel with our five-year-old and three-year-old after an overnight flight. From the beginning, we made it very clear that we had no expectations of an early check-in, but given that we had arrived very early and were traveling with two young children, we asked whether there might be any possibility of an available room before the standard 3 PM check-in time. We repeatedly emphasized that we completely understood if this was not possible and would simply be grateful if anything became available throughout the day. Unfortunately, the receptionist, Carolina, was extremely rude and condescending. Rather than simply explaining that no rooms were currently available, she repeatedly asked us whether we understood how hotels work and emphasized that no room would be available until 3 PM. We fully understand how hotel check-in works and were not demanding or expecting anything—we were simply asking whether there was any possibility of an earlier room. What made the interaction particularly disappointing was that, immediately next to us, another family was being assisted by a different staff member. When their young child mentioned getting breakfast, the staff member responded warmly, saying that they would contact housekeeping and, while they couldn’t guarantee anything, would do their best to get the family into their room earlier so they could get on with their day. That was exactly the kind of response we had hoped for: kind, understanding, and helpful, even if an early check-in could not be guaranteed. We have stayed in hotels for many years and have made similar requests before, always understanding that early check-in is never guaranteed. We have never experienced such a dismissive and condescending interaction, particularly when we were being completely reasonable and had explicitly stated that we had no expectations. We ultimately asked for Carolina’s full name because, in all our years of traveling, we have never felt compelled to make a complaint about a hotel staff member, at check-in. Unfortunately, her manner was completely inappropriate for someone working in the hospitality industry and left a very poor first impression of our stay."

"Small room with a non working TV. Very average breakfast, not what expected. No tea bags in room, had to go a get some. Should not have these issues considering the cost. Would not recommend."