Hotel Indigo Edinburgh by IHG — Hotel in City of Edinburgh

This hotel is very small, with only 30–40 rooms, and the quality of the breakfast is far from satisfactory. Even under such conditions, we still encountered guest mistreatment. Both at the time of the incident and afterward, our attempts to communicate with the hotel were met with blatant favoritism toward the staff’s nonsense. There was no mechanism in place to correct mistakes, which is completely unacceptable for a hotel under the IHG brand.||Here’s what happened:||The hotel breakfast was semi-buffet style, with the main courses offered on a separate menu. I told the server, Amber, that as newcomers to the UK, we couldn’t fully understand the menu. So the two of us ordered one “The Full Edinburgh” and one “Vegetarian Breakfast.” Since the menu stated “Egg of your choice,” we said we’d like our eggs done as omelettes. Amber replied that the hotel did not offer omelettes and that there were only three choices for eggs: Eggs Benedict, Eggs Royale, and Eggs on Toast. So I said, in that case, we’d have the Eggs Royale and Eggs on Toast.||Based on the sequence of this conversation, we reasonably believed that the egg dishes were included as part of the main course. About five minutes later, the eggs were served. But half an hour went by, and we still hadn’t received our mains. I asked the server what was going on, and she said to wait. Another 30 minutes passed, so I asked at the restaurant counter. Another staff member then came over and said that among the three types of eggs and two types of mains, you could only choose one item total. “Do you want to pay extra to get the others?” Only then did I realize Amber had completely misled us.||I asked to speak with the manager. I recounted the entire ordering process in detail to Mr. Vincent, the manager. His understanding of the situation was even more absurd. He said, “When the eggs were served, if they weren’t what you wanted, you should have refused them. Otherwise, they’re chargeable.” He then turned around and walked away. When I mentioned I would leave a review about the matter, the server who misled us, Amber, arrogantly said, “Feel free.”||Later, when IHG sent their usual feedback email, I reported the issue. The hotel replied via email, claiming that after speaking with several staff members, it was determined that I had changed my mind and only ordered eggs — and that it was all just a misunderstanding. I responded again, providing a detailed explanation of how we ordered. I emphasized that we clearly ordered main courses, and that the hotel’s “official version” of events was completely different from what had actually happened.||Whether it was the server’s attitude toward guests or the hotel’s blind reliance on the staff’s one-sided story to respond to customer feedback, it all reflects very poorly on the hotel. It shows a complete lack of integrity and sincerity — a serious discredit to the IHG brand.||Looking at the menu, the phrase “Egg of your choice” appears under the main course section, but it nowhere clearly states that choosing a main course excludes eggs, or that choosing eggs excludes the main course.||Let me give an example: if I order “beef with onions” and simply tell the staff I’d like the onions a bit raw, and the staff says, “We don’t have raw onions, but we can do caramelized, roasted, or sautéed,” and I say, “Okay, roasted then,” and later the dish arrives without any beef at all, isn’t that completely absurd...

Dear IHG Customer Service Team,

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding my extremely disappointing experience at Hotel Indigo Edinburgh on March 16, 2025. As an IHG Platinum Elite member, I have stayed at numerous IHG hotels worldwide, but this was by far the worst experience I have encountered.

Unjustified and Discriminatory Payment Policy

Upon check-in, I was asked to prepay for my stay, which I did immediately. However, after completing the payment, the front desk staff insisted on verifying the physical credit card linked to my IHG account. They claimed that they needed to confirm that my card was not fake to ensure they could charge for deposits or incidentals.

I found this request highly unreasonable, as I had already fully prepaid for my stay. Furthermore, I observed that the white guest ahead of me was not asked to provide their physical credit card, making me feel targeted and discriminated against. This treatment is unacceptable and contradicts IHG’s commitment to inclusivity and fairness.

Deceptive Room Assignment

During check-in, I specifically requested a high-floor, quiet room. The front desk assured me that they had assigned such a room. However, upon arrival, I discovered that:

• My room was on the 2nd floor (in a hotel with at least 4 floors).

• The room was located next to a busy main street, with constant noise from cars and trains, making it impossible to rest.

This misrepresentation by the hotel staff reflects poor professionalism and a lack of respect for guests’ requests.

Unreasonable Refusal to Change Rooms

After staying in the room for only 20 minutes, I politely called the front desk to request a room change due to the excessive noise. Instead of accommodating my request, the hotel’s service manager came to my room and stated that since I had already “used” the room, I would need to pay an additional cleaning fee before they could offer me another room.

I explained that I had only laid on the bed for a short time, had not used any other amenities, and simply found the noise unbearable. However, the manager remained unhelpful and dismissive, refusing to change my room unless I paid an unreasonable extra fee.

Overall Poor Service and Arrogant Attitude

Throughout my stay, I felt that the staff at Hotel Indigo Edinburgh were unprofessional, dismissive, and unwilling to assist. Their double standards, misleading statements, and discriminatory behavior made for a truly disappointing experience.

My Request for Resolution

Given the poor service, dishonesty, and discriminatory treatment I experienced, I formally request:

A written apology from IHG and Hotel Indigo Edinburgh.

Compensation in the form of IHG Rewards points for the inconvenience and frustration caused.

A thorough investigation into the discriminatory policies and deceptive practices at this hotel.

I strongly urge IHG to uphold its brand values of fairness, customer satisfaction, and inclusivity. As a loyal Platinum Elite member, I expect a response that reflects the high standards IHG claims to uphold.

I look forward to your prompt response and a resolution to this...

We booked this hotel based on a previous Hotel Indigo experience in Liverpool, prior to arrival I'd communicated with the hotel on a few occasions regarding room options and parking. All responses were good and came back quickly from the helpful reception staff.

The hotel is located centrally in the city and looks great on the outside, and as you enter. The communal areas are really warm and welcoming, as are the staff. We were lucky enough to have an upgrade to an Executive King room overlooking York Place. The rooms are very colourful, modern and vibrant - anyone staying here should probably check the website first to see if it's the type of decor you appreciate.

We loved it, and the room definitely had a good feel to it, nice and warm with lots of amenities and extras such as a complimentary mini-bar (soft drinks and snacks) which were replaced daily. The bed was extremely comfortable and we liked the large screen TV which was elevated above some storage at the bottom of the bed.

Room size was plentiful and it was clean and well-kept, there was some 'city-noise' that could be heard and could affect some travellers who are light sleepers so bear this in mind and request a room on the opposite side of the hotel. The bathroom was without a bath but had an amazing walk-in overhead shower that definitely did not disappoint.

We did not use the bar, but had breakfast in the hotel both mornings. Atmosphere was very relaxing - we can imagine it being a nice place to enjoy an evening meal. Breakfast comprises of a continental offering which is buffet style and a served hot breakfast. Service was a little slow and disjointed with food arriving before plates were cleared but it was not terrible and the relaxed atmosphere lent itself to covering up for these small hiccups. The food was very nice and we enjoyed it both days.

This a really well located hotel, with great amenities close by and transport links to the main attraction literally on the doorstep. Hotel Indigo as a brand offer something a little different, that really works for us. A great modern environment that still has a warm and cosy feel – we’d definitely revisit this hotel and will look to stay at others in the UK when we...