More about Holiday Inn Express Edinburgh City Centre
Convenient and Comfortable
by TripAdvisor Member Evereve
Utilized this hotel twice at the beginning and end of our vacation in September. Hotel is conveniently located approx. 10 minute walk to Princes Street and another 10 minutes to the Edinburgh Castle. There are loads of places to eat directly next to the hotel and across the street. We were very happy with the location of this hotel. Checked in early to our twin room - 4th floor (both times) at the back of the hotel. Room was small but clean. Twin room with modern decor. No place to store luggage - except for under the desk. Bathroom was also small. Shower with no tub. Hairdryer provided, but was a bit of a pain to use and not very hot (it blew out cool air). Beds were comfortable, however, no top sheet provided. One pillow per bed. No view - but relatively quiet. There is no air-conditioning and the window does not open all the way - only about 2 inches. They do provide a small fan in the room and it remained more than comfortable once we turned it on. Staff was helpful and courteous. Bar was nice. Breakfast continental - cereals, pastry, toast, juices, milk, tea and coffee and usually very busy - but adequate - go early. They have internet available - but it cost almost 4 pounds for 15 minutes. Go in town you can get 30 minutes for a pound. Would not hesitate to stay again. For the price it was just what we needed.
Great stay, great location great bed!
by TripAdvisor Member Tussypat
We are just back (yesterday) from a 2 night stay at this hotel. Its in a great location opposite the Playhouse and the Omni centre. Lovely old building but very modern inside. The staff were very friendly and helpful on everything from calling us a taxi to sorting out a noisy light in the hall outside our room. The room was lovely, at the back and peaceful, it had a nice big window, lovely decor and a very comfy bed with crisp linen. Bathroom had kind of funky lighting and a great shower, again very modern and clean. Nice sized tv with several channels and pay movies.
Breakfast was a self service affair, the room itself is very nice with comfy leather seats and nice tables. Big selection of fruit/cereals/juices/hot drinks/pastries/yoghurts/preserves/bread etc, the place was very busy but staff were re-stocking everything quickly. We parked at the back of the hotel and never moved the car for the whole time as the hotel is so well located for everything we needed :)
A great stay!
Good - But not perfect
by TripAdvisor Member NottinghamPanther
Booked a stay here for 2 nights (8 & 9th October 2005) whilst up in Edinburgh, following my Ice Hockey team.
The hotel really does have an excellent location, & is a 5 minute walk to Princess St, & all the other attractions. The rooms were clean, bright & comfy. It also has a nice bar area, with pleasant surroundings.
The hotel loses points from me for the following reasons.
1/. We did stay at the weekend (Saturday & Sunday) - & the 'thud thud' sounds booming from the disco (? next door) did keep us awake somewhat.
2/. The lack of knowledge about the hotel/ & lack of being able to speak adequate English, of some of the hotel staff. Whilst in the bar, I asked a member of staff where the toilet was, only to have to explain the situation 5 times before they understood, & then to be told they didn't have a clue where it was. Most odd & most annoying.
3/. The buffet breakfast is ok. Not a great deal of choice...but it's adequate.
How the hell they can run out of bread to make even a basic slice of toast is pitiful....
Would I stay here again?. Yes probably - but it certainly needs to buck it's ideas up, & sort out the noise from the disco!
Great economy hotel on the edge of New Town shopping district
by TripAdvisor Member Navigator10
I stayed here for a couple of nights in August and it met my expectations for an inner city economy style hotel.
The "Express" tips off experienced American travelers that this is the "economy" version of a Holiday Inn. No pool/play area for children. Orientated toward a center city location, not the suburbs. No parking lot. It is a contemporay, compact hotel located in and old building. It is in the Edinburgh-Glasgow metropolitan area that totals One and a half million people between the two of them. Think Indianapolis or Kansas City but more compact.
My room was clean, compct and practical for a short two night stay. The bed was great. The bath is tiny and had shower only. See my photo.
The hotel is walkable from the train station. Several blocks. Get a map off the web and note some landmarks to help you. Very safe area.
Some notes for first time visitors to Edinburgh:
1. Don't expect air conditioning. It is not needed 363 days of the year in this city. The weather changes every hour. I am not kidding. Energy is expensive in Europe. Even luxury condos and hotels are built without air conditioning.
2. The windows only open a couple of inches because of safety laws. Keeps kids from falling out. Don't blame the hotel or architect.
This hotel is located near the Cafe Royal, which was one of the dining highlights of my trip to Edinburgh Glasgow. Don't have your dinner in the pub portion of this place. It reeks (as do all Scottish pubs) of smoke. The Cafe Royal is expensive, but I am glad it was one of my picks.
This hotel has a room to store luggage. No tipping necessary. Check out of your hotel, store your luggage, go shopping, come back and use the lovely restroom by the lobby and head on out. Great plan. Nice staff.
If you are in town for the Fringe Festival, don't expect to see a lot of street activity near this hotel. Most of that goes on in the Old Town area. In fact, if you were wanting to avoid street crowds and want to just conduct business, this is the place to stay.
