Eden Locke, George Street — Hotel in City of Edinburgh

Great photos online, but steer clear in real life!

Features misrepresented by the hotel: "King-size bed": the bed is a queen. Hotel staff were immediately familiar with the confusion, said it commonly occurs. "high speed wifi","100 MB/s": speeds were slow the entire time, between 30-50 mbs, even after restarting the router. Couldn't even watch a YouTube video without it freezing. "dryer": the "dry" setting on the washer was on for six hours yet the clothes were still wet, no drying rack provided. "underfloor heating": not present. "tea/coffee maker": only a kettle provided, not a coffee maker. "large mirrors": one single mirror excluding the bathroom vanity, placed in the darkest corner of the room. "desk" AND "dining table": one single table. "L shaped sofa": sofa is smaller than in various photos, and not L shaped.

We were put in a basement room, directly below the cafe and facing the street where more cafe tables are set out. Between the grating scraping of chairs from above, buses roaring past on the road, and patrons chatting and smoking directly outside the only window, there was almost constant and inescapable noise. At 6:30 am they had someone vacuuming directly above us, stomping and slamming furniture around for at least thirty minutes. When we spoke to front desk staff, they did not even pretend to care and actually told me that we were in "one of the quietest rooms" and that the other rooms were "much noisier" and received more complaints.

Speaking of the window: it was the only way to let air into the room, but it opened at most maybe 30 cm/12 in, while at the same time having zero safety measures to prevent someone from entering through the opening (directly facing the street). Not sure why they would make the only source of light or air in the room so impractical and unsafe.

The bed/back section of the room was very dark and cramped, not enough lights to make up for the lack of natural light, no airflow, and barely any room on either side of the bed. One Dyson fan was provided, which did its best to weakly push air around the awkwardly sectioned space.

The pillows were solid but not plush, and lumpy, and the sheets were coarse and stiff.

The shower is also cramped, and with every use, the shower door allowed water to leak into a giant puddle by the toilet, with no drain. The water in the bathroom had a rank, sulfurous smell to it, especially from the shower.

We arranged for a late check out on our final day— yet we were interrupted not once, not twice, but THREE times that morning. Staff members walked directly into our room without warning, once while we were literally getting dressed. I can maybe understand if they hadn't put it on file and that the first person would make that mistake, but for it to happen three times shows a clear disregard for guest experience and safety.

The room needed a deep clean, especially for the dust and the floors.

Multiple times during our stay we spoke to staff about these issues, and apart from the person who came to reset our router (which did not fix the Internet anyway), they were largely unsympathetic and unhelpful. At the end of our stay, I communicated to them how unpleasant the experience had been, and they promised they would reach out and do their best to make the situation right. I never heard from them again.

Location-wise, the hotel is about a 20 minute walk uphill from most key attractions, museums, and shops. We thought this location well outside of the main tourist area would mean it would be less noisy, but this was not the case, largely due to the buses roaring past at all hours and the bars/cafes directly outside our window. So, you end up in a more inconvenient location, don't pay any less, and don't get any quiet.

For the amount they charge, you can surely find a better experience elsewhere...

Check in was a breeze and the staff so warm and friendly. You even get a free coffee voucher!

The studio exceeded expectations. It was smaller than expected but not in a bad way. I had everything I needed, nothing I didn’t need, and the space was absolutely immaculate. Not a speck of dust in sight. The bathroom was spacious, shower water instantly heated, bed firm so it didn’t hurt my back like I would sleeping on a mushy bed, kitchenette had thoughtful touches like tea and kettles, cooking and serving ware. Safe, yoga mat, light blanket/sheet for hot sleepers, fan, hair dryer, and iron all included. I want to make special note they so thoughtfully provide a white noise machine which greatly helped me fall asleep peacefully whilst having an anxiety disorder associated with small noises. This was a godsend fighting jetlag which in turn helped me adjust to local time quickly. Plenty of mirrors including full length at the door. My only small wish there was maybe a warm light above the mirror to help dress before leaving. It’s a bit of a dark corner so I just utilized the spare stand up mirror which worked out fine. If you do decide to use the washing machine/dryer combo just make sure to allow ample time to do a load.

Occasionally (at least in my unit) I’d hear neighboring doors opening, water flushing from units above, trash/recyclables taken out in the alley, and faint bass bumping from nearby pubs but nothing bothersome unless you sleep in on trash day. Could not hear any voices from neighboring units at all.

I was extremely comfortable here which i was thankful for after a strenuous 15+ hour travel from LA. Mayvn Cafe downstairs is also a cute, relaxed place to grab a bite or have a coffee or cocktail. Attentive service from Sean!

I found the location conveniently in walking distance of the many historical sites (5-20 minute walk) but far enough from the bustling crowds and pubgoers to enjoy peace and quiet. I felt safe walking around Edinburgh as a female solo traveler and snug as a bug at Eden Locke!

** I want to add the absolute icing on the cake. I left Eden Locke for a 3-day tour to Isle of Skye and was a bit stressed with where to leave my large checked luggage since the tour company instructs that only a small carry on is permitted. I found that there are lockers/luggage storage places scattered around Edinburgh but it would be a hassle to carry it to one the morning of especially with making sure I made the depature time. I mentioned this at reception as I was checking out (I wish I could remember the young lady’s name) but she so kindly said they would store it for me. I was blown away. THIS is 5-star service. If I hadn’t already made up my mind to be, I’m a loyal client forever. Stellar service from Sara, Cam, Danny, Doune....

Like one of the other recent reviewers, I am writing this because I think it’s really important for others to know and I WISH I had known this beforehand.||The rooms are REALLY hit and miss - and if you’re in a bad one, it could be the worst stay you’ve ever experienced.||First day and right outside my room are the bottle bins from a bar or some sort - breaking and crashing glass once every 20 mins - no thanks.||So I am moved to a top floor room over an internal courtyard - quieter (apart from the seagulls…) BUT this is where the problems REALLY start… the room is STIFLING. So much hotter inside than outside - and there is zero airflow because of the internal courtyard. What’s more, the sun shines directly onto the windows. So it is a toss up between open windows and cooking in the sun or shutting the curtains, but then you are stuck in a tiny room with zero natural light and really low ceilings. The latter overall is the better of two evils - but depressing as anything.||I ask again what can be done but the place is full and so I can’t even pay more to upgrade. So now I am stuck here. For days on end. On a really busy work trip.||The fans they give are useless. They then gave me an air conditioning unit too, but it just can’t deal with the sheer heat - and it is SO LOUD, so it’s impossible to have on for any length of time if you are also in the room.||So for the whole trip, I had really broken sleep, night after night. No more than an hour and a half / couple of hours at a time. And to top it off, opening the windows at night was a non-starter because of the early morning seagulls. Plus the rooms aren’t well sound-proofed, so the elevator and other people opening and closing their room doors first thing wakes you up.||Working in the room during some of the hotter days was an awful experience - curtains drawn because of the sun, not enough light, pathetic fans. Just awful.||It isn’t the fault of the staff - there seemed to be nothing they could do.||However, the establishment clearly knows there are issues since you get in your room: a fan, a spare sheet in case your duvet is too hot (with a sign that actually says this!), ear plugs and a “white noise” machine!!||In a different room, I can absolutely understand some of the better reviews on here.||But - BE WARNED, you need to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting into...