"The Virgin Hotel in Edinburgh was the 16th on our 44 day tour of Scotland, while not the worst hotel, it was the most disappointing, well below our expectations. We have stayed at a number of Virgin establishments over the years and only had first class service and an excellent experience. So when we were booking our Scottish Tour our 4 night stay in Edinburgh it was the obvious choice and having read so much about the Virgin Hotels Brand. Our first negative, was that we could not use our Virgin Miles for part of the payment. Never had this before, but not a big deal we were still going to enjoy our time in Edinburgh.
Location: The hotel is situated in the landmark India Buildings which have been refurbished into this stylish 5 star hotel. It is in Edinburgh’s Old Town, just a stone’s throw from Edinburgh Castle, and just off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh's Old Town. So lots of history and culture close by. The front of the hotel is on Victoria Street an old cobblestone street. 4 minute walk to the castle, a 3-minute walk from St Giles' Cathedral and a 7-minute walk Edinburgh Waverley train station and Princess St.
Our idea to leave the hire car was correct, because parking outside the hotel is a no no.
Modern décor throughout the hotel is typical of the Branson style. The quirky library was great, spent time having a read and coffee in here and occasional G&T. It would have been an idea to try and keep some of the original old style in places, but you cant have everything.
The entrance on Victoria Street was on the same level as our sixth floor chamber a real original idea.
Room: Well Virgin have to be different and I suppose being in historic Edinburgh, Chamber does have that "olde worlde" ring to it.
So we booked a Chamber with a balcony. Our chamber was excellent, spacious and comfortable. The king size bed ensured we had some good night sleeps. There was a mini bar. The red Mini Smeg fridge was a great addition to the room and stocked with a good selection of drinks. There was a selection of teas and coffee and snacks in the fridge so we did not go with out. The on suite bathroom was also good, with lots of essentials. Our balcony was overlooking the Greyfriars area, along Candlemaker Row and the cemetery. We also had a great view of the George IV Bridge. It was also a good vantage point to watch the busy city walk by, tour guides with the little flags and those out for the night. although there was a busy street below there was very no noise in our room, unless the door was open. The balcony was definitely a good choice.
However the room was not kept clean, we had to continually ask to have cups and glasses washed. The bed and towels were changed after one night and then not again. Not what we had experienced with pervious Virgin stays.
Food: The first night we ate at the Eve Restaurant and it was a great experience. We had an excellent waiter who recommended some dishes off the menu. The menu had a varied choice of all things Italian, although there was some alternatives. A good wine list. Breakfast was also served in the Eve. Definitely one of the best spread of choices we had during our tour. Cereals galore, with a variety of fruits and juices. Cold meats and cheeses the choice was awesome. Then an excellent mix of pastries and croissants etc. There was a hot breakfast buffet with another great selection. Build your own Scottish. Or there was the alternative from a menu choice. However service at breakfast was abysmal!!
Staff: First impressions were great. The Concierge was excellent, unloaded our taxi and our cases were labeled and whisked away. As we discovered later parking near he hotel is difficult and if you over stay it's a ticket. Reception was again excellent once we found our way in. The tunnel experience is good, but quite funny if you turn the wrong way, but we did find the Library. I digress, Reception was a warm welcome and check in went smoothly. Dinner at Eve that night was also fantastic.
What happened over night we had no idea. Breakfast was just chaotic. Having been shown to our table, we went to the buffet only to come back and find our table covered with dirty dishes. We were then told by a waitress that we had to pay for our breakfast. Having already paid for B&B it should have been included. We showed her the lady at the entrance and sent her off. Eventually she was convinced. Then there was the service from the menu, slow the waiter could hardly speak English and seemed to be a single handed wreaking ball through out the restaurant. This set the scene for breakfast every morning we were there. Dirty dishes stacked up and not cleared and waiters and waitress apparently unable to do their jobs.
Our first evening at Eve's was great, however the second evening the waiter who had caused the chaos at breakfast was again continuing his masterclass that evening.
Housekeep was another let down. Our chamber was cleaned the first day, bed and towels changed, but then that was it for our stay. If we had coffee or tea in the morning or drinks from the mini bar cups and glasses were not cleaned when came back. We had a male cleaner, who was not local and again it was difficult to communicate with him. In the end we had to get his supervisor to sort it out.
We have never had a bad experience even with flying Virgin. I'm not sure what their strategy with staff is, but they need to be properly trained and at least speak some English. In most places we stayed they had friendly Scottish Ladies doing the housekeeping always smiling and ready with a quick chat. If Virgin Hotels want to continue with what people we spoke to in the UK call DEI (what ever that means) then at least employ properly trained staff. Failing that bring in some of the excellent ladies that staff their SA operations, they are far superior to what we had to experience.
As a business mentor of mine used to say "You can have the fanciest presentation, but if it does not perform where the takkie meets the tar it's just words" Virgin Hotels remind me of this. All the trappings and trimmings of 5 Star, yet the staff experience leaves you with the feeling you stayed at the local hostel."
