"If you’re considering staying here, please take this review as a sign NOT to. I wish I had listened to all of the 1-star reviews I saw on here. It would have saved us a lot of headaches and our time in Edinburgh wouldn't have been ruined.
In summary:
There was zero soundproofing in our room. It took four separate complaints before the hotel took any action. Each time prior, we were brushed off and our concerns were not taken seriously. When we finally spoke to the manager, he offered 10% off our stay (nowhere near adequate for a ruined vacation). When we checked out, the hotel only refunded 10% off 2 out of 4 nights, then refused to honour the manager’s written offer of 10% off the full stay. They have since refused to response to our emails and escalate the issue to Marriott’s escalation team.
In detail:
We were assigned a room with a conjoining door to the next room. Because of this, there was essentially no sound barrier. We could hear everything our neighbours were doing, even at a normal conversational level. Someone making tea sounded like they were in our room. We had no privacy, no quiet, and were unable to sleep.
As soon as we realized how severe the issue was, we called reception around midnight. While they said there was nothing they could do at that time, they offered to send security. We clearly explained that the neighbours were not being noisy, the room itself was the problem.
The next day, we spoke to reception again. We were told, “The good news is your neighbours checked out today!” We explained again that the issue wasn’t the people, but the complete lack of soundproofing. When I asked if someone else was checking in, the response was that they would “tell them to keep it down.” This made it clear our concerns were not being taken seriously.
That night, we once again heard every conversation our new neighbours had. We called reception again, received the same response, and again had to explain that the neighbours were not the issue, the lack of soundproofing was.
The following morning, we spoke to the manager, Vishal. We explained that it is completely unacceptable for a hotel to be unable to provide basic privacy and rest, and even more unacceptable to ignore the same complaint three times. We told him we wanted to leave and stay elsewhere. He said he could only offer 10% off our stay and a room change. We did not agree to this on the spot, so he sent us an email documenting the offer so we could consider it. He also stated that any additional compensation would need to go through Expedia.
At checkout, we discovered we had only been refunded 10% of our first two nights, not the full stay as promised. Expedia confirmed that the decision was entirely up to the hotel, the opposite of what the Hotel told us. When we contacted the hotel with written proof of Vishal’s offer, they refused to honour it. We have gone back and forth repeatedly, and they continue to refuse any resolution or escalation.
It is unbelievable that a hotel backed by Marriott would treat guests this way. A hotel’s most basic responsibility is to provide accommodations where guests can rest, and this property failed at that entirely. The lack of accountability, professionalism, and cooperation is baffling, and these poor business practices deserve serious attention."