Loved this Hotel!
by TripAdvisor Member Julie4570
As frequent travelers in the UK, we have unfortunately become accustomed to ridiculously poor accommodation (the Goddard Arms Hotel in Swindon comes to mind). So we were delighted to find that, even though this hotel was further out of Edinburgh than we initially thought, it was well worth it. The staff were wonderfully welcoming, kind, and made helpful suggestions for our time in Edinburgh. They also offered us a suite without being asked, and responded promptly to all of our requests (e.g., extra pillows). The hotel restaurant was excellent and offered a surprisingly healthy and innovative menu. Further, our room was well ventilated and offered spacious and comfortable furnishings. Finally, the hotel is right across from a bus stop from which buses into the town centre could be met every 10 minutes. Although we took the buses in the mornings, the hotel was actually only a lovely 30-minute walk to/from the town centre, and we enjoyed this invigorating walk every evening after dinner. Overall a wonderful find in Edinburgh!!!
paper thin walls
by A TripAdvisor Member
i stayed at the holiday inn with a friend.the location .was brilliant.the hotel was very very clean.but the walls where paper thin we could hear evry word from the room next to us.this was an ajoining room .so a bit of advise before booking make sure your roon isnt a ajoining room.apart from that first class.
Great central location for shopping!
by TripAdvisor Member CorribLee
Visited Edinburgh on the weekend before Christmas for a bit of present shopping- this hotel was an ideal base! John Lewis department store was located across the road and it was only a short 15-20 minute stroll to the edge of Princes St. Hotel was also just opposite the Playhouse theatre and a cinema, with numerous cosy-looking pubs in the vicinity. There were a couple of nice resturaunts nearby but impossible to get a table on a Saturday night without booking ahead first. The hotel itself was very clean, had no problems with paper-thin walls; however we did get a room facing the street, the noise of which woke us a few times on our first night there- 2nd night didn't seem to be as bad- or else we were worn out from all the shopping! Breakfast is buffet-style continental, good selection of cereals, yoghurts, croissants, danishs, teas, coffee, fruit etc. It seems to be a pared down version of a hotel- no restuarant, swimming pool etc but for the price and location, it is well worth it. Probably wouldn't recommend this hotel for first-time visitors to Edinburgh who might want a hotel based nearer to the popular sights ie the castle, royal mile etc but I would definitely use this hotel for a weekend shopping or socialising- great!
Luxury
by A TripAdvisor Member
I only stayed at the holiday inn for 2 nights and it was pure luxury!! It was right outside the city centre, i could not find one fault with my stay, the ready served breakfast was fabulous with such a wide range of food with staff constanly refilling and collecting everything. I would recomend it to anyone and if you don't like what i would rate a 5 star stay, you won't find somewhere in slight comparason to it.
Nice but noisy
by TripAdvisor Member roger_10
This hotel faces a noisy main road and is sandwiched between a club and a 'talking traffic light'. The latter carries on all night! As there was no double glazing it was difficult to sleep. Apart from that the lobby, bar and breakfast were very good. You may be lucky and get a quiet room, up to you if you want to take that risk!
Forum Posts
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS EDINBURGH CITY CENTRE
by JuniperBerry
Has anyone stayed in the Holiday Inn Express Edinburgh City Centre. I would like to know your experiences (positive or negative). Is this hotel located in a nice neighborhood? Most of our tours will end late in the evening, so we'd like to feel safe when we walk back to the hotel.
I look forward to your input. Thanks!
RE: HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS EDINBURGH CITY CENTRE
by JoeNYC
I just stayed there in January and thought it was great, especially for the rate. The rooms are nothing special but are clean big enough. In fact the bathroom was quite big. The hotel bar area is very nice as well, but there's a pretty good pub across the street. The location is very good since it's a three minute walk to the top of Princes St. at the Balmoral Hotel. It's very cetrally located and you can walk to the Old Town and other places easily. A playhouse is across the street as well which was showing Mama Mia last Jan. (too bad I had absolutely no desire to see that). Calton Hill is right next to the hotel and it's a must to walk up there for a view of the city. It's totally safe to walk around that neighborhood (or pretty much any other I have been to in Edinburgh). Enjoy.
RE: RE: HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS EDINBURGH CITY CENTRE
by JuniperBerry
Thanks, JoeNYC! You've put my mind at ease.
RE: RE: HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS EDINBURGH CITY CENTRE
by saracen
Hi, is this the one on Mary Street? I have stayed there a couple of times without any problems.
It does tend to get a bit wild late in the evenings (early in the morning) when the pubs and clubs empty, but this is just with people having a good time. I have certainly seen no trouble there.
I also agree, it is in a great location.
RE: HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS EDINBURGH CITY CENTRE
by Celticfawn
Hi,
We haven't stayed there but do go past it on the way to and from our B&B on the same bus line. You won't have any trouble going to or from. It is quite near the zoo.
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